Thai islands and itinerary

Good evening everyone,

We’d like to travel for 15 days as a couple at the end of January. We’ve been to Thailand before and fell in love with it. We’ve visited Bangkok, Khao Lak, Khao Sok, the Surin and Similan islands, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Koh Kradan, and Railay Beach. We love crystal-clear waters, snorkeling, scenic viewpoints, and exploring—beaches can get boring quickly. We’re looking for quiet spots (hotels) but with some evening life for little restaurants, massages, and shopping...

We always plan our own itinerary, book our flight separately, and improvise while having a rough idea of where we want to go.

We haven’t been to Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Koh Mook, Koh Jum, or Koh Lipe yet... What can you tell us about these islands, and how long should we stay on each? Is Koh Lipe really worth it since it’s so remote?

We’ve never been to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai—what’s particularly worth seeing there? Has anyone already put together an itinerary that could guide us to places we haven’t explored yet? Thanks for your valuable feedback so we can save time and quickly figure out which flight tickets to buy!

Thanks so much!

Hi there,

I’m replying about Koh Lipe. We went there in November/December 2015 and spent 11 days on the island. We loved it—out of all the places we visited in Thailand, Koh Lipe is our best memory. We stayed at Wapi Resort, and that part of the island is really great for accommodation because it’s close to everything but far from the noise. The beach where you arrive by boat is way too noisy. It’s an island that lets you do tons of excursions to the surrounding islands (breathtaking ones), it’s lively but not too much, with a main street packed with bars, shops, and restaurants for the evening, but it’s still pretty and not wrecked by mass tourism like Koh Phi Phi... That said, my experience is almost 3 years old now...

First of all, thanks for the info. I’m actually hesitating about going to Koh Lipe. I’d love to know where you left from and what route you took to get there?

We took an air-conditioned minivan from Krabi—about 4 hours on the road—and arrived in a town whose name I unfortunately forgot to write down to catch a boat (I think it was a 3-hour boat ride). There was another slightly faster option with a speedboat, but apparently less comfortable than the big boat, so we went with this one. It’s far, but the island is worth the trip...

Hi Morane, Your post is from 2018—what did you end up choosing after that? I’m in the same situation as you, and we’re currently looking for a destination in Thailand. This will be our second time. The first time, we did the north, then the islands Ko Yao Noi, Koh Phi Phi, Railay, Krabi, and Bangkok. This year, I’m also drawn to sightseeing and snorkeling. I’m torn between Koh Lanta—we’re looking for places that are calm but still lively, with beautiful spots... in short, what would you recommend? I’m thinking of Khao Sok (elephants, which I love), and we’re also planning our itinerary, booking flights separately, but I’m reserving all our hotels in advance. I’m also considering Ko Samui and its surrounding islands... Anyway, if you have a moment, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Muriel

I hope the person in question replies to you. Unfortunately, there aren’t many who are supportive, and if you look at their post history, you’ll see the site is only useful to them for gathering information—not sharing any. I’d forgotten about it, but I just checked and realized I’d reported them back in 2018. You can see the response I got, which speaks volumes. Not that it made them any more well-intentioned afterward.

For my part, I really enjoyed Ko Phangan. It’s got the advantage of being large and less touristy than Samui, except for certain lunar days during the Full Moon Party—it’s true that it’s limited to just one beach on the east side of the island.

You’ll see by searching with keywords on this forum that there are lots of positive reviews for Ko Yai Noi, Ko Yao Yai, Ko Muk, and Ko Kradan. Ko Lanta, the Swedes’ beloved island, isn’t bad either.

In the end, you won’t regret any of your choices. You’ll be more relaxed on the less touristy islands, but there’ll be fewer amenities and activities.