Best islands in Thailand
Are you going to Thailand for the first time?
I might be able to save you some time if you’re looking for cool spots to relax, explore, party and enjoy your vacation🍻
I personally love islands in general because I enjoy being surrounded by water and stunning sunsets!🌄
So there’s some of the most touristy islands but it’s for a reason, and I will tell you my honest opinion here.
Railey Beach
This is not actually an island but the only way that you can get there is by boat.
There is a stunning beach on the one side with cool shops and monkeys nearby (carefull they’re not tame). On the other side there’s a great view as well and you can see a muay thai fights BUT it is already planned out. The cool thing about the show is that they are still doing some wild knock outs!
Besides that, Railey Beach has a lot of “Happy” stuff like “happy pizza, happy milkshake, happy…” which means it is euphoric. But do not worry, It is not like everyone will be stoned all the time, it is possible to just go there for the beach, relaxation and sunsets.
I would recommend you to stay here for one or two nights.
Koh Phi Phi Don (Ko Pipi):
Honestly a beautiful place to discover even more islands🤩
BUT as many of the other islands - if you’re like me, you love the islands but also get bored staying there for too long - this is definitely a place where I would get bored if I stayed for too long.
So if you enjoy partying a bit, relaxing, snorkelling, boat tours or diving then you could spend 3-5 nights here.
I would advise you to go on some boat tours, go to the viewpoints (if you don’t mind getting a bit more sweaty, but watch out for wild monkeys) and try a bucket if you enjoy a little drink😉
Definitely also a good place to meet other people, but just keep in mind that the odds of seeing them again is probably 99% if you are all staying more than a night.
From this island you can do a lot of boat tours to the other islands around, and especially the island Ko Mai Phai is one of the most stunning island’s because of the blue clear water surrounding it.
There is also Maya Bay which is very nice, but you are not allowed to swim in the water - for good reasons. And it will probably be filled with people wanting to relax or take some pictures and videos.
Koh Samui
This island is one of three, that you would normally go to when doing the islands in Thailand.
It is the biggest one and you will actually be able to find a shopping centre! Like a lot of the islands in Thailand this is a good place to find a social hostel and get a drink🍺
You can also go to pig island from Koh Samui. If you have not heard of this island it is a place where you can feed the pigs living on the island. They are owned by a family living on the island, so they are not wild🐷
I would recommend you to stay here for 2-4 nights because besides enjoying swimming and sunsets you can also do activities like zip lining, ATV Quads, boat and safari tours etc.
Koh Phangan
This is, like Koh Samui and Koh Tao, a very nice island with opportunities to swim, relax, and enjoy the stunning beaches.
This is also the island where full moon party will be celebrated. And if you haven’t heard of full moon party it is a biiig rave party on the beach. And it is happening every month!🌕🥳
Full moon party is at Southeast beach on the island and make sure to book in advance if you want a hostel/hotel nearby.
If you are not into partying then you can still enjoy the island for its beautiful beaches and nice restaurants.
I would recommend you staying there for 2-4 nights. Besides full moon party you can go enjoy a more quiet place on the other side of the island.
Koh Tao
And finally my favourite island. Koh Tao is the smallest but also one of the most beautiful places.
You can go diving, snorkelling, partying, eating delicious food or relaxing on the beach. It is like it has a bit of everything🍲🍴
They especially have a lot of nice restaurants, but the majority living on the island is not natives. This do not seem like a big problem among the locals and therefore we did not make a big fuss about it.
1. Freedom beach. It is one of their nicest and cleanest white sand beaches, BUT you also have to pay for it. I think it costs around 100 baht💵
It is also possible to go snorkelling here as the water is very clear. But if you would rather go snorkeling with some turtles or sharks you might want to keep on reading🏊🏼♂️
2. Shark Bay. If you want to go snorkelling then Shark Bay is definitely the place to go. You will get the chance of seeing a lot of fish, turtles and sharks. So rent a snorkelling gear if you do not have one and get to it!🦈
3. Sai Ri Beach/Sairee Beach. This is the place where it’s going down. If you fancy a drink or two then this is definitely the place to be. The coast has a lot of different bars where you can go play beer pong or watch a fire show🍹
I recommend that you stay here a 3-5 nights and enjoy what the island has to offer - and eat some delicious food! Maybe do a try dive when you are there but try to book it first thing when you arrive or be flexible because the diving is really nice therefore it might be busy.
I hope that you will think about this when you go to Thailand and please be careful if you rent a scooter!🛵
Safe travels!
Best
Karoline
The home for unique & authentic travel
