Nine west-facing beaches down one long island, sunsets from all of them, and almost nothing else. The Andaman island people choose when Phuket sounds like too much.
Lanta is a strip, and it gets progressively quieter from the north end to the tip.
Klong Dao at the top is the busiest, with the most restaurants and the shallowest water — the family choice. Long Beach and Klong Khong are the middle ground. By the time you reach Kantiang Bay and Bakantiang in the south you're at small resorts with a handful of places to eat and a long walk to anything else. Nothing on Lanta is loud. Choosing your beach here is really choosing how far you want to be from a restaurant.
Beaches, sunsets, and a national park at the end of the road.
The southern tip, with a lighthouse, a short jungle trail and monkeys. Best late afternoon.
Koh Rok and Koh Haa for the clearest water in the Andaman. Better snorkelling than the Phi Phi tours and far fewer boats.
Stilt houses over the water on the east coast, a hundred years old and still lived in. Lunch and a wander.
A guided scramble through caves in the island's interior. Muddy, dark and genuinely good fun.
Every beach faces west. Pick a bar with its feet in the sand and don't plan anything for six o'clock.
Chimney caves and reliable visibility. One of the better dive sites in Thailand, and quiet.
Nine beaches on the west coast, ordered north to south by how much happens.
Nearest the pier, shallow calm water, most restaurants. The easiest with children.
Longest stretch, good mix of bars and quiet, and the widest hotel choice.
Fire shows and beach bars, cheap rooms, rocky at low tide.
Small resorts in a bay backed by hills. Beautiful, and you'll eat where you sleep.
November to April, and more strictly than its neighbours because so much closes out of season.
December to March is the peak — dry, calm and everything open. November and April are quieter and still good. From May the ferries reduce, businesses shut and the sea gets rough. Unlike Phuket, which functions year-round, Lanta in August is a very quiet island with limited choice.
Fly to Krabi (KBV), then about two hours by road and ferry. Also reachable from Phuket by boat in season.
Scooter, or a hotel driver. The island is long and there's no public transport to speak of.
Thai baht, and bring cash — ATMs are sparse in the south of the island.
None needed for UK passports under 60 days.
We'll match the beach to how quiet you want it, check what's open for your month, and write the payment plan out in full.
Lanta is quieter, longer beaches, less to do. Krabi has more scenery and more trips. Many people split a fortnight between them.
Klong Dao especially — shallow, calm and close to restaurants. The southern beaches are harder work with young children.
Considerably less. If you're travelling May to October we'd steer you to Phuket or the Gulf coast instead.
A week. There isn't enough to fill ten days unless doing very little is the plan — which for a lot of people it is.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
