The Whole of Us

Koh Lanta had a hard act to follow after the incredible time we had on Koh Yao Noi. Lanta, while still laid back compared to Phuket and Koh Samui (so I’m told) was significantly bigger and busier than Noi. It took five hours and two different boats to get to Koh Lanta, a speed boat then a larger ferry with a stop over in Ao Nang. I had prepared for five hours on a speed boat so switching to the air conditioned ferry after an hour stop over in Ao Nang was such a pleasant suprise! Our dear friend Yan, from our Koh Yao Noi accomodation, had organised transport from the port to our accomodation and not only did we likely save a good amount of cash we also got to walk past everyone at the port hassling us to accept a ride. A quick 20 minute trip in the back of songtow and we arrived at our home for the next week.

Accomodation

There are MANY options suiting all different budgets. We booked a hotel room half way down the island so we could be between the busier north and national park of the south. Hatzanda Lanta Resort was a great base for us, reasonably price, had a pool and was a quick walk to the beach and all the wonderful sunset facing bars and restaurants. Mai and her team took such great care of us, organising scooters and giving us information about the must-see spots on the island.

Getting Around

With our recent discovery of the delight that is scootering we knew there could be no other option for us on Lanta. Of course there are other ways to get around the island but nothing gives you as much freedom as scootering. They have become a core memory for us as we remember how it felt to explore the island, wind in our hair, the girls singing their hearts out as they sat on the back of the bike. Ahh good times!

Things To do

With the freedom that came with the scooters, exploring the island was easy. We decided against booking any tours, wanting to save some money and go a bit slower. We also felt like it would be difficult to beat the experiences we had on Koh Yao Noi.

Exploring

There are beaches all over the island with some of the most popular ones at the southern end. We took a detour one day on our way south to explore the beaches, deciding to walk to Khlong Chak Waterfall. The walk is a fun, muddy trek through the rainforest to a less than impressive waterfall. The fun part is along the trail through mud and fresh water streams. The saddest part was that the girls were wearing their brand new white sneakers…they’ve never been the same since. Worth it though.

After the waterfall we headed to the national park. There is an entrance fee and we decided we all just wanted to go to the beach and go for a swim, so ditched the national park and headed to bamboo beach which was stunning.

To the girls delight there were so many hermit crabs. They decided to collect a few and make a home for them. While the crabs were getting used to their new accomodation we went for a swim, only to come back and find that they’d all escaped. This created a fun game of tracking to find where they’d all gone. Surprisingly hermit crabs can travel quite far! Distracted by the fate of the hermit crabs we hadn’t noticed the rain clouds building on the horizon. Knowing it was a bit of a scooter home we thought we’d better hurry. Well… we didn’t make it far. As the drops started to fall we came across a cafe which we sheltered in as the storm approached. The wind and rain was intense and wild. So grateful we stopped when we did! Instead of getting soaked and enduring a freezing ride home we sat playing uno and eating banana roti.

Eat, Eat, Eat

Ahhh sunset cocktails by the water! So many bars and restaurants to choose from while we sat barefoot on the sand. The girls enjoyed playing with the hermit crabs and exploring the rock pools.

We met a wonderful English couple, Sam and Dave, who we ran into every night at cocktail hour. That’s the beauty of a place like this. The people you meet. The stories you hear. On our last night as we said goodbye we noticed people releasing lanterns down the beach. Sam gave the girls the confidence to go ask if they could do one and my goodness it was special.

Lanta Animal Welfare

There is a good reason that Lanta Animal Welfare ranks high on trip advisor and google as a ‘must-do’ on Lanta. The work done here is truely remarkable. As the only vetinary clinic on the island they sure do have their work cut out for them. Everywhere you go in Thailand you will find stray dogs and cats. That was a huge eye opener for us and provided great conversation around animal safety and the concept of stray animals. The clinic not only provide medical treatment but they look to adopt out the animals they rescue. You can go check-out the place and book in a tour for a behind the scene peak of how they treat and care for the animals.

The girls were so excited to spend the morning here. Pro-tip is to make sure you’re all fed and hydrated before you go in. It can get warm and that combined with the smells and sights of the hospital caused Isla to nearly pass out.

Koh Lanta Old Town

Old Town is incredibly charming. We spent the morning walking the street and looking through the shops. The girls both picked up a silk scarf that they had been eyeing off. Lunch was a wonderful affair of fresh fish and vegetables looking out over the water.

Chomview Water Park

On the way back from Old Town we promised the girls we would go find the newly opened Chomview Water Park. I’ve got to be honest, I had low expectations of the place, but it was awesome! Look, its a small park and not quite Australian standard safety, but it was clean and the girls are careful. We were the only ones there and spent probably two hours running around. On a hot day with kids who need to burn off lots of energy it was a couple of hours well spent.

Northern Lanta Markets

At the top of the island, close to where the ferry arrives and departs from you will find the Northern Lanta Markets. We spent a couple of hours wondering around the markets, eating street food and enjoying a sit down lunch. A fun afternoon made even more special as the girls finally got a beaded plat in their hair that they had been begging us for.

Things we loved:

• The beach front restaurants with cheap food and yummy cocktails.
• Scootering around the island.
• Playing with hermit crabs while watching sunsets on the beach.
• Our accomodation hosts were so lovely.
• The girls loved having Chomview park all to themselves.
• It was an easy island to visit, set up well for tourists with as much or as little as you want to do.

Honest thoughts:

• We met so many people who raved about Koh Lanta but coming from Koh Yao Noi we actually found it a little underwhelming.
• The island is busy and a little more industrial in areas with more traffic and general noise.
• Don’t judge a book by its cover. The best coffee we found was from a van on the side of the round. Google reviews really helped here.

If I had to choose between Koh Yao Noi or Koh Lanta I would choose Koh Yao Noi. I feel bad saying it but Lanta felt busier, dirtier and more industrial. I will admit that the overall experience of a place can largely depend on the overall health and mood of your fellow travellers as well as the weather and your choice in accommodation. Perhaps the larger island of Koh Lanta just felt a tad overwhelming to our weary bodies. No doubt the adjustment and initial shock of ‘we just left Australia on a one way ticket’ was sinking in. At the end of the day, the islands offer different things and for our little family Koh Yao Noi came out the winner.

To find out why we loved Koh Yao Noi so much read HERE.

Have you been to both islands? Which did you prefer?