My First Visit to Koh Lanta

One of the last tourist islands of Thailand that I have not stepped foot on is Koh Lanta. If you have been following me, you know that I have been to most of Thailand's pop islands, from Koh Chang to Koh Phi Phi, which still remains my favorite Thai island. I have been there 4 times already and every visit still revs up my spirit.



This time, I tackled on a different island, further away Krabi, which is also a favourite of mine. I've always planned to go to Koh Lanta, but I always had to skip it. So, I made it a point to visit Southern Thailand once again, with one objective: to reach Koh Lanta.


I landed in Krabi via Air Asia and took their transfers to Lanta. The transfer was not smooth, as I even searched for my bus at the arrival hall of the Krabi airport. Finally, when I found some Air Asia staff, I was able to ride on. Little did I know that it would take a gruelling 4 hour minibus ride to Saladaeng which was the main pier in Koh Lanta. The reason? We took the overland route, which included transfers on barges, twice. Add to that the road construction. It almost took 4 hours and that probably damped my excitement. 


The trip took so long, almost the entire morning. I booked a room at the Twin Lotus Resort and Spa for just USD 60 a night. The price wasn't bad, given that it was a high rated resort with full amenities. And so, it was such a welcoming relief when the pictures matched the actual resort.


The resort looked good. It was sprawling, and reminded me of Gaya Island Resort in Kota Kinabalu (hope to post about this as soon as I get hold of my pictures). My room was situated at the back part of the resort, which almost was a different resort all together, with a separate pool and gardens.


The main pool was located in front of the beach and had dazzling views of the Andaman Sea. I was reminded of the tsunami though that hit this part of Lanta hard. Nevertheless, the calming landscape and the serenity of the beach made me easily forget its grim past. 

 


Twin Lotus was situated in a 3-kilometer long white sand beach called Klong Dao. The massive stretch of sand got even wider during low tide, when the water receded almost 500 meters further out. This created dramatic sunset views from beachfront cafes that dotted the entire stretch.



I only stayed for 2 nights and it was an early morning check out as well, due to my flight plans. I met a Swiss couple who told me the best beach was in the Southern end of Koh Lanta. Of course, I couldn't make it there anymore, so I vowed to myself to come back soon. After all, this was just a quick visit to meet an objective. Now, I am craving to go back and experience Koh Lanta for real.


***

Twin Lotus Resort and Spa
199 Moo 1, Klong Dao Beach
Ko Lanta District, Thailand+66 75 607 000


Ambience: 3.5
Room: 3Service: 3Facilities: 3Dining: 3Over-all Experience: 3I.E Score: 3.08 (good)




PS. Speaking of cravings, I had this wonderful ice cream on the way back to Krabi airport. It was a sorbet with a surprise of sticky rice at the end of the cone. Yummy!

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