Island hopping in Thailand: a two week itinerary
Thailand was my first foray into Southeast Asia, and I was hooked from our very first tuk tuk ride. From vibrant, bustling cities, to dreamy beaches, to thick jungle bursting with wildlife, Thailand truly is whatever you make of it. It can be a luxury resort holiday, a backpackers paradise, a day-long rave, or a relaxing retreat, depending on the islands you visit and the places you stay.
Bangkok
Chances are, you’ll begin your journey in Bangkok. This may be a hectic city, but it’s definitely not one to write off. We stayed in a residential neighborhood not far from Khaosan Road, at a hostel called Baan Kachitpan, which is just a short walk down a picturesque side street. (We were lucky enough to have their Massaman curry for breakfast our first morning and it was a heavenly way to start the day.) From there it was fairly easy for us to walk and explore, or grab a tuk tuk to the tourist sites. Unfortunately spending a day bumping up against tour groups and selfie sticks at various temples is a must, but I’d recommend making time to wander the Bangkok Flower Market one morning, where we happened to stumble upon the secret garden of coffee spots, Floral Cafe. Later we prowled Rambuttri Road for dinner and drinks. Madame Masur’s has a cool vibe and tasty cocktails, but Max’s Magical Thai Food was a personal favorite (the red curry was so delicious we ordered a second to share), and if you’re lucky Max himself will perform a couple of fairly impressive magic tricks for you. If you’re feeling fancy one evening throw on something nice and watch the sunset from a rooftop bar like Sky Bar or Octave.
Koh Lipe
We made our way down to Koh Lipe, planning to island hop from there back up towards the main islands off Phuket. We had heard Lipe was a yogi’s paradise with serene beaches and turquoise waters, and though that wasn’t all wrong - it was definitely more developed than we had expected. An influx of domestic tourists and the addition of a couple higher end resorts has resulted in Koh Lipe feeling a little bit like a Disney Land. Except for the short drive through the local slums to our beachside resort, we didn’t feel we were experiencing any culture that hadn’t been packaged and shipped over for our own benefit. That being said, the beaches were beautiful, the surrounding islands were fun to explore by boat, and there were some delicious food options both in town and along the beach including Castaway and On The Rocks. Watching the sunset on Sunset beach with a 100 baht ($3) mojito in hand is a must.
Koh Yao Noi
Then, we made our way to Koh Yao Noi where we spent two days exploring its winding roads and secluded beaches on motorbike. We stayed at Tha Khao Bay View, a small collection of bungalows with a restaurant with a ridiculous view over over the treetops, the sea, and a line of shadowy distant islands on the horizon. The really remarkable thing was the nature of the tide which was usually so low you could walk into the water for what seemed like miles without it reaching your knees. Despite the island being fairly quiet and less touristy, especially compared to Thailand’s party islands, there were quite a few cool places to eat. I’d recommend Chaba Cafe for lunch, and DO NOT MISS their coconut ice cream. For dinner the view from Rice Paddy Viewpoint is really something, and their food is delicious too. We also heard really good things about Pizzeria La Luna, but regrettably we didn’t end up fitting it in.
Koh Yao Yai
From there it’s a short boat trip to Koh Yao Yai where we spent two days doing much of the same, although Koh Yao Yai is less developed, and there’s more room to explore. We stumbled upon several stunning and empty beaches, one of which had a makeshift structure built out of driftwood where a spirited man served up fresh coconuts and sold chimes crafted from shells and stones he’d found on the beach. Being a mostly muslim island (as is Koh Yao Noi) there isn’t much alcohol to be found outside the resorts, but there is a very highly rated seafood restaurant called Ban Rim Nam that is reason enough to make the trip.
Koh Phi Phi
Feeling ready for some day drinking on the beach, we felt obligated to make a short trip to Koh Phi Phi. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much from the island, especially when we arrived to find a massive McDonalds looming over the pier. But despite the constant, destructive development on Koh Phi Phi, there remains some of its old charm, a lot of it embodied in an old relic - Garlic 1992. The restaurant has been around since back when Phi Phi was a backpackers paradise, before it became one big Ibiza-style pool party. They’ve had to rebuild twice; once after the devastating 2004 tsunami, and again just recently after a fire, but Garlic’s poor luck aside, it’s a blessing they’ve fought so hard to recover because their food is really remarkable; simple, traditional, and completely delicious. (And I dream about their Pina Colada to this day.) All in all Phi Phi was a surprise success, but after a couple days we were ready to move on.
Koh Lanta
With a slight hangover we made our way to Koh Lanta via a large speedboat packed with people and issuing a strong smell of petrol. When we arrived we made our way over to Lanta Old Town for a couple nights in a traditional pole house, before making our way to the other side of the island for some beach-bumming and bar hopping. (I felt Koh Lanta deserved its own post, so you can read more about it here!)
Khao Sok
Despite me falling violently ill with a stomach bug, we embarked on a five hour bus journey to Khao Sok National Park. The journey was long and completely terrible, but it was a nice change of scenery - swapping out sandy beaches for lush forests, limestone cliffs, and farmland. Unfortunately there is a right and a wrong way to experience Khao Sok, and we did it the wrong way. For lack of planning and some really poor luck we ended up on a massive group tour for our overnight trip to Cheow Lan Lake, and our accommodation was pretty abysmal. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t go - the limestone cliffs and surrounding jungle are breathtaking, and you can spot some really spectacular wildlife, and waking up to the calls of monkeys and various birds of paradise echoing over the water is magic enough to make it all worth it.
Then it was back to Bangkok for us. This time we stayed in Diamond House, and spent our last two days exploring the surrounding area (which is definitely worth seeing) and eating as many spring rolls and curries as we could fit in before we left.
P.S. If we had more time we would have traveled north to Chiang Mai which we thoroughly regret not making time for, and desperately want to see next time we go!
Remember this is just a quick and dirty guide to the places we saw and loved, but I’d love to hear your recommendations for the next time we go!
