Koh Lanta is still very much unexploited, offering one of the best prescriptions for anti-stress vacation destinations in Thailand. Koh Lanta is especially attractive for families with small children as the beaches are shallow without any dangerous undercurrents. As is the case with many Thai islands on the Andaman coast, Koh Lanta is hugely popular with Scandinavian tourists. As a matter of fact, Koh Lanta consist of two islands — Koh Lanta Noi (‘Small’) and Koh Lanta Yai (‘Big’). If you are guessing the latter holds most of the hotel complexes, you are being very right.
Smallness, Muslims and Great Beaches
To get to Koh Lanta, you need to travel by boat either from Krabi (high season only) or from Phuket, though with a change of boats at Phi Phi Island. The notion of ‘smallness’ very much characterises Koh Lanta. This concept can also be applied to the prices, which are ‘small’ enough to allow foreverything to be utterly affordable to a Western wallet. Discotheques, a go-go bars and the likes are completely absent on the island.
More than 90 per cent of Koh Lanta’s inhabitants are Muslims. Therefore, be aware that most restaurants do not serve pork or alcoholic beverages. Nonetheless, fresh seafood is absolutely abounding on the island. Be also aware that almost half the island is closed during the low season, that is May through October. Lastly, Koh Lanta is an excellent destination for those who enjoy diving.
Klong Dao Beach on the southern part of the main island could well deserve the prize as the best Koh Lanta beach — truly excellent for swimming and sunbathing, also boasting a number of top-notch hotels as well as foreign-owned properties. Phra Ae, generally referred to as Long Beach, is the biggest Koh Lanta beach. Here, the tourist facilities are considerably less luxurious, though.
