Island hopping from Malaysia to Thailand: our 21 day itinerary

Timing – when to go to

I point out rain storms quite a bit on this itinerary. Our journey straddled March and April (the Easter faculty holidays), which is in the direction of the tip of the area’s fundamental vacationer season earlier than the monsoons arrive. Nevertheless, the showers handed rapidly and we had much more shiny than cloudy days.

In order for you assured sunny days, much less likelihood of rain and calmer seas for ferry connections, go to between December and February. That is when costs are increased, so in the event you can tolerate a little bit of the moist stuff, you’ll be capable of journey for much less in October, November, March and April.

Lodging

Ultimately I opted for 3 nights in among the dearer locations and lengthened our keep the place costs have been decrease. Consequently we stayed in a wide range of lodging, from a historic colonial lodge to a seaside bungalow. 

We may have spent much less cash in every vacation spot, so in case you are planning an identical island hopping vacation from Malaysia to Thailand have a superb search. I used reserving.com to assist me plan and both booked by this or direct with motels for the most effective costs.

Practice journey

We booked our practice tickets between Penang and KL prematurely by Baolau.

Journey by sea

Our boat switch from Langkawi to Koh Lipe was booked with Koh Lipe LGK Ferry and our ferry to Krabi through Koh Lanta was booked with Tigerline. Neither web site seems to be very official however we received to the place we wanted to be.

Test costs with Asia journey hub 12Go: Langkawi to Koh Lipe and Koh Lipe to Krabi.

Taxis

Seize was our go-to for native journeys and airport transfers. We even used it for our last switch from Ao Nang to Phuket – a two hour drive round Phang Nga Bay.

Our island hopping itinerary 

Right here’s our itinerary day-by-day. Forgive me if it sounds a bit like a diary – it just about is. I went completely off line for this vacation however nonetheless stored notes so I may share our expertise later. That point is now!

Day 1: arriving in Penang in fashion

We flew to Penang from Muscat through Kuala Lumpur – a journey with a couple of hiccups alongside the best way – so we have been relieved to lastly contact down on our first island, Penang.

Checking into the historic Japanese & Oriental Lodge – a hang around for nineteenth Century well-to-dos with wanderlust – felt like stepping again in time. Established in 1885, this colonial gem as soon as welcomed the likes of Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin and Noël Coward, and it continues to draw travellers with a style for luxurious. A replica of Robb Report on our espresso desk hinted on the calibre of visitor the E&O normally attracts. I didn’t like to say to the receptionist that considered one of our later stops can be a £58-a-night seaside bungalow.

However as we settled onto the balcony of the Planters Lounge, sipping wine whereas coconut palms rustled within the breeze, this indulgent first cease felt like a superb choice. We’d nabbed an important deal on our household room by reserving within the New 12 months gross sales, which helped justify the splurge.

The Heritage Wing room was lovely, and breakfast the next morning within the Sarkies restaurant – a world buffet stretching from croissants to curry and ice cream to fry ups – set us up completely for the times forward.

We booked through the E&O web site and received a deal together with breakfast and different advantages. You may cross-check costs with reserving.com.

Day 2: from the highest of the island to seaside hopping

Our first full day in Penang was packed, and we had the very best guides. That is the place we met up with our associates Jenny and Jay from Travelynn Household and On Penang, who know this area inside out.

First cease was Penang Hill, the place a squished funicular journey took us to the height. We explored the Habitat and climbed as much as the Nest viewing platform for panoramic views throughout the island.

From there we headed to the Nationwide Park and hopped on a ship to Monkey Seashore. It was a breezy day, making for a uneven journey across the two bays, however our reward for arriving largely dry was chilly beers on the Monkey Tiger Bar.

The youngsters dug holes to Peru and wrote needs on scraps of material to tie on the tree, whereas the adults loved a long-overdue catch up – we hadn’t seen Jenny and Jay since crossing paths in Hoi An the summer time earlier than.

The finale of our day was dinner at Frandy Seashore Bar on Batu Ferringhi, a shocking bay with a particular private significance – I’d stayed on the Golden Sands lodge right here as a pre-schooler. Coming again with my very own children felt surreal.

Day 3: Escape – Penang’s record-breaking theme park

There was a change of tempo on day three after we hit Escape – Penang’s outside exercise park with Guinness World file breaking rides. 

We had a go on the world’s longest tube and zip line rides, clung to rubber rings hurtling down the dry sky slope and spent ages within the water park the place the world’s largest tipping bucket gave us all a soaking. Satirically younger youngsters aren’t allowed underneath the bucket’s fundamental splash zone because the falling water is so forceful. 

We have been all shattered after eight hours at Escape and headed again to the lodge. We ate in Planters that night – the noddles and rice bowls have been scrumptious. 

Day 4: forts, jetties and road artwork in Georgetown

Right this moment we took a tip from On Penang and went on a strolling tour of Georgetown, a multi-cultural UNESCO World Heritage Web site with surprises round each nook. In a barely amended route, we walked to the 18th Century Cornwallis Fort after which received a Seize to Penang’s well-known Jetties. 

We walked to the far finish of the extra genuine Lee and Tan jetties, then browsed the vacationer retailers on Chew Jetty, recognizing our first items of George City’s well-known road artwork alongside the best way and munching on sugar fruit from one of many jetty stalls.

From right here we took a leisurely stroll again in the direction of the E&O, stopping for lunch on the Reggae Café, the place we received 4 giant meals and drinks for round £20, which felt like an absolute steal. We made a psychological observe that the cafe had a department in KL too.

Our post-lunch stroll took us previous extra road artwork adorning crumbling colonial buildings, and thru the garland-decked streets of Little India.

Again on the lodge, we wound down the afternoon by the sixth-floor infinity pool with views stretching to Straits Quay on one aspect and the Malaysian mainland on the opposite. We completed our last Penang night on the E&O’s Farquhar’s Bar earlier than canapés and dinner at Planters, with a dramatic thunderstorm illuminating the clouds over the mainland offering the leisure.

Day 5: the journey to Kuala Lumpur 

Right this moment was our first journey day in Malaysia, and it was eventful in methods we hadn’t bargained for.

We took a Seize to the Georgetown ferry terminal and paid the equal of 35p every for a brief journey throughout the Malacca Strait to Butterworth – probably the most effective worth journey of all the journey. The youngsters excitedly stocked up on practice snacks from a 7-Eleven earlier than we boarded.

Getting the practice was easy. We’d booked tickets prematurely by Baolau, the barcodes scanned with no hitch and the carriages have been nicely signposted. Regardless of a busy platform, the midweek service was pleasantly quiet. We settled in for the three and a half hour journey to the capital.

Then, twenty minutes earlier than pulling into KL Sentral, our lodging messaged to say they couldn’t examine us in and we must always cancel our reserving. Cue gentle panic. Within the confusion, we practically missed our cease solely. The complete saga is on Instagram in the event you take pleasure in a journey mishap story.

Fortunately our Malaysia specialists, the Lynns, got here to the rescue with a advice they’d used simply weeks earlier than. Inside twenty minutes of hailing a Seize, we’d discovered Eaton Residences on reserving.com and checked in. The reduction was monumental.

And actually? It felt like a blessing in disguise. Our nook condominium had dual-aspect views of the Petronas Towers from each the main bedroom and the balcony – totally spectacular. It was additionally very spacious – excellent for bigger households or {couples} with pre-teens like us. 

We rounded off a chaotic day with western consolation meals and pool tables on the Darkish Horse sports activities bar – one other very welcome Lynn advice.

Day 6: Batu Caves, Bavarian sausages and a fountain present

We set our alarms early, eager to succeed in Batu Caves earlier than the warmth and humidity peaked – and it was completely the best name.

The 272 vibrant steps as much as the traditional limestone chambers have been much less bodily difficult than I’d anticipated. It was the gathering humidity that had us dripping by the point we reached the highest. Inside, enormous stalactites grasp beneath jungle-covered openings within the cave roof, and the chambers themselves are strengthened with concrete, whereas one way or the other retaining their sense of historical drama.

For our ladies although, the actual attraction was the monkeys. They have been in every single place – enjoying, squabbling and eyeing up any snack left unattended by guests.

On the backside we stopped for chilly drinks and a few very sugary native sweets, together with halwa which we knew from our time in Oman. We solely wanted round an hour and a half for the entire go to, which left loads of day forward of us.

Again on the condominium, we made the many of the rooftop infinity pool with its glorious views of the Petronas Towers earlier than heading out for the night. Dinner was on the Bavarian Bierhaus bar – sausages and chilly beers felt like an unlikely however very welcome selection in the midst of KL – earlier than we hot-footed it to the bottom of the Petronas Towers for the 8pm fountain present.

It solely lasts 5 minutes, however as a option to finish the day with the towers lit up above you, it’s fairly enjoyable.

Day 7: KL’s city rainforest and iconic towers

Taking Jenny’s recommendation as soon as once more, we began early with a go to to the KL Forest Eco Park – and following her directions to reach earlier than the warmth constructed up was very clever recommendation certainly.

The cover stroll by the bushes was nice enjoyable, made all of the extra surreal by skyscrapers peeping by the jungle cover above us. It’s a discombobulating factor to listen to the roar of metropolis visitors whereas surrounded by towering bamboo and leaves the dimensions of umbrellas. We adopted a couple of of the forest ground trails till the humidity drove us again in the direction of air con.

Proper subsequent door is the 421m KL Tower. It was present process upkeep throughout our go to, so we couldn’t full the total circuit of the statement decks, however we nonetheless received a good view of the town. The city rainforest regarded surprisingly compact in comparison with the way it had felt on the bottom.

Why conquer one tower in a day when you are able to do two? We’d initially deliberate to go to the Petronas Towers on our first day in KL, however slots had been scarce after we checked on-line. Because it turned out, we walked in at lunchtime with no reserving and have been on our method up inside twenty minutes. The entire operation is impressively slick, with colored wristbands and timed visits to the Sky Stroll and Remark Deck.

The views from the Petronas Towers far exceeded these from the KL Tower. Should you solely have time for one, make it the Petronas.

We completed the day with a quiet afternoon at our condominium as a storm rolled in.

Test costs for the place we stayed at KLCC Eaton Residences.

Day 8: travelling from KL to Langkawi – our second Malaysian island

That is the place rest mode actually kicked in! We took a brief flight from high-rise KL to the archipelago of Langkawi, near the border with Thailand.

With out desirous to sound like a damaged file, we took our lodging advice from TraveLynn Household and booked a Prima Suite at Vacation Villa and Seashore Resort Langkawi.

Our high ground room had a bed room with twin beds, en-suite, couch mattress seating and balcony, whereas the residing space had a settee mattress, desk and chairs, separate rest room and a balcony. The decor was a bit dated however it was clearly nicely taken care of.

It took us no time in any respect to throw on our swim gear and head to the pool for a couple of beers on the swim up bar. 

Within the night we determined we weren’t hungry sufficient for the lodge’s Iftar buffet however a bit extra peckish than the resort’s snack cease, Cafe Ola, may cater for, so we went throughout the street to The Cactus Restaurant. Should you take pleasure in Chinese language meals this can be a should. We ordered a number of giant plates to share plus two beers and milkshakes for the children and spent lower than £14.

Day 9: seaside, pool, spa, repeat

The primary intention for as we speak was to calm down. We booked massages within the spa and hit the white sand seaside lapped by a creamy turquoise sea. The youngsters cherished chasing tiny camouflaged crabs alongside the shore and we employed a kayak for them whereas we loved some solar lounger time. 

Because the morning rolled on, jet skis whizz by and paragliders, that we’d seen nicely into the night the day earlier than, started to cruise up and down the channel between our lodge and Palau Tepor island reverse. 

Lunch was by the pool after which it was time for us adults to hit the spa. After a little bit of hilarity over the tiny paper thongs, we had hour-long Thai massages and spent the remainder of the afternoon lazily studying.

We determined to remain within the resort for dinner and ate on the Glass Bar overlooking the infinity pool. The meals was good however a lot pricier than the Cactus simply throughout the street. It was the proper spot to observe the solar set and the sky flip from orange to pink and eventually to a spectacular deep purple.

Day 10: Langkawi mangrove tour

Right this moment’s exercise is a should whereas on Langkawi – a tour of the mangroves of Kilim Nationwide Park. Once more, we took our lead from Jenny who’s a Langkawi common. 

We booked a non-public tour with a switch for our lodge. The itinerary is fairly normal: floating by the crocodile cave, watching sea and mountain eagles, lengthy tailed macaque recognizing, hopping off the boat to go to a bat cave, and admiring all types of marine life at a fish farm.

We paid additional and added on a 40 minute cease at a seaside, which made our journey practically three hours lengthy. 

After a quiet afternoon, we ate dinner out on the Pirathous, which is a brief stroll from Vacation Villa and Seashore Resort Langkawi. There was an important selection of meals and the seafood dishes have been scrumptious.

Day 11: a tradition fake pas

Right this moment was a little bit of a vacation fail. We had supposed to journey the Langkawi Sky Cab cable automobile and stroll throughout the sky bridge. I wasn’t capable of e-book on-line so we jumped in a Seize and headed to the attraction.

What the Sky Cab’s web site hadn’t talked about was that it was closed till after noon for Eid. 

Having lived in a Muslim nation, we’re no strangers to spiritual holidays. However I had completely forgotten about Eid al Fitr, recognized regionally as Hari Raya Puasa.

We weren’t the one vacationers caught out. As an increasing number of folks arrived with nowhere to go and even e-book tickets, we determined to confess defeat and head again to the lodge for a quiet day.

Our lapse in cultural consciousness was positively impacted by the truth that Malaysia has a really totally different vibe to Oman. Non-Muslims aren’t anticipated to cover away when consuming, eating places are open as regular and we may put on shorts with out worrying we might offend anybody.

However in the case of public holidays, each international locations enable a pause for folks to mark the event. 

Take a look at TraveLynn Household’s information to visiting Langkawi with children for all of the bits we missed.

Day 12: catching the ferry to Koh Lipe – our first Thai island

This felt like an extended and sophisticated journey day, however one with loads of rewards ready on the finish. The tiny island of Koh Lipe was every part I’d imagined a Thai island can be and extra.

We took a Seize to Kuah Port on the far finish of Langkawi and boarded the ferry to Koh Lipe. That’s the straightforward model.

Finding the ticket workplace, looking down the departure lounge and handing over our passports at some stage in the journey added a layer of stress. Nevertheless it’s all a part of crossing the border between Malaysia and Thailand by boat.

A phrase of warning for anybody planning this similar journey: the principle cabin is snug however darkish and stuffy, so in the event you’re vulnerable to seasickness attempt to safe a spot at deck degree. One thing additionally price figuring out in the event you’re travelling with youngsters, the onboard movies are usually not family-friendly.

Once we sailed into the calm waters off Pattaya Seashore on Koh Lipe there was a longtail able to take us to shore. The shuffle by the immigration queue was painless and we simply received a tuk tuk to take us on a enjoyable journey by the island’s slim, rutted roads to our subsequent base, Forra on Pattaya Seashore.

This easy, charming resort has a 15-metre frontage on the west finish of Pattaya Seashore, with picket bungalows nestled amongst banana bushes and date palms. There’s no onsite restaurant, however there’s loads of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner alongside the seaside.

The actual draw back, and the rationale it’s so affordable priced, is that there is no such thing as a air conditioning. This left us feeling sticky some nights regardless of having the followers whirring.

We started our Koh Lipe meals journey at We Love Berger on Strolling Avenue – delish!

Test costs for the place we stayed at Forra.

Day 13: settling into island life

All the pieces strikes at its personal deliciously gradual place in Koh Lipe. Our morning started watching Buddhist monks strolling the shoreline at dawn, quietly chattering as they went. In distinction, the following signal of life was the bustle of holiday makers checking in for ferries on the make-shift kiosks beside Strolling Avenue.

We’d purchased a breakfast of pasties from Phi Phi Bakery on Strolling Avenue the evening earlier than, munching these on the seaside earlier than padding by the sand to Lipe Cafe for espresso as we watched Koh Lipe come to life.

It was solely at round 10.30am that we realised we’d forgotten to place our watches again an hour. Island vibes had nicely and really set in.

We picked up masks and snorkels from the Forra Dive Centre store and headed straight into the water off Pattaya Seashore. What we discovered was extraordinary – bulbous coral, enormous sea urchins, sea anemones, seahorses, big clams and numerous tropical fish, all inside wadding distance of the shore. We’d executed a number of snorkelling in Oman, however this was one thing else solely.

Within the afternoon the ladies have been determined for hair braids, which can be found from loads of spots alongside Strolling Avenue. My mistake was not reserving myself a foot therapeutic massage whereas they’d colors woven by their sun-bleached hair – it took completely ages.

The night introduced the hearth present on the Monkey Bar, which had the ladies utterly transfixed. There was even viewers participation. All of us had a go whirling flaming torches on chains, which was terrifying and good in equal measure.

Simply 24 hours into our time on Koh Lipe, we have been already regretting not staying longer.

Day 14: Dawn Seashore and bar hopping

Koh Lipe has three fundamental seashores and we wished to see all of them. Right this moment we headed west by Strolling Avenue to Dawn Seashore.

I had initially wished to remain at a seaside bungalow right here, however all of them went earlier than I may e-book. Because it seems, I was happy with our choice to seek out another at Pattaya. Dawn is gorgeous hang around in the course of the day, though the ocean was a bit choppier, however there didn’t look to be many choices for drinks and dinner later.

We admired the view from the Sea to Moon resort bar and did a mini pub crawl again to Pattaya, stopping on the Nook Bar on Strolling Avenue and The Steak Home on Pattaya for dinner. This one could be very well-liked with Westerners with money to splash on a really acquainted menu. We thought it was nothing particular, however the service was fast, which counted when the children have been operating on empty.

Day 15: a wet begin and Sundown seaside

We’d booked this journey on the tail finish of the dry season, so somewhat rain was all the time on the playing cards. Right this moment was the one day it actually stopped us in our tracks, however just for a short time.

Fortunately we’d had the foresight to fill up on pastries from Phi Phi Bakery the evening earlier than (a behavior we’d clearly received into), so we waited out the worst of it earlier than heading out for brunch.

The aptly named and really Instagrammable Bloom Cafe, midway up Strolling Avenue, caught our eye – half cafe, half hostel, solely the type of place the place folks come to put in writing novels or edit YouTube movies. The meals was pretty and the espresso glorious.

As soon as the puddles had began to dry we discovered our option to Sundown Seashore, strolling uphill previous the tsunami evacuation level and thru a wooded space to this a lot quieter stretch of sand. Shielded from the open sea by the neighbouring island of Ko Adang, the water right here is fantastically calm – excellent for snorkelling with out dodging longtail boats. We discovered good coral rapidly and stayed within the water for hours.

On the best way again we popped into the funky Elephant Restaurant as the children have been ‘ravenous’. Mr Tin Field went for a hair reduce whereas the ladies and I grazed on hummus, chips and smoothies whereas enjoying playing cards. Our Uno pack was getting a severe exercise by this level within the journey.

Dinner was at Akira Lipe Resort alongside the seaside – someplace we’d walked previous a number of occasions and eventually tried. We needn’t have hesitated. It was glorious, and never unreasonably priced contemplating the resort room price was £300 to £400 an evening.

Day 16 – travelling from Koh Lipe to Ao Nang, Krabi

We have been heartbroken to depart Koh Lipe. It had made an excellent first impression of Thailand and we’d not had an opportunity to discover the neighbouring islands. We felt torn away after we boarded the SiriLanta speedboat that might whisk us in the direction of Krabi.

Anybody who has island hopped in Thailand will know that the boats and ferries are fuelled by organised chaos. We weren’t completely certain what was occurring, however we turned up after we have been meant to and ended up in the best place.

The primary hour and a half was wonderful – skimming throughout open water with the ocean breeze maintaining issues cool. After this there have been three stops at different islands earlier than we reached Koh Lanta, the place we modified boats. We had simply sufficient time to seek out lunch whereas extra speedboats got here and went round us.

Our boat to Krabi was smaller with increased home windows, so the views have been gone, however a breeze by the cabin stored issues snug.

Minutes earlier than docking, the rain arrived. The backpackers onboard scrambled so as to add waterproof covers to their luggage whereas we hoped our much less backpackery laborious instances can be water tight.

What adopted was a blur. The jetty signal didn’t match our ticket, however we may see our suitcases being hauled over the aspect. We took that as our sign to disembark, gingerly decreasing ourselves from the slippery deck onto the jetty.

We have been soaked by and being hit by a wall of sound as guides and taxi drivers yelled place names by the downpour. Fortunately our switch stickers – nonetheless miraculously caught to our T-shirts – did the speaking for us. We have been noticed by a Tigerline rep and bustled in the direction of the shared mini bus we had booked to take us to Ao Nang. 

It was a tough arrival. However a scorching bathe, a Seize to the seaside and dinner at Wanna’s Place restaurant – an sudden mixture of Swiss and Thai delicacies – introduced the world again into focus.

We went to mattress with a really totally different view of Ao Nang to Koh Lipe. It was an assault on the senses. There have been so many individuals mingling alongside the seafront with neon fronted bars, chrome clad faculty buses and girl boys including to the heady combine. 

Fortunately, the rain had stopped. 

Day 17: settling in, Railey Seashore, caves and extra rain

All the pieces seems to be somewhat brighter after a superb evening’s sleep. We had a lay in, made tea and surveyed our environment.

Our bungalow resort, Aonang Phu Petra, was tucked away from the bustle of the Ao Nang seafront with mountain views from the pool. We had connecting bungalows with enormous bedrooms and loos. They have been somewhat drained across the edges, however cleaned nicely all through our keep and the beds have been comfortable. Our Airbnb host had additionally despatched glorious native data prematurely, which set us up completely.

We determined to ease ourselves into Krabi life with a go to to Railay Seashore West, shopping for return longtail tickets from the Ao Nang Longtail Boat Service Membership for £5.50 every. Inside minutes we have been whizzing across the headland to a shoreline may (and possibly has) graced the quilt of Nationwide Geographic.

The towering limestone peaks with tumbling jungle plunged straight into the ocean with white sand seashores nestled in green-edged coves.

It was mid-morning and we had no issues discovering a desk for brunch at Railay Seashore Cafe earlier than exploring the Tham Pranangnai or ‘Diamond’ Cave, the place the £4.50 (£2.25 for kids) entrance charge is completely price it for the extraordinary stalactites, stalagmites and a glistening golden formation that appears like a frozen waterfall.

We continued to Railey East, then south to Phra Nang Seashore. It’s lovely however busy, with some quirky cave sights that had the ladies elevating their eyebrows at me for taking too many pictures. The snorkelling right here was good and stored the ladies completely satisfied till their tummies rumbled.

We began strolling again towards West Seashore and it was simply as nicely we did. Hidden from view behind the cliffs had been an enormous gray thunder cloud. We scurried as much as the highest ground of Coco Restaurant, the place the superb Thai meals happy the children and we had entrance row views of Strolling Avenue flooding spectacularly beneath.

Dinner again in Ao Nang at Tandoori Hut on Ao Nang Hill was the proper finish – an important curry and, for the primary time in over two weeks, all our meals arrived on the desk collectively.

Day 18: Following Giants and Ao Nang Evening Market

One factor I’d been quietly dreading in the course of the planning phases of this journey was the ladies recognizing an elephant sanctuary and begging to go to. Once I seen one proper subsequent door to a lodge I used to be contemplating reserving, I knew I wanted to get forward of it.

A fast Google for ‘moral elephant sanctuaries in Krabi’ led me to Following Giants – an 80-acre sanctuary supported by World Animal Safety. It’s dwelling to 13 elephants aged between three and 65, seven of whom have been resident throughout our go to in 2025. Each considered one of them has been rescued from the vacationer leisure or logging industries.

There’s no feeding, touching, bathing or driving right here. As an alternative, guests go on foot by the jungle and plantation to look at the elephants roaming freely. It was quietly magical and genuinely shifting to observe conservation in motion.

We booked our Following Giants safari and kayaking journey direct.

Our full day expertise additionally included a day kayaking at Thapom Klong Tune Nam, a fantastically peaceable waterway nicely away from the vacationer path. It made for a splendidly rounded day – and a a lot quieter, extra genuine aspect of Krabi than we’d seen to date.

Within the night a tuk tuk delivered us to Ao Nang Evening Marketplace for our first style of this good, buzzing spot.

We’d had a scrumptious home-cooked Thai lunch on the sanctuary, so opted for the acquainted consolation meals of the Irish Embassy pub – fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and gammon steaks. We made a observe to return with extra vitality for the road meals stalls, which have been in full carnival swing as we walked again by.

Day 19: a longtail island tour and snorkelling

After practically three weeks away, vitality ranges have been operating low and we gave ourselves full permission for a gradual begin. I’d been eager to do a ship journey out to the encircling islands, however with an uninspiring climate forecast we weren’t in any rush.

Then the solar got here out and we rapidly got here up with a plan.

Our Airbnb host had really useful Klong Muang seaside, about 20 minutes north of Ao Nang, and it was instantly clear why. Quieter, much less developed and altogether extra relaxed – if we have been doing Krabi once more, I’d look critically at staying on this space.

We stopped for drinks at Sand Field Cafe proper on the seaside, the place a few longtail captains have been ready close by. We received chatting and organized a visit out to Hong Island – considered one of Krabi’s most photographed neighbours, well-known for the lagoon you possibly can sail instantly into.

Our captain, Rokin, knew all the most effective image angles as we navigated the slim limestone passageway. And the snorkelling simply across the nook was spectacular. The reef dropped away sharply past the shallows, and that’s the place the most effective fish and corals have been hiding.

Our second snorkelling cease was Koh Pak Ka, a protected web site for swiftlets the place touchdown on the seaside isn’t permitted. Rokin lured the fish to the floor with items of pineapple earlier than we received in. There have been hundreds, which unnerved the ladies barely. As soon as within the water we noticed clownfish, crabs, sea anemones and clouds of vibrant fish. It was like swimming inside a fish tank.

There have been additionally jelly fish and I managed to get stung by one between my masks and snorkel, spending the remainder of the day wanting like I’d had a really unlucky lip filler expertise.

Lunch on the beautiful Andalay Seashore Bar rounded off an excellent day. Complete value for the boat journey, together with nationwide park entrance charges and a tip for Rokin: £90 for 2 and a half hours. Completely price each penny.

Day 20: biting off quite a bit on the Tiger Cave

We might have barely misled the ladies about what as we speak had in retailer.

We offered it as “a bit like Batu Caves – some steps and monkeys”. What we uncared for to say was the altitude. The Wat Tham Suea or the ‘Tiger Cave Temple’ sits on high of a 309-metre peak, reached by 1,260 uneven, usually brutally steep steps. It took an hour to climb and thirty minutes to descend, and I gained’t fake there weren’t tears and real declarations of “I can’t go on.”

The turning level got here round midway. As soon as the ladies realised there was no going again, a quiet resignation took over and so they pushed by magnificently. We weren’t alone in our struggling – loads of adults have been visibly regretting their earlier night’s selections, whereas the occasional superhuman bounded previous us two steps at a time. Simply watching them made my abdomen churn.

However the reward on the high was price each protest. Sweeping views throughout Krabi from jungle to sea, a powerful Buddha statue, temple shrines and an indent within the rock mentioned to be the Buddha’s footprint.

Daddy Burger close to our lodge offered the proper restoration lunch – hearty burgers, loaded fries and really restorative lemonades in a enjoyable American diner setting.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent napping, studying and nursing aching calves. Within the night we made one last go to to Ao Nang Evening Market, this time diving correctly into the road meals stalls for dinner.

A large thunderstorm that evening – rattling thunder, the works – was a well timed reminder that we have been proper on the raggedy fringe of monsoon season. Our time in Thailand was practically over.

Day 21: our last journey day through Phuket

Our last day in Thailand arrived with a late flight dwelling to Muscat from Phuket and a collective refusal to spend it sitting by a pool we’d by no means fairly warmed to.

Paying for a late checkout at Aonang Phu Petra didn’t attraction – it hadn’t been our favorite base of the journey, and the absence of lodge towels on the pool meant we’d have been packing our personal seaside towels damp. So we got here up with another plan.

Again in Oman we’d usually use day passes at worldwide motels as a option to take pleasure in a change of surroundings and beat the summer time warmth. A fast search turned up the Day Move App, which had a proposal on the Anantara Trip Membership Mai Khao with pool entry, meals and beverage credit score, and simply ten minutes from Phuket Airport, all for £78 for our household of 4. It was an absolute no-brainer.

It was the proper option to ease ourselves out of vacation mode – unhurried, snug and enjoyable for the children. We floated, ate, soaked up the final of the Thai sunshine and tried to not suppose too laborious concerning the journey dwelling.

As we lastly boarded our flight again to Muscat, I discovered myself mentally retracing each ferry crossing, temple climb and snorkelling discovery of the earlier three weeks. This journey had quite a bit to reside as much as – our adventures in Sri Lanka and Vietnam had set a excessive bar – and it had cleared it with ease.

Twenty-one days, two international locations, 5 islands and extra recollections than I can rely. Should you’re dreaming of island hopping from Malaysia to Thailand, I hope our itinerary provides you the nudge you want. It truly is nearly as good because it seems to be.

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