Best Thai Islands 2 | Gulf of Thailand

Best Thai Islands 2

Best Thai Islands 1 covered the kingdom’s west, Andaman, coast all the way from the Malaysian border in the far south past Trang, Krabi and Phang Nga to Ranong Province opposite Myanmar in the far north. Beyond Ranong are the estimated 800 plus islands of the vast Mergui Archipelago but fortunately they’re beyond the scope of this post so, in our best Thai islands 2 post we’ll make the short hop across the peninsula and describe the various islands the Gulf of Thailand has to offer.

Weather-wise, despite the narrow strip of land separating the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea, a different climate pattern prevails with the Gulf subject to the eastern, rather than western monsoon. (Trat Province weather patterns differ again so for more details we’ll direct you to our earlier, best time to visit South Thailand post.)

Despite the wonderful Perhentian Islands lying just over the Malaysian border, the long southern stretch of Thailand’s Gulf coast, including Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla, Phattalung and Nakhon Si Thammarat Provinces, is completely and curiously devoid of any significant offshore islands. It consists of pretty much straight, flat, sandy, casuarina-lined beaches with the first islands only appearing once one’s reached the granite outcrops of Surat Thani Province.

Surat Thani Province

Surat does its best to compensate for its geologically challenged southern neighbours with a weighty island list including well-known Samui, Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, as well as the picturesque Ang Thong Archipelago.

Koh Samui 
One of the best-known, if not exactly one of the best Thai islands, hugely popular Samui is the country’s 3rd largest and comes with its own international airport. (The airport is privately owned by Bangkok Airways and offers direct flights to Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur as well, of course, to Bangkok.) Although in Surat Province, it lies just 20 kilometres northwest of Nakhon Si Thammarat and can be reached by car ferry from the Don Sak Pier. Boats also ply the Samui – Pha Ngan – Koh Tao route while you can even spend 20 hours on an overnight ferry from Pattaya, (Sattahip), if you really want to.

With regards Samui you often come across comments along the lines of “you should have seen it twenty years ago” or “when we first went there back in 2000 it was  completely unspoilt” etc but check our Koh Samui Ruined? post before you start believing them. (We first went there nearly 40 years ago and couldn’t wait to leave, heading for what still was at that time, relatively unspoilt Koh Pha Ngan.)

Chaweng is the most (over) developed beach, Lamai isn’t quite as bad while some of the north coast beaches such as Bo Phut and Mae Nam are relatively quiet. (We say relatively.)

There are myriad resorts, some great restaurants, a vibrant nightlife and, as a large island, quite a lot to see and do so we can see its attraction – especially perhaps for a family holiday or for those who can’t be bothered to think outside of the box and while we prefer it to Phuket, it still isn’t going to make our best Thai islands 2 list.

Koh Ang Thong
If you are on Samui then an island hopping tour of some of the spectacular 42 isles of Ang Thong National Marine Park is a must although, as with Phan Nga Bay, pick your time carefully. Curiously, while Samui and Pha Ngan are primarily granitic, Ang Thong features the dramatic limestone scenery seen on many Andaman Coast islands. There’s no private accommodation in the park and boat tours can be booked from Samui or Pha Ngan.

Koh Pha Ngan (Koh Pha-Ngan or Koh Phangan)
Some 10 kilometres north, Pha Ngan used be the chilled out, backpacker alternative to Samui and was of course famous for its full moon parties. The parties are still going but the unspoilt, off-the beaten-track feel is a thing of the past and mid to upper range resorts now occupy some of the best spots on the east and north coasts. The cheap bamboo shacks, mushroom omelettes, dreadlocked Thai beach boys and Bob Marley vibe evolved into pricier wellness resorts, spa retreats and yoga courses but certain bays and beaches such as Thong Nai Pan, Bottle Beach, Hat Sadet etc still look stunning and relatively unspoilt on a good day. Just depends what you’re after.

Koh Tao
One of the more complicated islands to describe, Koh Tao in detail could stretch to book length. It would have been a shoo-in on our best Thai islands 2 list if we’d written this 30 years ago but its development has been rapid and sometimes questionable. Legend has it that Koh Tao was uninhabited until the establishment by the Thai government of a prison there in 1933, although it was certainly inhabited by a few Austronesian fishing families. The island is remote – lying some 50 kilometres north-northwest of Pha Ngan – so not easily accessible and it wasn’t until the 80s that a few basic resorts, reached by converted fishing boats, first began to appear. They were rustic and the island had no electricity or roads. Vibrant reefs, clear waters and cheap weed were the main attractions and by the 90s the island had suddenly become Thailand’s – and indeed one of Southeast Asia’s – primary dive destinations to the extent that many resorts notoriously refused bookings unless you agreed to sign up for their dive courses as well.

In more recent times the island has developed a more controversial reputation with rumoured Thai mafia involvement and the reportedly mysterious deaths of several expats and tourists. (More sensationalist articles even refer to Koh Tao as ‘Death Island’ and while we’ll skip any specific links here – feel free to search yourself.) Since there are plenty more islands to describe, suffice to say, tiny Turtle Island (c. 8 square miles) is overdeveloped, crowded, still not very convenient to get to and we’d be very sceptical about the condition of any nearby reefs after 30 plus years of exploitation.

Chumpon (Chumphon, Chumporn) Province

Ko Chumpon National Park
While not famous for its beaches and islands Chumpon Province nevertheless has plenty of the former and a scattering of the latter. Most islands are found within the 317 square kilometres of Ko Chumpon National Park which includes the spectacular mainland beaches of Thung Makham and Hat Sairee as well as the islands of Koh Mattra, Koh Samet and Koh Maprao. These are limestone islands and famous for edible bird’s nests so some may be off-limits at certain times of the year. None have accommodation so can only be visited on boat tours from the mainland.

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province

Koh Thalu
We can only find one island in Prachuap Province offering any form of private accommodation but it is a good one. Situated just off the coast in Bang Saphan Noi District, Koh Thalu offers clear water, some half decent snorkelling, kayaking, sailing and hikes across the scenic island. There’s just the one resort although they do offer different categories of accommodation. There are no bars or restaurants on the island, (however the resort food does get good reviews), so if you want peace and quiet and unspoilt scenery and can get by without any a/c convenience stores, then Koh Thalu is a good option. Fits our best Thai islands list 2 and, with plenty of activities, we’d say particularly good for families.

Sam Roi Yot National Park
Islands are few and far between as we head north although it’s worth mentioning Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. A small, but stunning coastal national park which extends to a couple of picturesque offshore islands. Again, no accommodation so they’d be included in wildlife and snorkelling boat trips from the various mainland resorts.

Rayong Province

Much of the northern Gulf coast comprises mangroves and mudflats of the Chao Phraya estuary and there are no significant islands until we reach Rayong’s Koh Samet. Indeed much of this area, including Bangkok, was under the waters of the Gulf until relatively recently, as sediment from the river extends land southwards. (We’ll skip Koh Lan and the clutch of islands off Pattaya since…well you have to go to Pattaya to get to them.)

Koh Samet
Popular Samet is reached by a short boat ride from Ban Phe, in turn reached by a (relatively) short drive from Bangkok. It’s still some 200 kilometres but it is the most easily accessed island of any significance from Bangkok and there’s the rub. It’s a pretty enough island with some scenic beaches but one we wouldn’t even consider at weekends and public holidays. We also find that ease of access and large visitor numbers has led to overpricing and you’re often paying way over what you’d pay on say Trang Islands of even Koh Chang for similar standard accommodation.

If you’re in Bangkok with a car load of kids and a brief weekend window to hit the beach we’d probably stick to one of the numerous, good value, coastal resorts of say neighbouring Chanthaburi and forget islands altogether. If you’re on holiday, have more time and or can stretch to an airfare then you don’t need to go to Samet.

Trat

Between Chanthaburi and the Cambodian border lies long, thin Trat Province, home to a range of various and varied islands. The principal ports are Ao Thammasat and Laem Ngob which are the best part of 6 hours from Bangkok, although the privately owned Trat Airport also sits nearby. Sheltered by Cambodia’s Cardamon Mountains, weather patterns resemble more those of the Andaman Sea than eastern Gulf so the November to April period is the high season. Many businesses on the outer islands such as Koh Mak, Koh Wai and even to some extent Koh Kut may close up during the June to September low season although most of Koh Chang remains open.

Koh Chang
Second only to Phuket in size, Koh Chang features well-preserved, forested hills in the interior, mangroves along its eastern coast and a series of sandy bays along the western side. The main island plus numerous small offshore islets comprise Koh Chang National Park. As with Lanta, broadly speaking the further you travel away from the pier Ao Sapalot, in the island’s northeastern corner, the quieter the beach.

White Sands to the northwest is something of a nascent Chaweng or Patong, (Phuket), with Khlong Phrao and particularly Kai Bae presenting less developed beaches. The former fishing village of Bang Bao at the southwestern tip offers souvenir shopping, seafood eateries and boast to Koh Wai etc. It’s hardly unspoilt but a range of activities and sights on the island means that it’s a good option if the weather’s playing up or you’ve got kids in tow.

Koh Mak
Low-key and relatively underdeveloped in tourism terms means Koh Mak gets a place in our best Thai islands 2 list. It’s largely flat so no karst features here and not as good as Koh Chang for hiking or wildlife but the laid-back feel is appreciable and there’s some fine mid-range accommodation options. It offers cycling, some eco and community-based tourism schemes and is well placed for boat trips around the surrounding archipelago. Koh Rang lies just west of Koh Mak and has good snorkelling and national park camping.

Koh Kut
Weighing in at 6th on the largest Thai islands list Koh Kut (or Kood) is the last island before you pass into Cambodian waters. Its remoteness meant it lagged far behind other Thai islands in terms of development and when we first visited in 1990 had no roads or electricity and zero resorts or hotels. That is, of course, no longer the case so we thought we’d better do a long overdue recce last December, the results of which can be found on our Koh Kut post.

Conclusions were; some beautiful bays where clear waters and coral compensated for the relatively flat, largely rubber plantation covered interior and some excellent, albeit often a bit overpriced, resorts. For now, it’s worth the slightly extra hassle of getting there and makes our best Thai islands 2 list but, as we said, go sooner rather than later.

Koh Wai
Like Krabi’s Koh Jum, Koh Wai is another island that tourism forgot. We first went there some 30 years ago and thought, “lucky we’ve made it here now as this place is going to get very popular”. Except it didn’t. A relatively small island with a forested interior, a sandy bay with, what at the time, was good snorkelling and relatively easy access to other islands, (e.g. Bang Bao on Koh Chang).

Frankly, there isn’t too much to see or do on Koh Wai except snorkel or short hikes into the interior and while it is another ‘take a good book’ island the low key vibe might be nice for a couple of days after Koh Chang or Koh Kut.

From the Malaysian border to Cambodia, the entire Gulf of Thailand coastline is estimated to cover at least 16000 kilometres with the Andaman Sea weighing in at some 800 kilometres. (Figures for both do vary considerably.) So, needless to say, we’ve missed a few islands and apologies if your favourite hidden gem doesn’t figure. Time of year, ease or otherwise of access as well as what you’re personally looking for in an island all count, so; chilling by a pool, bird-watching in the jungle, snorkelling on coral reefs, cycling through villages, meditation, yoga or detox courses, bar-hopping and partying to the early hours – there is an island for everyone.