We’ve done very little this week, which was always part of our plan. Five days doing not much more than lazing by the pool or the beach and travelling between places on the other two days.
The distance from Phuket to Koh Lanta isn’t nearly as far as the six hours it took us suggests. Mini bus, ferry, another ferry, and then another mini bus made it quite a journey. It’s fine if, like us, you’re not in a rush,
Having made it to Koh Lanta, we were underwhelmed by both our accommodation and the journey to it. First impressions count, and it wasn't the best start. Road construction, building construction and too much rubbish were our first memories. Being out of season maybe partly to blame, but it doesn't cover it all.
But they also say not to judge a book by its cover, and we realised that we'd been too hasty in our judgements. As the days passed, we came across deserted beaches that belonged only to us, found that the restaurant where we stayed was actually quite nice, and that having breakfast just footsteps from the waves is a real treat.
After the slow start, we left Koh Lanta regretting that we hadn't made the most of it and wishing we were staying a few more days.
Thursday was another travel day, just three hours this time, and only on a mini bus. Okay, there was a small ferry too, but so short that I'm not counting it. But travelling through the middle of the day made it feel that it took more of our time. We arrived at Aonang Beach, again somewhat underwhelmed.
How to describe Aonang Beach? As the name says, It has a beach, but it isn’t the best, it also has a long road with various accommodations, restaurants, tour booths, massage shops and convenience stores. It’s simply not very picturesque, It does have some impressive cliffs, but they don’t make up for the rest. I suspect the attraction is it's a set off point for day trips to better places, but this wasn't what we were looking for.
We spent our time by the pool, watching the afternoon rain, which we weirdly enjoy. In the evenings we ate out and focused on not tripping on the uneven sidewalk or falling down the mountainous kerbs. It was OK, but surely this part of Thailand should be much better, and I’m sure it is and we simply picked the wrong town. It had been suggested to us to stay at Raylay Beach, and I'm now wondering why we didn't!
So we had our planned quiet week where we did little other than relax. We’d go back to Koh Lanta and make more of our trip, but we’d give Aonang a miss next time round. Well, we can’t always get it right and, in fact, more about that next week…
Daily diary and costs
I'm including a list of what we did during our week and the approximate costs - I'm using this part of my blog as a mini diary for myself, but feel free to read if you're interested.
Week 12 - what we've done:
Monday – Ferry transfer from Phuket to Koh Lanta. Beach in the afternoon.
Tuesday – Koh Lanta. Heavy rain all morning. Beach in the afternoon.
Wednesday – Koh Lanta. Lazy morning. Beach in the afternoon.
Thursday – Minibus transfer from Ko Lanta to Ao Nang, Krabi.
Friday – Ao Nang, Krabi – Lazy day, partly by the pool.
Saturday – Ao Nang, Krabi – Lazy day, partly by the pool.
Sunday – Ao Nang, Krabi – Lazy day.
Week 12 - we spent a total of £647 / $911 for 2 people on:
Accommodation £177 / $250
Meals/Coffee/Snacks £306 / $430
Transport £97 / $137 Phuket to Koh Lanta and then Koh Lanta to Aonang
Spa/Haircut £5 / $7
Laundry £3 / $4
Toiletries £57 / $80 Seems a lot, but I guess a number of pricey things ran out at the same time
Other £2 / $3