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Published: February 1st 2010
(click on the first pic to enlarge and browse through and let the pix do the talk. if you are interested in more, well be my guest and read all about it below....) (always) good to be back again
After traveling in the Philippines with only a few tourists, I was wondering if we still would like Thailand, especially in the high season. However also at my 6th time in Thailand I didn't get disappointed: if you try to avoid the main touristic spots (especially Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan) you still can enjoy nice beaches, great food and very relaxed people at very reasonable prices. Due to rapid tourist development in Thailand don't expect places to look the same, if you come to visit them again after a couple of years. I already got disappointed several times and therefore try to avoid to go back to the same place unless I have enough indications for a slow(er) development. On the west coast I found some places that I really liked and should still be okay the next couple of years.
My conclusion: although Thailand is over-crowded with tourists and some places feel like European
colonies, it still offers something for every taste. Trying to find the unbeaten track takes more effort here, but if you succeed, you get rewarded.
My recommendations for travelers trying to get away from the masses are Koh Chang (Andaman sea), Koh Phayam, Koh Jum and Koh Lanta.
You can also read our itinerary including some travel tips per location):
Our itinerary
Ayuttayha The former capital with its many temples and buddhas can be visited on a day trip from Bangkok. I personally liked the historic park Sukhothai, a little further up North, better.
Koh Tao We go there to spend NYE there and I am curious to find out how it has changed over the last 9 years. The main beach Sai Ree is already too crowded and developed for my taste, at least in the high season. There are however still some smaller beaches with a more relaxed vibe. We spend 3 nights on beautiful Nang Yuan island at the only resort there http://www.nangyuan.com/. It is incredibly crowded between 10 am and 4 pm, when hoards of tourists go there on snorkeling and diving trips. We try to stay away
from the beach during the rush hour and enjoy the beautiful scenery before and after. Off shore snorkeling is pretty good, however I didn't enjoy diving there as the dive sites around the island are too crowded and visibility was not very impressive.
Koh Chang (Ranong) Not the well known and already overly developed Koh Chang close to the Cambodian border, but the smaller one in Andaman sea, close to the Burmese border and a one hour longtail boat rider from Ranong. The island is pretty 'underdeveloped': no paved roads, no motorbikes, no phone connection, hardly any internet connection, only 5 hrs electricity per day. There are a couple of resorts and three bars on the islands. The beaches are not the prettiest in Thailand, but they are almost empty, so you get the feeling to have them for your own. The vibe is extremely relaxed and slow paced, maybe like most now so popular places must have been 20 or 30 years ago. Mainly old(er) hippes, some freaks and other long term visitors who come back there every year to stay a couple of months stay on the islands. As the lonely Planet doesn't really mention this island, but
some German guide book does, approx. 80%!o(MISSING)f visitors come from German speaking countries. We heard that over the last 10 years development there has been pretty slow. The neighbour island Koh Phayam that had a similar vibe due to the lack of development is already under the radar and heavily promoted as the Koh Samui of the 80's. Therefore development is on the way with 24hrs electricity and motorbikes for rent and rising prices. We heard it's still nice, but I wonder how long it takes till this island looks like the other main tourist spots. We stayed at the lovely Koh Chang resort (http://www.kohchangandaman.com/) in a bungalow with a very nice open veranda where we could watch the stars every night (for 400 baht/ 8 euro). Mama's is another recommendable resort.
Khao Sok In order to have a change from beaches, we decide to pay Khao Sok national park a short visit. On our one day jungle tour we go to a cave and have a stop over at a floating village (probably mainly built for tourists). The scenery is nice, however I don't like walking in a big group and being rushed through the jungle by our
guide. From other travelers we heard walking through the jungle on their own was a nice experience. Our tree hut was very relaxed and had a jungle alarm clock: some monkeys on our balcony waking us up in the morning.
Koh Lanta My 4th time on Koh Lanta, and although I realize changes on Long Beach I don't like, overall I still can recommend this place: Long beach got more crowded and more upscale ugly concrete buildings have been built on the beach. Therefore some of the locals and expats there I know from a couple of years ago moved to other parts of the island. We rent a scooter and cruise around the island and still find plenty of lonely beaches and interesting places and people. Lanta still has its special vibe, just rent a scooter and discover it for yourself. Furthermore I hooked up with two friends from Sweden I met in Mexico 2 years ago. We enjoy two nights at Long beach. Another island on the way to Koh Lanta (45 min) that is still quiet and not so developed is Koh Jum. We didn't have time to check it out, but will probably do so next
time.
Koh Lipe 3 hours further down South on our way to Malaysia we stop at Koh Lipe for a couple of days. The beaches are beautiful and the crystal clear water allows for great off shore snorkeling, the vibe overall is still relaxed. However Koh Lipe is heavily promoted as the Maldives of Thailand and it looks like they want to create the next Koh Phi Phi there: boat traffic is heavy (Pattaya beach is a port but not a beach for swimming any more), prices are rising (hard to find anything below 600bht) and the island is already pretty crowded and more and more tourist facilities and hotels are built. It's better to avoid the high season and to stay away from the main beach Pattaya. For people who are not on a budget, Cast away resorts offer nice 2 storey huts at a quieter and nicer part of the beach (http://kohlipe.castaway-resorts.com/).
As I always wondered how life would be further down in Asia, we decide to go to Malaysia....
...to be continued...
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