Confused About All the Island Choices

[bennyscuba]

Hey All,

I've spent the past few days going through this forum and I have to admit I'm absolutely confused about which Island to visit for my honeymoon at the end of December. After a few days in BK & Changmai we intend to head south for ~5days of beach relaxation. I'm a semi-experienced vacation diver while the fiance is a new diver (just got certified the past year in Belize - she loved it).

Since she has few dives under her belt easier dives would probably be best, and since this is a honeymoon places that are relatively close to shore are good too - I understand the later isn't a strong suit of Thailand but I would say 15min boat rides would be desirable...

As far as other aspect we are looking for:
1) Good weather (this will be end of Dec)
2) Not too crowded (we know this is super high season)
3) Away from it all but not isolated - maybe a small town to be able to walk into but not Thailand version of Miami Beach...
4) Some other activities to be done (though I don't imagine we will end up doing much)...

We will probably be staying at a resort of some sort so that may solve some of these issues (e.g. Phuket can be crowded but I know you can stay away from it too)...

Thanks for answering a question that I know has been answered in 101 different ways already!

bg

 

[Arizona]

Holiday-inn resort phi phi, Thailand

Stayed there twice and enjoyed it very much. You can island hop by hiring a longtail boat for an afternoon and it is a bit isolated. The nearest "big" town is located by Tonsai Bay and is a short longtail boat away so your beach remains pretty quiet. Tonsai Bay tends to get crowded but has shops and things you might enjoy checking out for a day. Great snorkeling and sunset bar near/at the hotel. My wife does not dive, but loved the snorkeling. The Holiday Inn dive shop has a speedboat that gets you to the sites in about 15 minutes or so. The Bidas are fantastic and the dive guide (Wayne) if he still there was brilliant at getting us to dive sites when other boats were just leaving or not there yet. You can night dive off the house reef if you want to as well. If you do book, do so early as Dec. is peak season and this hotel tends to get sold out. They can provide transfer to and from the airport via van/ferry to the island.

Congratulations and many happy years to you both.

 

[bennyscuba]

Thanks for the reply Arizona. Phi Phi actually does look like the best combo of things. What is the town/village like? is it more of a stay at your resort when not diving place or are there other things to do.

Thanks

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Personally I think Phi Phi is way too crowed..... my advice would be to head for Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta Scuba Diving, Speedboat Transfers and Hotels AmazingLanta.com

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Personally I think Phi Phi is way too crowed..... my advice would be to head for Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta Scuba Diving, Speedboat Transfers and Hotels AmazingLanta.com

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Personally I think Phi Phi is way too crowed..... my advice would be to head for Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta Scuba Diving, Speedboat Transfers and Hotels AmazingLanta.com

 

[bennyscuba]

I guess my concern about Lanta is that it sounds like you have the longest boat rides to dive sites - is this so?

 

[Arizona]

I like my pick as the Holiday Inn is a bit more expensive, hence not so many backpackers. Keep in mind it is not located on Tonsai Bay. I would hate to stay there myself. This is a more quiet and secluded area. It comes down to preference but I like to travel differently these days. On a honeymoon you probably want something a little more exclusive. There is a town at Tonsai Bay. The fishing village by the Holiday Inn has a few nice places to eat by the beach and other newer resorts to visit but not packed. The island hopping via longtail boat, diving, snorkeling and kayaking are the main things to do... I also really like the Bidas for diving.

My suggestion is to Google Earth the Holiday Inn and check out its location in relation to the more crowded places in the area.

 

[ToPpS]

I was in Thailand at the end of 2008 (November 21st - December 21st). Went there for a whole month. 2 weeks in Bangkok playing golf (one week extra do to political demonstrations) and then 1 week in Phuket and Koh Tao respectfully.

I know what you mean about Phuket. Very crowed even with the unseasonable decrease in tourists due to the airport closure. Not my favourite place and probably won't go back there, which is sad.

I really enjoyed my week on Koh Tao, diving with Crystal Dive Resort. Granted i was there on the cheap but I almost ended up staying there permanently. There are some great places to stay on the island (Banes looked great and some friends recently stayed there) and the best thing about it is that there aren't many tourists and virtually NO hawkers pulling you into shops to buy stuff (Just one old man selling pancakes). Just an island of divers relaxing and enjoying the sunny beaches. Fly into Koh Samui and take the ferry across.

I visited Bounty Island/Racha Island which is SE of Phuket for the day. That is a magical little island. 3 resorts on it and nothing else. It's a bit of a trip out there (45 min by speed boat) but it was magic. Scuba cat does a live aboard in and around those islands...

Apparently Krabi is great for diving as well. Which is East of Phuket and on the mainland.

Thailand is an amazing place. You can see why some people never leave

 

[Bowmouth]

1) Good weather (this will be end of Dec) West Coast - Andaman Sea
2) Not too crowded (we know this is super high season) Phuket (away from the main beach areas), Krabi (Ao Nang), Phi-Phi (but not Ton Sai Bay) and Koh Lanta
3) Away from it all but not isolated - maybe a small town to be able to walk into but not Thailand version of Miami Beach... All of the above places mentioned @ 2 have some really nice, comfy and quiet resorts and they're not too far from Thai Village or Town too
4) Some other activities to be done (though I don't imagine we will end up doing much). Both Phuket and Krabi have tons of other activities, on Phi Phi you can go rock-climbing and visit the "Viking Cave" and on Lanta you can go for a walk in the jungle.