This trip has taught me that I could definitely live on an island. Island life is THE one people, THE one. It’s relaxing, exciting yet still has everything you need.
Our island travels started off, well, a little bit pants. It took 2 flights, a bus, a ferry and a taxi ride to get to where we were staying on Koh Samui – a little over 14 hours of travelling.
We checked into C. Samui Guesthouse and relief hit. Air conditioning, a big bed, fresh water and a hot shower. Lots of things ticked off the happy Megan list I’d created in my head.
When travelling around the way we have, the little things really do matter.
I mean, ya still have to sit on a toilet whilst your showering, but hey, it’s Thailand. That’s just what happens here!
I was a bit nervous on what the Thai Islands would hold. How remote they were going to be, how party-orientated they were and if the beaches were really going to be as badly littered as I’d read.
I did like Samui, but I just felt like we didn’t get enough time there, maybe a organisation mistake on my behalf there.
The first day, we decided to go on a little bit of a trek. We popped on our trainers, maps.me in hand and set off. After a few minutes we were SWEATING and we still had a 2 hour round trip to endure. The destination being the Lamai Viewpoint and Valentines Rock.
Because, we’re soppy like that. Sue me.
The walk was class, there was a clear path which made it a lot easier than others (more of that later) and we enjoyed the views at the top with a fresh, cold Sprite before heading back down.
Part of backpacking is finding things you can do for free and with no pool where we were staying, I managed to find us a beachside pool for FREE. The bliss. The wind of the waves making Thai island life just that little bit cooler.
Oh yeah, it also RAINED like CRAP in Koh Samui. & I mean lashing it down to the point of it bouncing. Maybe Samui just wasn’t meant for us this time round?
Koh Phangan is just a short ferry ride away from Samui and I have to pride myself in saying that we did this little trio of islands in the right order for sure!
After a short songthaew ride, we arrived at Coco Garden Resort and fell in love immediately. Our own private beach, a bungalow a stone throw away from the ocean and THE most chill vibe we’d encountered on our trip so far.
Also, lemme say real quick that places over here add RESORT to anything, these digs cost us less than £10 a night each. Not a resort. Srsly.
We spent quite a lot of our time here lazing by the beach reading books, the water was clear, warm and the sand soft. I’ve never been a beach person but this place changed that.
To counteract that relaxing time, we nervously decided to rent a moped. We’d heard fantastic and some not-so-fantastic experiences of renting one abroad but at £6 a day, we didn’t want to miss it.
We planned a little route with a few stops and off we zoomed, quickly getting used to the crazy Thai roads, I’m just glad they drive on the same side of the road.
We visited Mae Haad Beach, Chaloklum Beach, Paradise Falls Waterfall and finished our trip at the Secret Mountain, which had a pool for us to dip in and the most incredible views.
TIP for getting a moped, either use your hotel or one close by if possible as most of the time you have to leave your passport as deposit and hotel’s are a lot more trustworthy!
We ventured up to Amsterdam Bar for our last evening to watch the sunset. A busy, vibrant place with lots of people relaxing whilst the sun went down – the perfect chill.
Overall, we fell in love with our little bit of peace on Phangan.
Oh, Koh Tao. The thai island I could definitely live on.
From the moment we step foot on this island, I took an instant liking to it. The adventure-seeking communities, the breezy beaches and relaxed, timeless little slice of heaven that it was.
& our landlady at Prik Thai Resort was just the SWEETEST.
Koh Tao is super small and we still didn’t manage to see the entirety of it, but what we did see was truly magical. The clear blue sky and ocean makes it the home of many divers who venture out daily.
Although we weren’t there to get our PADI, we opted for a day long snorkelling trip around the island. Stopping off first at the stunning Koh Nang Yuan.
This is a little triplet of islands all connected by a thin strip of beach. The water so clear, it made the perfect place to see lots of fish (and get a burnt butt apparantly!).
We were intending to go to Shark Bay on this trip, but the waves were so choppy we had to turn around. The first time the guy has had to in two years, just our luck ey! But we managed to see so much beautiful sea life.
There really is a whole other world down there.
We ventured up into the skies just as much as we did the sea. Trekking up to the Love Koh Tao viewpoint and its surrounding areas.
We thought the trek up was a bit sketchy, although definitely a clear defined path. We skidded our way up chalky rocks to be greeted by views we will never forget.
& a parrot who said ‘hello’ in THE most bloke-y voice I’ve ever heard.
The views were worth the climb, with sea stretching as far as you could see and a whole view of the main stretch of Koh Tao, it was beautiful.
We took a wrong turn on the way down and ended up on an old trekking route. Think barbed wire, lots of twigs in our way, spiders and mosquitos a-PLENTY (should of seen my legs!) and literally praying we could find a way down as we wouldn’t be able to get back up.
But all was good because once we got down we had a proper Sunday lunch with Yorkshire puddings and gravy, the lot!
AND EVEN A STUFFING BALL.
IN THAILAND.
I know, I’m so cultured.
The Thai islands really are something else and one to see. They are very different to mainland Thailand as they show you the relaxed side of Thai life, as opposed to busy city life.
Hopefully, we’ll get to go back and see the other side of the islands too.