The first leg of my journey was to Koh Lanta in the Krabi Province of Thailand. I stayed there with my boyfriend and another two of our friends for 5 nights. Overall I absolutely fell in love with Koh Lanta. It is absolutely divine and somewhere I definitely want to travel back to in the future. The beaches are stunning, the people are helpful, the sun is hot and the cocktails are cold.
CROWN LANTA SPA AND RESORT
I don’t even know where to begin with this resort. I can honestly say that it the best place I have ever stayed in. A huge call I know; however well deserved! The resort itself is absolutely gorgeous. The grounds are very well maintained and the views of the ocean simply take your breath away. We stayed in a pool access room as we loved the idea of waking up to a morning swim each day. It was gorgeous. We certainly felt like we were in a tropical paradise having such easy access to water. There are three restaurants within the resort. The food is a little more expensive than in town but it is well worth it. Some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten. The waiters went above and beyond to help me with my food choices being a coeliac. Not to mention they were incredibly playful and we spent many of our meals learning different Thai words and phrases. Because we were constantly trying to learn the language, it made our trip so much more enjoyable. The staff put in such a tremendous effort to accommodate any of our needs. They also have three bars and two pools. The swim up bar was a hit with us, especially during happy hour, two for one!! Our favourite bar was Reggae Bar. Set up on it’s own private beach, Reggae Bar is exactly what it sounds like. A relaxed style of mattresses and cushions, cocktails, free snacks, beautiful sunsets and Bob Marley. What more could you want? Oh and did I mention the best mojito I have ever had! We were able to meet the General Manager of the resort and his sales assistant who sat down with us to discuss our future plans to stay at the resort. I cannot recommend Crown Lanta enough!
IRISH EMBASSY BAR
Now this bar was such a lovely little surprise!! We went to The Irish Embassy Bar for a quick drink and ended up staying for dinner and well into the night. The set up is true to its name but with a definite Thai flair. A waitress came over straight away (the service is spot on anywhere really) and started chatting to us about what food and drinks were available. Also a fellow Australian, we were able to have some cheeky banter with her throughout the night. They had live TVs all around which displayed live sport. A huge hit with the boys. One of my favourite nights of the trip!
SOUTH LANTA WATERFALL SAFARI
We booked a day tour down to the very south of Koh Lanta Island to go elephant trekking. Seeing as though we were traveling a little bit (40 mins) south we got a full day package for the extra 500 baht (20AUD) . The full cost was 1500 baht (60AUD). We started off the tour with a trek through the wilderness to a cave that was incredibly cool to look at. It just wasn’t fun for me inside the cave when bats started flying. My damn ornithophobia. However the rest of the gang said they were amazing as they were only the size of your hand. After the cave we walked to the waterfalls. Due to it being the end of their dry season, there was only a slight trickle of water down the rocks. This water was heaven for us due to the unbearable humidity.
Next we headed off to Koh Jaak beach. What a beach! One of the best I have seen in my life. The sand was pure white and the set up was gorgeous with tables and chairs on the sand, a relaxation hut full of cushions and a restaurant and bar. The water was delightful but very salty. I had some deep open wounds on my hands and knees from an accident prior to my trip and the salt drove them crazy. The restaurant lady noticed how much pain I was in, went out the back and cut off some fresh Aloe Vera. She then peeled the plant leaf back and started to rub my wounds with her bare hands. I was beyond grateful for her kindness. The food at this little restaurant was some of the best we have had. Tommy even went back for seconds. I went for a nap in the relaxation hut and dozed off very quickly to the sound of the small waves crashing.
Elephant trekking time! Tommy and Vicken had never been elephant trekking so it was all very exciting when we saw the elephants for the first time. We jumped straight on and off we went. The trainers took our cameras for us so that they could capture the moments for us! I was quite impressed by this. The trainer then told me to get on the neck of the elephant. I simply lost it. I couldn’t decide if I was scared or excited. It was so thrilling sitting that far forward with nothing to hang onto. It was a long day but we truly loved it.
LONG BEACH
One morning we jumped in a tuk tuk and asked the driver to take us to a beach. We arrived at Long beach and were pleasantly surprised. All you could see was the longest stretch of white sand and blue ocean. We hit the crystal blue water straight away and it was heaven. After our swim we went to get massages right on the beach! The going rate for a Thai or oil massage is 300 baht (12AUD) for one hour. Resorts and spas will charge you more. There are many places to choose from; however we chose the hut directly on your right as you walk up the main entrance to the beach. They were phenomenal as they didn’t hold back just because you were a tourist. I love my massages to be hard and tough, unlike the princess I am. After our massages and pedicures we had some lunch on the beach at Lanta Palm Beach Resort. The food was hit and miss with some of us loving our dishes and the rest of us not so much!
BAN SALA DAN
This is the main town centre of Koh Lanta. We only spent about two hours all up in Ban Sala Dan as we were all about the beaches and pools. The market place in town was more than I expected but it truly didn’t compare to Bangkok. Prices are more expensive than Bangkok and they offer quite mainstream products. We walked around the markets for around an hour before we got hungry. If you walk towards the water there are many different restaurants on the waterfront that you can choose from. The food was not ‘street food’ but was delicious all the same.
GETTING THERE
There are a few ways in which you can travel to Koh Lanta. You can arrive by plane into Krabi Town. From Krabi Town you can catch an airport transfer which can be quite pricey. You are looking at around 3000 baht (120AUD) one way. You can catch a ferry for 300 baht (12AUD) however there are generally only two ferries per day. The ferry can be quite crowded and will take around three hours from the airport to your hotel door. You will need to catch a tuk tuk once you are in Koh Lanta to your hotel. We booked an express transfer through our hotel directly. The experience was so comfortable which was great as we were exhausted from our flight. The trip took us one and a half hours and cost us 1700 baht (68AUD) per person. Well worth it after thirteen hours of travel.
the endless traveller 