Thank you Daisy & Patrick

Thank you Daisy & Patrick for this lovely review (the English version is not up to date yet - but luckily google translate helped). Many thanks for taking the time to write this about our special resort.

If you want to read it, click here.

Coming to Koh Lanta from Krabi Airport

Arriving at Krabi Airport

If you are coming to Koh Lanta from Krabi Airport, there are a number of things to consider, when choosing the best flight and the best transfer option.

Koh Lanta is 2 islands, Koh LantaYai & Koh Lanta Noi

Koh Lanta is comprised of 2 islands, Koh Lanta Yai and Koh Lanta Noi. There is a pier at Hua Hin (about 50 minutes from Krabi Town) that connects you to the car ferry to Lanta Noi. There is a bridge between Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai, where most tourists stay.

The Car Ferry connects the mainland to Koh Lanta Noi

There are a number of options, but most people choose either the public minibus or a private taxi but please consider:

A bridge connects Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai

1. The public minibus is the cheapest but the slowest, runs hourly (only during the day) and can easily be booked at the airport.

2. The private taxi is faster but more expensive (but a great option for a family or group of friends) and can run at any time.You can book this at the airport or with your hotel.

3. The car ferry, which both the minibus and taxis use, runs constantly from 6am to 10pm. It takes about 15 minutes on the ferry (but there can be a queue for the ferry at busy times).

4. If you arrive after 10pm, you will need to pay for a private ferry (about 1,500 baht)

5. The airport is about 45 minutes from the ferry for Koh Lanta, so you need to ensure your taxi collects you by 9pm to ensure you do not have to pay for the private ferry.

The Passenger Ferry is a good option if you are coming from Krabi Town

6. There is a passenger ferry and a taxi/speedboat option, but the ferry runs only once per day (so is not so convenient for those arriving at the airport) and the taxi/speedboat option is expensive (charged on a per person basis)

So when choosing your flight times, please bear this in mind, a cheap flight, that arrives late a night, could cost you a lot more than an earlier flight.

Got to get up early for Children's Day!

Gin giving the kids cakes & donuts

Yesterday was Children's Day in Thailand and every year on Koh Lanta an event is held in Casuarina Park, Long Beach, Koh Lanta, for the children of the island.

Gin organised the event

All the local businesses are invited to come and support the event and there are many competitions, games and activities for the kids to do. 

But you have to get up early, as the event starts at 8am and our stall was sold out by 9am!

Ya & Sao eating the kid's donuts!

As with every year, we participate in this event and Gin, our Hotel Manager, took the lead and ordered the cakes and donuts for the kids and managed our stand with our Head Cleaner, Sao and Handyman/Gardener, Ya.

A big thank you from us guys and I am sure there were plenty of kids enjoying the sugar rush you gave them!

A Unique Dining Experience

So for Debbie and Stuart's last night they thought they would try something different, so they booked 3 seats at The Table, 1 seat for me!

Debbie & Stuart's Last Night

The Table is a unique dining experience, there is just one table (that seats up to 12 people) and there is no menu. Dew, the owner and chef, visits the local market finds local fresh ingredients and cooks some traditional thai dishes from all over Thailand.

Range of Craft Beers available

The diners arrive around 7pm and are welcomed by Dew, and her partner Peter. Peter is your wine and beer expert and advises you on what will suit the meal tonight.

Tonight there were 4 dishes and as each was presented, Dew explains the dish and it's origins.

Me, Dew and Debbie

Tonight we dined on:

A very sociable event

- Seafood Miange (fish and shrimps served in a lettuce parcel and with a spicy chilli dip

- Seabass curry and fried chicken livers and rice

- Slow cooked chicken in a red curry with young bananas and fried pork belly and rice

- Fresh local fruit 

Slow cooked red chicken curry

Debbie and Stuart really enjoyed the chance to try new thai food and the amount of food provided.

A great chance to meet new people

They also really enjoyed meeting other people from all over the world

I would like to thank Debbie and Stuart for sharing their photos and experiences with me, wish them a safe journey home and hope we see them again soon!

Farewell to an Old School friend!

Monkeying Around!

The monkey's jumped on the Longtail for food & a lift along the mangroves.

So Debbie & Stuart wanted just a half day tour for their last trip and chose the Half Day Kayaking in the Mangroves Tour with Lanta Eco Tour.

A Tradtional Thai Fishing Boat (Longtail)

After being picked up at our resort, they were taken to a pier on the east coast of the island, where they jumped on a longtail (Thai fishing boat) which took them through the mangroves to Koh Aung. On the way there, they were greeted by some cheeky and hungry monkeys who jumped aboard and checked out the food on the boat. Debbie was quite taken aback at how picky the monkeys were!

They left Koh Aung by Kayak and made their way to Koh Talebeng, where they stopped for fruit and drinks. 

Kayaking in the Mangroves

On the way back from Koh Talebeng to Lanta, they saw yet more hungry monkeys.

This cheeky chappie was not going to take just anything from Debbie

What did they like?

The Mangroves are beautiful

- That we recommended the half day tour, it was a hot sunny day and that was enough sun for them.

- The monkeys, very friendly and not aggressive which they were surprised about.

- Practically a private tour, as they only shared the longtail with one other couple.

- The guide who took photos for them and explained the local plants and fruits.

Friendly Captain and Helpful Guide

Last adventure tomorrow, when Stuart and Debbie try a different dining experience tomorrow at The Table.

Koh Rok & Koh Haa

Arriving at Koh Rok

So part 2 of Debbie and Stuart's tours, saw them choose the Koh Rok and Koh Haa tour with Lanta Gardenhill, a company we have used for many years

Lunch

Picked up at 8,30am from the resort they were driven to the boat which set off to Koh Rok at 9am. Koh Rok is 2 stunning islands that sit very far south of Lanta, so the journey time is 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the waves.

Debbie & Stuart enjoying the beach at Koh Rok

Luckily for Debbie and Stuart, there was only a slight ripple on the day they went and they got to Koh Rok quite quickly. Around the islands the water is a stunning blue and very very clear.

 After snorkelling in 2 spots on Koh Rok, for about 1.5 hours, they were taken to the beach and served a delicious lunch (the fried chicken was a winner) then they set off to Koh Haa.

Koh Haa 3

Koh Haa is about half way back to Lanta and the name means five islands (there are actually 6!) It is a beautiful location and a real favourite for divers as well as snorkellers.

What did Debbie and Stuart love:

- the stunning beaches

- the clear waters and variety of fish

- lunch!

Tomorrow they are off to the mangroves to see the monkeys, so tune in tomorrow!

Cooking & Drinking for a good cause!

Debbie and Stuart

This week we have an old friend of mine from school staying with us, with her husband Stuart.

Whilst they are staying with us, they have joined a number of activities and tours we recommend and agreed to let us in on what they did and what they loved.

Their first activity was the Cooking with Cocktails Course at Time for Lime. Time for Lime is, I believe, the oldest Thai cooking school on Koh Lanta. It was started by Junie Kovacs who is also the founder of Lanta Animal Welfare, a charity on our island. All the profits from Time for Lime go to Lanta Animal Welfare, so whilst you are eating, drinking and learning, you are also helping not only the stray animals on the island, but also the island itself, as they have dramatically reduced the stray animal population.

Debbie proud of her creations

Time for Lime is located on Klong Dao Beach and the course started around 4pm, they were split into 2 groups, Debbie first learnt how to make a London Mule (Gin, Lime, Ginger) whilst Stuart was tasked with making a Mango Salad and a Pad Thai. In the second half of the course, Stuart made the cocktails whilst Debbie finished the second course.

Cocktail lessons

Debbie and Stuart loved how sociable the course was and met a couple of Swedish ladies who had fell in love with a dog at Time for Lime and were preparing to bring it home. They also found the course very informative about how to make various cocktails and stock your cupboard with the right ingredients to cook great Thai food.

The Teaches explains all the ingredients in the meal

Big thank you to Time for Lime for giving them a night to remember!