THAILAND

Island Life

Three islands, hidden beaches and a slower rhythm of life.

THE EXPERIENCE

Three islands,
one escape

We managed to cover three islands on this trip — Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao — and each had its own character.

We based ourselves in Choeng Mon in the north of Koh Samui, which made it easy to get over to Fisherman's Village. We also hired a car and spent time exploring the island, including a long lunch with friends at The Cliff.

From Samui we travelled by boat to Koh Phangan, where we used a mixture of cars and boats to get out to some spectacular hidden beaches, including Bottle Beach, Zen Beach and Secret Beach.

Koh Tao had a lovely laid-back feel. We enjoyed slowing things down, having massages by the beach and eating at Alcove Restaurant, which was possibly our highlight of the island.

FROM OUR CAMERA

Three islands, three different rhythms.

KOH SAMUI

Choeng Mon

We stayed in the north of Koh Samui in Choeng Mon, which gave us an easy base for getting to Fisherman's Village and exploring the island by car.

KOH PHANGAN

Hidden beaches

Cars and boats helped us reach some spectacular stretches of coastline, including Bottle Beach, Zen Beach and Secret Beach.

KOH TAO

Slow island days

Koh Tao felt wonderfully laid-back, with beach massages, relaxed days and one of our favourite meals of the trip at Alcove.

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

The places and experiences we loved.

Choeng Mon

Staying in the north of Koh Samui made getting around easy and gave us convenient access to Fisherman's Village.

The Cliff

A long lunch with friends was one of our favourite Samui experiences — exactly the sort of slow, social afternoon island life is made for.

Amsterdam Bar

One of the best sunset bars we've experienced. Great music, a relaxed atmosphere and an incredible view as the sun melted into the sea.

Bottle, Zen & Secret Beaches

Getting out by car and boat was worth the effort. These hidden beaches were some of the most spectacular places we found on Koh Phangan.

Koh Tao

Come here to slow down. The island has a lovely laid-back feel and was perfect for relaxing and enjoying massages by the beach.

Alcove Restaurant

Possibly our highlight of Koh Tao. A stunning restaurant and a meal that really stood out from the trip.

OUR EDIT

Don't just stay on one island.

What made this trip work so well was moving between the islands. Koh Samui gave us the easiest base for exploring, Koh Phangan gave us the adventure of finding hidden beaches, and Koh Tao slowed everything down again.

We loved being able to jump in a car on Samui and explore, then get on a boat and suddenly find ourselves somewhere completely different. The beaches on Koh Phangan were a particular highlight, especially Bottle Beach, Zen Beach and Secret Beach.

But Amsterdam Bar deserves a special mention. Sitting there with the music playing while the sun melted into the sea was one of those travel moments that stays with you.