Specially imported!

Upon listening to some of our guests, we have now specially imported (thanks to my mum) individual portions of Marmite and Nutella!

For those of you who are not English, Marmite is worshiped by half of the country and hated by the other half! But if you love it, there is nothing better on your toast in the morning!

Nutella seems to be a craze with our French and German guests, especially the kids, so we thought we would make some of our European friends happy too.

Unfortunately both of these are expensive, even in England, so there is a small extra charge, but you are worth it!

Children of the Forest

Every year the people of Koh Lanta host some children from the charity 'Children of the Forest.'

These are orphaned kids who have been displaced from Burma. In Thailand, they are not recognised as citizens and have no right to healthcare or education.

'Children of the Forest' offer safe houses for these children, as well as love, food, medical attention and education.

Obviously we cannot host all the children, but we do like to send back to the village, something for those who could not come.

This year we are asking our guests to donate unwanted toys and clothes to our reception and we will ensure that they are given to these needy children.

I would like to thank all those guests in advance for their generous donations

Mellisa

Laanta Lanta Festival

Every year the Laanta Lanta Festival, located in Old Town, has grown in size and importance in the Koh Lanta calendar.

Held every year from the 7th to 9th March, the festival is a vibrant celebration of island life, with many bars, restaurants, shops and hotels building a temporary site to sell food, drinks, clothes and trinkets etc.

This year however, we were rocked by the very sad death of King Bhumipol, the most beloved King Of Thailand, and we believed that the festival would be cancelled for this year.

However with only 2 weeks to go, the posters started to appear around the island and Old Town becomes the centre of activity on the island. The festival organisers decided that they would honour King Bhumipol's life and built a marquee in his honour with pictures about his life. This was a great way to remember him.

The festival is almost an all day event, starting about lunchtime, the bars, shops and restaurants open and the parade starting about sunset (6.30pm) but bands and shows can go on until late into the night. Because the road to Old Town is not well lit and there are many potholes, this year, like every other year, we organise a taxi for our guests to get to the town cheaply without the use of a motorbike.

It was great to see so many of our guests and friends celebrating our wonderful island.