Koh phangan or koh lanta December?
 

Hi all,

I'm a bit torn ..will be in Thailand 28th of December this year through the 1st.

Am torn between attending Koh Phangan NYE party on Haad Rin, versus skipping the south altogether and doing Koh Lanta and surrounding Krabi beaches.

I've been to Railay and other Krabi beaches twice - and loved them - stunning.

I can explore Koh Lanta and surrounding beaches this time - i hear they are beautiful but NYE may be too low-key? Or there might be some smaller beach parties I think. Couldn't find much information.

The biggest confusion is i hear the southern gulf of thailand beaches are just getting over the rains in late December and this could make the water rougher? I would hate that. I would base myself in Koh Samui or Koh Phangan and NYE would be in Koh Phangan - and if the full moon party is too much for me and my two cousins we could just take off to one of the other smaller beaches and leave the full moon party.

I somewhat want to experience the full moon party once but I also hear it's terrible these days. And if the weather is not the best - what's the point of being in the south. I hear An Thong Marine park does open by December 23d so I could still do day tours to that and Ko Tao....

any advice?

The water in the Gulf of Thailand will be rough at that time of year. You are better off on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand. You have a wide variety of beaches to choose from, yes, Koh Lanta but also Khoa Lak and all of the Phuket beaches.

Hotel reservations at any of the beaches will be hard to come by at this late date.