Advertisement
Published: January 11th 2015
Edit Blog Post
I have to admit it, I hate the serious rip-off of inflated prices around the Christmas time. This is valid for the price of flights, price of hotels...and obviously, who loves overcrowded places...not us for sure! At the same time, we live in the land of smiles...where people actually want to come to spend their Christmas holidays. This is the high season right now in Thailand...big time!
We spent Christmas and New Year at home last year....in our new home, after having spent a full 6 months on the road. Yes, you read this, it is already a full year since we moved back to Bangkok! Before that we spent Christmas/New Year in Buenos Aires/Las Vegas, Fiji, and yes Jordan and Syria...the world has changed a lot over the last 5 years!
So back to Thailand. If you want my honest opinion, Malaysia has nicer beaches and better diving than Thailand...by far...but life in Bangkok is still pretty amazing. Our little paradise in Thailand, is actually next to Malaysia...Lipe, in high season is just an hour by speed boat from Langkawi....sadly no direct flights from Bangkok to Langkawi...I would simply love to mix a stay
in Lipe with a night at the Four Season, or the Datai/Andaman/Westin, all gorgeous hotels...For us, it was Bangkok to Hat Yai flight, than a taxi transfer from Hat Yai to Pak Barra followed by 90 minutes on a speed boat to reach Lipe.
There are a lot of pictures of diving and beaches here...but that's not all, the food is also pretty amazing...let it be thai food....but also pizzas slices on a snack...or even new comer trying to do proper burgers...there is a little of everything for everybody in Lipe...going the right direction.
So Happy New Year to all of you! Thanks to Alexis and Noah for sharing these great moments with us...but thanks also to everybody else we met the last few days...
And next time in Lipe...don't forget...dive Forra....because they are simply amazing!
Our first visit to Lipe was back in May 2011 (without Tiffany)...and since that visit...this is our fourth visit this time. So yes, we can claim it, Lipe is a little like home! It is also the first time we made it to the busiest time of the year, ready to go
back diving with our friends at Forra Diving...Antoine and his team are the people to dive with in Lipe...and actually to stay with also!
I've known Antoine for a while now, and he has become a friend over the years. In Lipe, he owned the biggest dive center, that's 4 shops, and around 40 divers per day in the high season! But the good news is, Antoine still loves to dive whenever he can, even if it less and less while he has to take care of the "business", and of his growing cute family! You won't often meet people with such a love for diving in South East Asia....these guys dive first, run a business next...and that's priceless!
Alexis and Noah sent me an email around the 15th December. Actually it was not an email to me, it was an email to the cool group of divers I shared the Komodo experience back in late July this year. Told them, why not coming to dive with us in Lipe, I know last minute! It may not be the best diving, but you'll love the vibe! So they landed in Bangkok on the 25th.
We shared a dinner (and bubbles) that night at home, and on the 27th early morning, we were on our way to Lipe....with Leslie and Tiffany! As you will find out, we did share not only bubbles under water over the next few days...but a lot of bubbles over water too! It's fun to share great time with friends....few months after you met them, this time with Leslie and Tiffany. Small world...great friends....great time...and even great divers!
This is the first entry of a set of two. We spent few nights on Lipe, than went on the Forra liveaboard before spending few more nights on Lipe. Our base for Lipe, the Forra diving resort on Sunrise Beach....the place to stay, while it last, as Lipe is getting upmarket, and Antoine may have to move out of here pretty soon. For divers, the bungalows are 31usd a night...yes, it's Christmas time, you are not dreaming. This is a Robinson style place. No hot water....frogs in the bathroom, and yes, maybe even one or two bugs going around! But we simply love this place!
We didn't dive much this time while in Lipe...as we would do
a lot more diving on the liveaboard in the coming days. We spent time enjoy time...sometimes diving, sometimes doing nothing...all the time, enjoying great company. Lipe back in 2011 in low season was gorgeous. If you do look at Phi Phi, where I first came in 2004....Lipe is the opposite...way nicer...moving slowly upmarket...but moving in the right direction...respecting the surrounding...
Lipe has his own main street....that street is now paint in blue...clean, cool...and without anybody bothering you....I love this place! I love the way it is growing up through the years, let's hope the future will be as bright.
Next great news, Lipe doesn't have that many beds. New Year period may be fully packed, we didn't feel it! We saw a lot of people on Pattaya Beach at midnight for the fireworks...but still found our own space on the sand for tiffany to crash down...she was dead after 2 dives that day! One thing to point....we spotted a lot more yachts that we ever did before...seems the word is going around about this gorgeous place...specially with the yachties!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.107s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 11; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0756s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb