eurotraveller

I have posted a question about Koh Lanta on two different forums and received only one reply on another forum from someone that was there 6 years ago.

It sounds like a beautiful place, relaxing with great beaches. I also have been trying to find info on the Trang Islands.

Why is it that it seems most people don't go any further south in Thailand than Phuket?

If anyone has been further wouth than Phuket I would love to hear what islands you visited and what you liked/disliked about them.

Thanks!

Cheers!

JamesA

There are countless places that remain almost untouched by tourism, you are right, most head to places such as Phuket but it does provide much of what most people I guess are looking for.

Anyway, Koh lanta, much busier than even a few years back, some very nice beach resorts like the Pimalai, Sri Lanta and the Layana resort, to name a few.

Nice beaches, relaqxed easy life, still lots of local village life, outside of the resorts/hotels not that many restaurants but enough for most, no nightlife really to speak of and little shopping, though again you can do your shopping in Bangkok. It is a place for rest, relaxation, if that is what you are after it is a very good choice ( Nov-May ).
Trang area is far less developed, not that many great places, Koh Ngai has a couple of nice places to stay, like Koh Ngai resort.

The reason also not so many people travel down that way is that although it is easy enough to fly to Krabi ( but only from Bangkok and non daily seasonal from Singapore )it is still a road journey plus boat, and I guess many prefer to head straight from an airport close by.

If you want relaxation, some nice tours, clear waters and getting away from it all but having some great resorts to stay in, Koh Lanta is a nice choice. South to Trang is not far but not as many places to stay and ultra quiet.

http://krabi.sawadee.com/lanta.htm

http://south.sawadee.com/trang/

eurotraveller

Thanks James!

I was beginning to wonder if Lanta was not a good place to go for a few days!

We will actually be staying on Phuket, probably on Nai Harn beach at Sabana Resort, for 3 nights and then heading to some real relaxation on Lanta.

What is the best part of Lanta to say on if we want a mix of nice casual beach bars and white sand beaches? Is long beach a good choice?

Thanks again!

brendafaye

There may be several reasons for the lack of responses on Koh Lanta. Did the recent tsunami shy people away or is it such a special place that people don't want the word to get out? We almost canceled our trip to Railay Beach last Feb because of the tsunami. It seemed rude to vacation where so many had lost so much. Emails to our hotel and website postings from Krabi persuaded us not to change our plans. So glad we heeded their words.
A morning flight from Siem Reap to BKK, with an easy walk from international to domestic terminal, put us on a short hop to Krabi. Prearranged transfer had someone waiting for us as we exited the terminal to transport us to the pier where we tranferred to a long tail boat for a 15 - 20 min ride to our hotel. There are no roads on Railay Beach, all transportation is by long tail boat. Don't think you're isolated, boats are available all day to take you to Phra Nang (where there are roads and too many cars) or any of the nearby islands. One afternoon we took a longtail to Phra Nang for a cooking class. What an experience, great teacher, interesting people, fabulous food and fun.
We stayed at Sunrise Tropical Resort which was beyond our expectations. Photos on their website don't convey the beauty and tranquility of it.
Railay Beach is very laid back. There is sunrise, kayacking, boat trips for snorkling, diving or exploring nearby islands. However rock climbing and watching sunset on Sunset beach are the most popular activities. There are very casual outdoor bars with music and restaurants on East Railay. Everything is a short and pleasant walk to get to. Railay Beach is not for everyone, thank goodness.

Brenda

heatherx

A huge thank you to everyone who has posted information on this thread! I am planning a trip to Thailand in Dec and i was starting to think that even Thailand, with all of it's beautiful islands and beaches, was nothing but a small version of Miami! It seemed as though i could not find what i was looking for...but you have helped steer me in the right direction. I will start my research on Koh Lanta as well as Trang. Thanks so much!!

JamesA

There are lots of beaches that are 'totally' untouched by tourism, but then again there might not be a road or perhaps a dirt track, but there are gems of places like Koh Ngai and places that 'do' have decent accommodation, also in the Gulf area there are several hundred km of coast with small resorts/hotels that attract a loyal following, some actually have some real nice places, as long as you are happy without the shopping and nightlife there are just so many places, and when it comes to inland/non beach areas just look at the size of the country and then count up the number of places you ever see talked about !!