This koh phayam travel guide starts with a confession. I came here with zero plans. A friend mentioned an island with no cars, no ATMs, and bungalows that run on generators. I thought she was exaggerating. She was not. Koh Phayam sits in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Ranong province. It runs on…
Deciding where to stay in Koh Kradan comes down to one thing. Are you willing to trade electricity hours for the best reef access in the Andaman Sea? I stayed in a simple bungalow with a generator that ran twelve hours a day. The reef sat 150 meters from my door. Every morning after the…
Is Koh Kradan worth visiting? I took a longtail boat from Charlie Beach on Koh Mook one morning and twenty minutes later jumped into waist-deep water because the island has no pier. That should tell you everything about what kind of place this is. Crystal water, empty beaches, no infrastructure, and some of the best…
Choosing where to stay in koh mak starts with picking the right beach. Two bays dominate the island. One is social and active. The other is long and silent. I stayed at a natural bungalow resort on Ao Kao where my mornings started with sand under my feet and the sea right in front of…
Figuring out how to get to koh mak is trickier than it should be. Two different piers, seven ferry operators, and an island-hopping schedule that shuts down entirely for half the year. I took the Boonsiri combined bus and catamaran from Bangkok and paid 850 THB for the whole journey. It worked perfectly. Getting around…
This Koh mak travel guide covers an island that runs on rules most Thai destinations would never accept. Jet skis are banned, 7-Eleven is not allowed, and buildings cannot rise above the palm trees. I spent a week here sleeping in a garden view bungalow made from natural materials, eating soft shell crab over the…
Deciding where to stay in Kantiang Bay depends on one thing. How much are you willing to pay for the same sunset? I came here with a group of friends from Krabi. Everyone picked a different hotel because everyone had a different budget. We all watched the same golden light drop into the Andaman Sea…
Getting from Krabi airport to Koh Lanta is straightforward. Getting from lanta old town to national park without an accident is the part most guides skip. I came here with a group of friends from Krabi. We took the shared minibus, waited in a ferry queue, and spent three hours wondering if we made the…
I never planned to visit Mu Koh Lanta National Park. A group of friends I met in Krabi convinced me over dinner one night. We made our way to Lanta the next day, rented scooters and rode south. What I found changed my entire impression of this island. Empty beaches, a lighthouse at the edge…
Knowing how to visit Emerald Cave without crowds changed my entire trip. Most travelers arrive between 10 AM and 2 PM. They swim through a dark tunnel surrounded by strangers in life vests. They reach the hidden lagoon and find a crowd waiting. That is not how this cave is meant to be experienced. I…