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Published: February 25th 2017
Whoever would have thought that island life would suit us?! We decided to take a minibus from Krabi to Koh Lanta and return by boat a few days later. That was probably the right decision as it meant we got there a couple of hours earlier. The trip involved a transporter ferry which was fun, and a brand new bridge, only a year old. Taking the minibus also meant that we were taken door-to-door which saved a lot of hassle.
Our first thoughts of
Golden Bay Cottages were good. The cottages themselves were comfortable enough but they were a little expensive. We loved swimming in the pool and adored lying on the beach and splashing about in the Andaman Sea. The sunsets were to die for. We were having a very relaxing time. Two things tarnished the experience though. Our fellow guests were downright rude and a perfect example of why we don't normally stay in places which are part of the mass tourism industry. There were plenty of sunbeds around the resort. Well, there would have been if inconsiderate guests didn't put their towels on them and then disappear for several hours. We hijacked a couple of beds which had lain
dormant for a few hours. An hour later our snooze was interrupted by an irate Italian complaining vociferously that we had stolen his sunbeds. Well, if he had used them in the previous three hours, we wouldn't have thought about taking them, would we? Funnily enough, nobody lent their support to the Italians! The next morning EVERY sunbed was occupied by an invisible guest with a towel as we made our way to breakfast. An hour later and just SIX people were actually using the beds. We loved the beach though, and the sea was the perfect temperature. Add to this the very un-Thai surliness and even rudeness of the staff and we were pleased that we could only stay for two nights. They said they were full, but maybe they just wanted rid of us!! We had ordered cocktails for sunset in plenty of time, but the sun was well below the horizon by the time they arrived. The next day we took our own drinks to the beach instead.
A change is as good as a rest. The
Ananda Lanta Resort nearly didn't get our business though! They had been unable to tell us if they had any rooms
available but a quick check on Booking.com revealed rooms at half the price of the walk-in rates. With a gorgeous 20m swimming pool, very comfortable rooms, and a high floor giving a tremendous sunset view from the balcony, we were very happy there. It really was a shame to leave.
We managed to hire a car for one day too with a view to seeing as much of the island as possible. It's a little over 20km in length so it wasn't an unreasonable ambition. Our first stop was the Ko Lanta National Park at the southern tip of the island. It was a lovely place but they could be spending some of the entry fee sprucing it up a bit and providing a bit more information in the information office. Even the audio visual show turned out to be a video which was more tourist information than national park information. Climbing up to the lighthouse takes a little bit of effort, but it's not too bad. The views were stunning. From there you can, apparently, watch the sun both rise and set. It could do with a lick of paint and a bit of maintenance of the steps
and path. Where is the money going? The beach there is beautiful too, and there's a 1.7km nature train through the jungle. We just walked around the lake and tried not to disturb the monkeys too much. They were having far too much fun jumping from the trees into the water.
Leaving the national park behind us, we left the car at the side of the road and walked down some steps to Ao Nui beach. A little shack there serves ice cold drinks which were very welcome in the searing heat. The beach is fabulous and what a setting in a tiny secluded bay. What a shame there were other people there, and we thought nude sunbathing was forbidden too!
Our route then took us across the island on an interior road. Along the way there were a couple of touristy settlements with a rather Bohemian feel to them. We were disappointed there were no real viewpoints at the highest point on the road, so we continued to Old Lanta Town, the original settlement before things like tourism came along. Walking along the jetty out to sea was lovely. The views looking back were amazing, and from
the end you could get a small boat out to the remote beaches of some smaller islands. Maybe next time! We had a great value lunch while wandering around the one street, one horse town. It had a bit of a Wild West feel to it, but it was in no way threatening. Walking back to the car we saw NINE ospreys fishing in the water. It was a sight to behold. We didn't know there were so many of the birds here, so it was quite a surprise.
The road doesn't do a complete circuit of the island because of the national park. Here on the eastern side, the road finishes at the so-called Sea Gypsy village. You are encouraged to be respectful as these people are not a tourist attraction, so we drove to the village, had a quick look around and then left. There wasn't a lot to see but it is good to know that not everyone has succumbed to the temptation of development for tourism purposes.
Our journey continued with a quick detour into Sala Dan, at the north end of the island. It's a bit of a ramshackle town but as the
biggest place on the island, we had to have a look. Aside from the fish restaurants on stilts over the water, there didn't seem much to detain us, or to attract us back. We retreated to the pool and handed back the car. It had been a really nice day.
We had some great food on the island. Freshly cooked fish on the beach had been a real treat at the appropriately named
So Good Restaurant. It was so good, we went there twice! For our last night though, we went Greek!
El Greco really served up an authentic taste of Greece as we feasted on Moussaka and meatballs.
We hadn't anticipated enjoying island life quite so much. There's no doubt that we will be back to this part of Thailand at some stage in the future to try some of the other islands. The boat back to Krabi was good as the sea was smooth. As we passed Koh Jum, another nearby island, a small flotilla of long boats rushed out to join us and exchange passengers. It looks far less developed there, so a possibility for next time. For us though, it was one more night in Krabi and
then time to say goodbye to Thailand with an
Air Asia flight down to Kuala Lumpur.
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Jo Trouble
Jo McCarthy
Nice!
Great timing with this shot :-)