Koh Lipe – The Maldives of Thailand!
We recently did a 3.5 week trip exploring the islands of Thailand, one of our favourite countries. We started in Bangkok then drove five hours to the province of Trat – where we then jumped on a ferry to our first destination, Koh Mak. From there we took a boat over to Koh Chang, the larger sister of Koh Mak. Next it was onto Krabi, one of our favourite places for a little bit of “city life” before moving onto Koh Lanta and lastly, Koh Lipe. I will write a full itinerary of our trip through Thailand but for now wanted to write a piece on Koh Lipe itself, because it certainly deserves a post of it’s own!
Koh Lipe is dubbed ” The Maldives of Thailand” and it is easy to see why once your speedboat docks at the jetty. The water is crystal clear and a beautiful shade of blue. I instantly had that ” yep, I am going to love this place feeling”. Do you ever get that feeling when you arrive at a destination?
GETTING TO KOH LIPE
To get to Koh Lipe we caught a speedboat through Satun Pakbara which took around 2 hours from Koh Lanta. If you are flying straight to Koh Lipe your best bet would be to fly to Langkawi, perhaps spend a few days there then jump on a boat to Koh Lipe as its only an hour away from there!
A hotel representative was there waiting for us at the beach dock and we were transferred to our hotel via a traditional tuk tuk on the island, a motorbike with little side car attached which seemed to fit all five of us. The drive to our hotel took around ten minutes and we got a little glimpse of the island while we were whizzing through the streets.
WHERE WE STAYED
We stayed at the Mali Sunrise Resort situated on Sunrise Beach. This hotel was absolutely beautiful and to date, one of our favourite properties! It was a tiny resort but that is what made it for us – a small, friendly hotel right on the water with just an amazing island feel. Our accommodation was a Luxury Balinese Villa, a freestanding thatched style bungalow which comfortably fit all five of us with a queen bed, two singles and a day bed on the window. The bathroom was ridiculously big and fit all our suitcases aswell which allowed for much more room in the main area.
Our french doors led straight out to the pool which was central to all the resorts rooms and bungalows, and is great for those with little kids who still nap during the day – You are metres away from the room so easy to have a swim while the little ones nap and same for the night time when the kids want a swim and Mum & Dad want to enjoy a drink 🙂
The hotel has one restaurant right on the water with an A la Carte style breakfast rather than traditional buffet. I find more hotels these days seem to be stepping away from the buffets because there is so much food wastage. The menu had plenty of different options and our family favourite was the bacon and egg sandwiches. We ate lunch and dinner here most days aswell because the food was just amazing and a great price! The kids loved it aswell because the restaurant was so close to our room, so we would order the kids food while they lounged around in bed and texted them when it was ready and they would come and eat. And after dinner if they were tired they would head to the room metres away and watch some TV while we stayed and enjoyed a wine at the restaurant. Having everything so close meant we felt totally comfortable giving them a little bit of freedom!
The beach straight out from the hotel is really nice and next door at the hotel you can hire clear kayaks to paddle out to the islands. The snorkelling here was great for the kids, just make sure you keep an eye out for long boats coming and going 🙂
THINGS TO DO
The island isn’t huge and most would come to enjoy the beautiful waters, so our top recommendation would defnitley be that – get out on and under the water!
Snorkelling Trips
We booked a snorkelling tour through Adang Sea Divers which was on a traditional long boat for us five and my parents. You can chose to visit the closer islands which are around half hour away or the outer islands, around one hour away. We did both during our five nights on the island and actually preferred the closer islands for marine life variety! We always take our own snorkelling gear but they do have them there for you to use if you need. They also provided lunch for us (chicken and rice) and some snacks and water.
If you prefer, you can book these yourself as there are longboats ready at the beaches to hire for a day. Expect to pay around $80 for a day (excluding national park fees) and take onboard your water, snacks and if you have it, snorkelling gear. This gives you a little more freedom to leave each place when you have had enough and do what you want.
Scuba Diving
Our daughter Alysse is a certified Junior Open Water diver, and seeing as she hadn’t dived for six months, was super keen to get back under the water! We arranged for her to do a Fun Dive, again through Adang Sea Divers – while my boy Max (9) did his first bubble maker. Max had an Australian instructor who was fantastic and made him feel so comfortable for his first time diving. Alysse’s instructor was a Thai man named Max who spoke amazing English and was so good with her. An amazing morning that we won’t forget anytime soon!
Hire a kayak
Like I mentioned earlier, there are many places on the Island to hire a kayak and paddle around the island. I would recommend paddling to each beach, stopping for a drink / lunch / smoothie before heading to the next !
Hit the beach bars and restaurants
Along all the beaches you will find a variety of beach bars, cafes and restaurants with everything from Boho beach bars, thai restaurants, coffee shops and more. I would recommend stopping by the Akira hotel for their fantastic 2 for 1 happy hour cocktails in the late afternoon, before heading to Walking Street for some dinner and shopping.
Check out the night life down Walking Street
Walking street is where it all happens in the evening – the main entrance is along Pattaya Beach, with other paths connecting Sunrise and Sunset beach along Walking Street. Here you will find restaurants, funky bars and plenty of shopping variety. A big hit with my kids was the slushie bars where they had frozen drinks in every flavour imaginable! A great treat to cool them down on a hot day.
Get a Massage!
Although not many hotels on the island have spas, there are plenty of places along the beach and in the main street to get pampered. Alysse and I went for a beautiful jacuzzi and massage at Bundhaya Resort – what a view to have a leg rub right?
When to Visit?
The Low season in Koh Lipe runs from May until October, where you will find a lot less tourists and much cheaper prices. The downside is you may cop a bit of rain, and some of the snorkelling spots in the national parks may be shut. You cannot get a direct ferry from Langkawi during low season, instead you need to go from Langkawi to Satun then taxi to Pakbura, then speedboat to Lipe. November to April is high season meaning great weather, more accessible and all the islands open to explore (but more crowds). Both times have their pros and cons so just depends what you are wanting to do on the island and if you can handle a bit of rain.
Koh Lipe is defnitely up there as one of our favourite destinations. The water is just so beautiful and we really loved everything about the island! We will defnitley be back. To book a trip to Koh Lipe please contact me at april@globetrottingtravelandcruise.com.au
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