The Trip South
We are planning on booking a bungalow for 5 nights in the south. We will leave Bangkok on December 30th and return on January 4th. There's a chance we may stay in the south after the 4th and go somewhere else, but since it's peak season we wanted to start getting this lined up so others can start booking as well.
We're going to the island of Ko Lanta (Ko or Koh means island in Thai). It's in the South of the country in the Andaman Sea. It has long white beaches and calm blue waters, as well as a lot of stuff to do like elephant trekking, snorkling, hiking and beach bar hopping.
Accommodations
The place we're looking to stay at is called Relax Bay Resort.
Fan Bungalows start at 1600 baht for 2 people or 2000 for three. There are also bungalows with A/C and family bungalows that can fit up to five. We think breakfast is included (but we're still checking).
Relax Bay is holding a New Year's Eve dinner on the beach, which unfortunately like many places, they require you to go to, it's 2000 baht a person.
The Relax Bay website lists all the bungalow prices and options. Places book up fast, so the sooner you book the better. To book a bungalow at Relax Bay, contact Didier Vacher (Resort Manager) via email: relaxbay@hotmail.com.
Getting to and from Ko Lanta
We are looking to fly down on Air Asia on the flights below.
The plan for now is to depart Bangkok December 30th at 10:40am and land in for Krabi at 12:00pm on Air Asia Flight 3163.
And then return January 4th, leaving Krabi at 12:25pm and landing in Bangkok at 1:45pm on Air Asia Flight 3162
The roundtrip cost for the flight (as of 5/18) is approximately 4,650 Baht.
From the airport we'll catch a cab or a shuttle to the ferry which will take us to Ko Lanta.
Ferry ride is up to 300 baht each way.
Approximate Cost per Person
With the current exchange rate at approx. $1 US (USD) = 31 BAHT (THB), here are the costs:
Airfare 4650 B
Ferry 600 B
Accommodation 4000 B (Assuming two people to a room for 5 nights)
NYE Dinner 2000 B
The total is about 11,250 baht or $363 per person.
This total does not include the cabs, meals, drinks, activities, etc.
___________________________________________
Other Options
So that's what we're planning on doing, but if you want to stay elsewhere, or go on different dates, you are totally welcome to. Here's info on how to make those arrangements.
Travelfish is a great website on traveling in Thailand in general.
Other accommodations:
Relax Bay is on a semi-private beach at the very bottom of Prae Ae (Long) Beach, but there are a ton of other options that are close by.
There are three other places that seem the closest to it (within walking distance). There's Lanta Marina Resort and Nautilus Bungalows which are both cheaper than Relax Bay, although we don't know much about them. Lanta Marina is supposed to be very basic but nice. And then there's Mook Lanta Resort and Spa, which seems to be on the upscale side, but was also well reviewed and looks pretty nice.
Here is a map of the coast on Ko Lanta that we will be on that shows the other accommodations on the beach:
If you are interested in looking into other places to stay on Ko Lanta, we've found these sites very useful:
Getting to and from
When booking flights it's important to make sure that you check the ferry times as well, that way you don't land early, but then have to wait for the ferry. Here's a link to a good website for getting info on traveling to Ko Lanta.
Domestic Airlines that fly to Krabi:
There are shuttle buses and cabs that take you from Krabi Airport to ferry. (We should allocate about 1.5 hours for this transfer)
Ferry Schedule
Ferry Schedule (price: up to 300 Baht)
Krabi - Koh Lanta
High season Nov.-May
Dept. 10.30 Arrive 12.00
Dept. 13.30 Arrive 15.00
Koh Lanta - Krabi
Dept. 8.00 Arrive 9.30
Dept. 13.00 Arrive 14.30
The pictures below are of Relax Bay Resort
There's elephant trekking on Lanta.