KOH LANTA: SLEEP, SEE, EAT

Koh Lanta: Where To Stay, Things To See & Places To Eat

During the British winter, the Andaman coast in Thailand is the perfect escape for winter sunshine and a little adventure. Post flying to Bangkok for a few days we took a domestic flight down to Krabi ready for some island hopping and exploring. The first destination on our list was Koh Lanta, a relatively small island South of Krabi & Phuket that came highly recommended by friends and tour guides alike. Based on our travels so far (expect a lot more Thailand island posts to come) I’d describe Koh Lanta as the back packers paradise (it’s not like the secluded islands with one off luxury hotels we’ve stayed in, it’s busier with more going on, yet still lined with white sand beaches and luxe hotels.

Where to stay?

We stayed on the west side of the island in one of the islands more mid range – luxe hotels Rawi Warin. The hotel is located between Klong Nin and Klong Toab beaches, the two areas of the island with the most life for travellers. The area was the perfect base and an ideal spot for sunset.

The hotel itself was beautifully done out, with stunning pools overlooking the beach (with the best sunset we saw in the whole of Thailand), beautiful Thai gardens to stroll around, authentic (but upmarket) rooms and villas, and impeccable service. The hotel is certainly one of the more upmarket hotels within Koh Lanta but likely one of the bigger too.

Things To See?

The beauty of our stay in Koh Lanta is that our itinerary was relaxed and slow pace. Swimming, eating, walking and evening massages were pretty much the agenda for most days.

The beach is packed with Thai massage shacks overlooking the sea, they’re such incredible value (and so very good) that they have to be a ‘must’ for any trip.  I enjoyed my massages around 5pm as the sun was setting and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve done. And at £7.50 for an hours Thai massage it was a no brainer.

Alongside the Thai massage shacks is tons of food and drinks spots, serving up seriously delicious and fresh food for mere pennies. We tried a few and you really can’t go wrong. If you fancy a bit more of an adventure or have more time to spend, you can explore the south of the island or even visit the Koh Lanta national park!

Places to Eat?

Koh Lanta is packed with loads of authentic Thai restaurants, from the beach shacks on the seafront for lunch (Mr Love was a favourite) to the likes of Shanti Shanti, Pattys Secret Garden and the highly recommended Why Not Bar (we didn’t make it to this place but it was recommended by everyone who’d visited).

The food in Koh Lanta is seriously yummy, super fresh and crazy good value, the Phad Thai’s goong sod and Thai Yam salads were always our favourites. The island is relatively spread out so a Tuk Tuk is your best mode of transport to get you from hotel to restaurant in the evenings, but fret not each journey will set you back around 100-200 baht (so only £3-5)!

Koh Lanta is a super chilled, it’s a really  relaxing part of Thailand really worth visiting on any trip to the south west, its a popular island for a reason! For us it made the perfect chill time post that craziness of Bangkok.