The paradise beaches of southern Thailand: Krabi, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. The perfect getaway to top up your Vitamin-sea, work on your tan and have fun. Although they are touristic hotspots you can still get the real authentic experience, if you know where to go.
During a short stop in Bangkok Hélène and myself joined up again with Alex and Greg and continued to southern Thailand with the four of us! We exchanged the chill vibes of the North for the paradise Islands in the south. Our first stop: Krabi
Krabi is a coastal town on the mainland of Thailand and functions as the main port to go to the islands on the west coast. We stayed in Krabi town as it seemed most convenient to get the ferry from there to Koh Phi Phi. However Krabi town is not really all that interesting. It does have a nice nightmarket but other areas such Ao Nang and Railay seem a lot nicer of you plan to stay for a few days. We rented a scooter to visit Ao nang Beach, had an amazing mango passion fruit shake at the nightmarket and drove to the tiger cave temple.
The tiger cave temple is certainly worth a visit! There is a big golden Buddha on top of the mountain, which you first have to climb. 1237 steps to be exact. It's a tough climb, especially in the heat (go early or late to avoid the worst heat). But it's totally worth the view!
Koh phi phi was our next stop, just an easy two hour boat trip to get there. This island is absolutely stunning. Crystal clear waters, mountains, soft sandy beaches and the typical Longtail boats adorned with flowers.
We loved the island and went snorkeling, swimming, partying, Alex and Greg did muay Thai boxing and we all enjoyed some massage and good food! We also climbed up to the view point for a great view over the island and the two bays.
Good to know about koh phi phi, is that you will have a very different experience, depending on where you stay.
A quick guide on where to stay at koh phi phi
We stayed at Tonsai Beach (Chao koh dorms), which is the more quite beach, but still very central. Perfect if you like to be close to everything, but have a good night sleep.
Loh Dalum beach is on the other side and is known to be the party beach. Do not stay here unless you come to party.
Viewpoint accommodations are nice with a great view, but keep in mind that you will have to climb up hill to get there
Various resorts have popped up on the more quite and remote beaches. These are great if you really want to relax and enjoy the beach. Downside is that they are generally only accessible by boat.
Phuket was our last stop in the south of Thailand. It's perhaps the best known island in Thailand and although I expected it to be very dirty and overcrowded, it turned out to be really nice! Phuket old Town is full of Chino Portugese architecture, street art and authentic food and nightmarkets. We also visited the
, really fun interactive paintings with optical illusions.
Phuket town is not near the beaches so instead we rented a scooter to visit them. Kata Beach (family Beach) , Yanui Beach (good for snorkeling), the great white Buddha (building Buddha's on mountains is starting to look like a national sport), and Patong (the party area).
With phuket comes an end to our trip with four in the south, Hélène left a few days ago to fly home and we are also back in Bangkok to continue our trip to the Philippines. Greg will fly home tomorrow as well. It's always great to have good friends around!
Hasta la Vista and Merry Christmas
Xx Yvette
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