When I booked this trip, the islands in Thailand were hands down the part I was looking forward to the most. So when I arrived, I couldn't help but stare with my mouth wide open and snap away at the most amazing views I've ever seen.

Planning to spend just over 3 weeks island hopping, the first piece of heaven we shacked up at (quite literally...) was Koh Lanta. Situated on the left hand side of the mainland of Thailand, it is famous for its stunning scenery, fantastic coral rimmed beaches and breathtaking sunsets. We spent our first night in a little hotel just behind Long Beach, but quickly moved onto the 'main' backpacking spot a couple of nights later called Klong Khong Beach. Here, we had the most relaxing time ever.

(ps. sorry for the stupid purple squiggle on all the photos - somehow my camera lens was damaged inside during my days here by the heat. Gutted!)

We stayed in little wooden beach huts on stilts right on the edge of the water. It cost us around £6 a night and included a double bed, fan (you're lucky to get AC on the islands fyi unless you're in expensive resorts), en suite and the cutest little balcony where we sat and watch the most unreal sunsets each night. Like Otres Beach in Cambodia, you can pretty much just rock up here in a tuk-tuk and find a place to stay - that's all we did! And we found this little gem.

Koh Lanta itself is quite big, so if you're into your bikes or if you're not too scared to hire one, then rent a moped and ride your days away around the island. There is a national park down on the South of the island that is supposed to be amazing - so head there too. It is also a popular place for scuba diving (with Koh Tao taking the lead) so you can grab your diving license while you're here and head into the waters to see the tropical fish.

We however, spent our 3/4 days here purely relaxing on the beaches, eating the most amazing thai food, drinking the best mango smoothies and experiencing the not-so-existant nightlife. A tip for you about that.. if you're looking for nights out, then make sure you find out what event is on for that particular night. So for example, backpackers go to one place and one place only each night of the week, so make sure you ask around and see whats advertised for that night. Go to a random bar instead and you'll find it'll be dead!

We did have some good fun here though. Check out the Mushroom Bar on Khlong Khong Beach, it has a crazy UV party. Just make sure you wear anything but white... We didn't go out that much here as we knew Koh Phi Phi was our next stop and that place is basically famous for it's nightlife, so we just had a couple here.

 

 

After lounging on the beach, we'd head back to our little huts and watch the most amazing pink sunset over the sky lined with palm trees. It really was incredible.

♥