THAI ISLANDS – EAST

25-01-20

Koh Tao – Koh Phangan – Koh Samui

3 nights – 3 nights – 5 nights

After travelling from Bangkok to Chumphon and staying the night, we caught the morning ferry from Chumphon to our first Eastern Thai island, Koh Tao. The best ferry company for this seems to be Lomprayah and have been fantastic for getting from A to B. Slight tip – download their app in order to make your booking, showing them the page in the app at check in seems to make it twice as fast as everyone with their print outs!

KOH TAO

The smallest of the Thai islands on the eastern coast, Koh Tao is the perfect place to relax and fully settle into beach life after the hectic pace of Bangkok.

We stayed on the south coast in Shark Bay which is much more peaceful with gorgeous beaches and local family run restaurants as apposed to the touristic side of Sairee Beach. Also known as Turtle Island, Tao is a great spot for snorkelling and popular for its diving courses if getting a PADI is on your bucket list! 🤿

In Shark Bay, there are two brilliant restaurants alone; Koppee Cafe which is a family run beach front restaurant with its own pool and hammock area 🙌🏼 the Thai family were even having a birthday party when we ate there and they shared all their traditional Thai desserts with us! The other is a restaurant located at the end of the pier of the bay. They have a BBQ and pizza oven fired up every night turning out some amazing dishes!

When staying on Tao, we took a day trip over to Koh Nanyuan island. Only a short and cheap, £7 each return, longboat ride over to the island from Sairee Beach, Nanyuan is famous for its impressive double sand spit and its amazing lookout point in order to admire the view 📸

Top tip: Visit Nanyuan either early morning or late afternoon (3pm). This help to avoid the tours that arrive and stay around 12-2. However best to keep in mind that Nanyuan closes at 5pm.

KOH PHANGAN

After Koh Tao, the next island down on the Lomprayah ferry is Koh Phangan. Famous for its full moon parties and clear waters, this is one island not to be missed.

Top tip: be sure to check the party dates before arriving if this is something on your list. Unfortunately with the way our dates landed we had missed both the Full and Half Moon parties and am conscious of our 30 day visa in Thailand so couldn’t hang about!

If you are looking for the parties then staying on the south coast is your best bet however if you miss the dates than the north coast could be a good spot. This is where all the beautiful clear water beaches are. Unfortunately, this islands party reputation has made the south beaches slightly dirty and over touched.

Home to another sand spit beach, Mae Haad Bay makes for a gorgeous day trip. The island that is met at the end of the sand spit is a hot spot for snorkelling however be aware of some strong currents!🌊

KOH SAMUI

The last of the chain of eastern islands is Koh Samui. The largest island of them all, Samui has become quite the go-to place however has in turn made it much more expensive than the usual Thai budget we were used to – just as something to bare in mind.

As Samui is such a larger island, there are so many fun things to go and see! One of Thailand’s main sports is Muay Thai, which is a mixture of kick boxing and martial arts. One of the main arenas on Samui is the Phetch Buncha where all the locals attend and are super passionate and it is even televised from this stadium! This is one of the more pricer Thailand activities at around £25 each but definitely worth it!

If you’re looking for a fun night out than head straight to Thanon Chaweng-Choengmon. This strip of bars, restaurants and shows guarantees you some memories!

One of the must sees on this road is a lady boy show! I would recommend Starz Cabaret, the dancing and entertainment they showcase is unreal! 🌟

The next stop, just up the road from Starz Cabaret is Ark Bar. Situated right on the beach, they have a live fire show every night where they perform tricks and stunts right in front of the cabana beds🔥

Another great lunch or dinner spot has to be The Jungle Club! Up in the high depths of the jungle, beautiful positioned tiered platforms filled with beanbags and tables. The perfect spot for some gorgeous food and drinks along with a worthy view!

Samui is also home to a couple of natural elephant sanctuaries however due to it being on Samui it was rather expensive and know there are equally beautiful natural reserves in places like Chiang Mai so we missed these ones🐘

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I hope this conjoined blog post of all the islands is helpful! Thought it was nicer to join them together in one blog post as they consist of a smooth sailing route for Thailand’s east coast!

Now onto the next stop…..Khao Sok National Park 🌴

Peace and love,

Yasmin xo