Ko Lanta: Still lovely after all these years!

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It had been ten years since we'd stayed on Ko Lanta and, as anyone who has traveled in SE Asia knows, a lot can change in that time. And change in this part of the world usually isn't a good thing. Quaint beach bungalows can get replaced with high rise resorts, ruining the chilled out vibe and general affordability. Pristine beaches can get eroded away or litter-strewn. We have seen some of our favorite places get ruined over time so we were a little nervous to come back to Ko Lanta, especially as we'd had such fond memories of deep white sand, clear blue ocean, and fun but chilled out night life. Thankfully, Ko Lanta did not disappoint, at least not at first. Despite being a large island with busy roads and lots of development, once you get to the beach you are surrounded by beach bungalows and driftwood bars. It seems a world away from the busy main street just a half mile inland and there's everything you need right there. You could literally just stay in the beach bubble and never venture out!



We started our time on Ko Lanta at an old-school resort called Somewhere Else. We had a basic concrete bungalow just steps from the beach. It was really big, with two double beds, which is why we booked it. Four-person rooms are hard to find! We generally liked it but we soon found that it was a little tough without air-conditioning with two small children. Naps were a sweaty mess and bedtime wasn't much better. Still, it worked out ok and the location was perfect - right on one of the best parts of the beach. Our guide book had hinted that the beach had suffered some erosion but we found it to be as deep and beautiful as we'd remembered. We were soon falling back in love with Ko Lanta! The night life was family-friendly too, filled with walks along the beach to restaurants where you could eat right on the sand while the kids played with the toys provided. Afterwards, we'd go to a beach bar with a fire show. The kids were instantly mesmerized! Perfect!



Our blissful little bubble popped after a couple of days, though, when a storm out to sea brought high winds and even higher waves. For about five days the huge waves pounded on the beach relentlessly, dragging away all of the soft sand and leaving behind just the broken coral and shells. On top of this, it was full moon so the tides were coming up exceptionally high, flooding the front part of restaurants and making it impossible to walk too far along the beachfront. My parents arrived in the middle of this so they unfortunately missed the beach at its best. Still, I think they were happy to see the grandchildren again and just be in the warm weather after coming from rainy England. It was nice to have an extra pair (or two) of hands around to help watch the kids, especially when the waves were so big as we really had to be careful when they played near the waters' edge, even with their life jackets on. I've truly never seen waves so big in Thailand!



One morning we left the kids with grandma and grandpa while we did a run out to Lanta Mart to buy some basic supplies and to shop for Christmas presents. We ended up finding lots of little toys for them and I found myself wishing I'd not spent so much money on Amazon getting gifts delivered to my parents to bring out. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry I guess! We couldn't find Christmas wrapping paper though so they'll be getting their gifts in hearts and puppies paper this year!



In a few more days we will be moving to the other end of the beach to a fancier resort with a pool and air-conditioning, which will be a nice change. I'm sad to be leaving this part of the beach, though, as it's quickly become our home-from-home and also my parents are staying in their accommodation here instead of moving with us (long story!) It will be harder as we can't just "run into each other" on the beach, but at least we all have phones with messaging. Hopefully we will be able to meet up quite a bit.Cant believe it's just ten days until Christmas! It doesn't feel like it at all!



***** Please scroll right down for more photos. We have good internet so there's lots!! ******

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