Koh Lanta Is One of Thailand’s Best Hidden Gems

Koh Lanta, an island of southern Andaman, off the west coast of Thailand, is one of the country’s real hidden gems.

There is no Western chain here. No girls. The beach is still the beach, though it can end in five years. There are plans to build a bridge that will soon connect the mountain lanta to the land. Once this work is done, it will be 45 minutes easier for Kirby International Airport (KBV). But this is a travel writer’s trouble for another day.

For now, the mountain lanta is relatively undeser, especially by the Americans. During my second consecutive January – March to March is the best months to come to the island in terms of season – I didn’t meet anyone else. Scandinavine, however, is a different story. There are non -stop flights from Stockholm to Kirby International Airport, and I talked to many Swedish and Norwegian residents who were desperate to avoid winter darkness. Many of these Snow Birds are one of the high-ranking features of the island (have two Michelleins Keys)-My wife and I have spent almost perfect week there this year.

22 years ago was founded on 100 unmanned acres, Pamalai has been proud of the 3,000 -foot prime Kantiang Beach Front. Most of the morning, I slowed down the full length of it, which occurs on the platoon Ideal on the tropical beach: mostly empty, with soft sand that can be found under and out of soft water. Pamlai is luxury, with hotel guests more than beach and polyside lounges. While there are small resorts on both ends of Kantiang, in the morning, I have never seen anyone.

Due to the region, Pamalai feels like two resorts, with each infinity pool and restaurant. There is only 121 total accommodation. Delux rooms are located near the beach, while the pool villa is hit on the shore of the roof hill. All guests have access to the round trip van service at the Kirby Airport and the speedboat transfer to the palm pier-this reduces the 45-minute travel. Again, real luxury.

A memorable morning, I and my wife were picked up in Pamili to start a long snorkeling charter for the Koh Ha and Koh Rock. Since we are old and clever, we sat in front of the driver, Jaron, while the other passenger entered the seats of the uncomfortable bench in the pickup bed. After 40 years of pursuing the sun on the Thai beaches (and then slightly damaged), we have learned that the best part of the journey is the people you meet and talk. Like most Thai people, Jaron was also soft, capable, and warm -friendly for tourists. He apologized for his English (which was very good) and when I told him that my name was “Blood D”, which is almost translated into “Mr. Goodman”.“

Because the Koh Lanta is far south of Thailand – its nearest Malaysia – 90 % of its inhabitants are Muslims, including Jaron. He confessed that many of his friends had drank alcohol, though he did not do so, perhaps because he had 500 rubber trees on his property, from which he started at 3:30 am every morning before going to work. The income from his rubber trees doubled his monthly salary as a driver, which enabled Jaron to send his daughter to college in Bangkok, whose reality he was proud of.

On that day, the mountain was amazing on the rock. I saw a lot of healthy soft and hard coral. There was a fish everywhere, big and small, and although I’ve been diving and snorkel in Thai waters for a long time, I saw something that I had never seen before: 15 feet crown-cana starfish. It was an electric blue memor in which the black thorns used to make its surface pepper.

On the boat back from Koh Rock to Ghat, our captain passed through a mangrove forest, which is settled with a large band of swimming, fruit -loving monkeys. I had never seen the monkeys in the water before, but I came to the idea that these monkeys awaited the arrival of their surviving watermelon and pineapple daily by our boat.

One evening after a week, we hired Jaron so that we could run to Old Town, on the east side of Koh Lanta. The coast is the front of the Strait of Malika instead of the Andaman Sea and is on the traditional trade route to Malaysia. There are no Sandy coast or advanced resorts on the east coast of the island, but it contains the communities (a group of indigenous nomads). The second major attraction of this unique place is the simple restaurant made on wooden pilots.

We liked our time in Mount Lanta and Pamalai, which was amazingly running well. Our room was served three times a day, without stopping. International breakfast buffet included unclear regional features, Thai noodle soup, a row of tropical fruits, and organic juice. The beach seafood restaurant, food in rock plates, where we often had dinner, was not only great, but also for a five -star, was surprisingly cheap. If you visit, try soft shell crabs. You will be surprised by the taste and how many crabs contain the same order.

I can still taste them – and hope again.