Welcome back to part 2/3 of my holiday photo diary. To avoid me rambling on about what we did every moment of every day (a very, very bad habit of mine) I thought I would break the next two posts up into mini travel guides, based on what we got up to. The do's and the don'ts, perhaps. We'll let's give it a try.
After a long seven hours flight to Thailand followed by an exhausting five hour wait at Phuket airport we were finally on our way to Koh Samui. Getting ready to land on the island we were greeted by mesmerizing views of turquoise coloured seas and white sandy beaches. Unfortunately I was too delirious by that point to whip out my camera but I'm hoping you can visualise this with me as I never want to forget that view!
KOH SAMUI
Accomodation
KOH SAMUI
Accomodation
We spent our three nights on Koh Samui staying at Ark Bar Beach Resort. This is perfect accommodation to ease you into Thai living with it's party atmosphere, stunning beach views and DJ playing from morning to night. In a way it almost felt like we were holidaying it up in Ibiza but with a serious scenery upgrade! The room itself was basic and clean and just what we needed. The hotel is the perfect location and in walking distance to plenty of shops, bars, restaurants and massage parlours. Plenty of massage parlours.
What to do
Massage - talking about massage parlours this is definitely a must-do while in Koh Samui. The prices are some of the cheapest we seen and the choice is endless. There is literally a massage parlour on every corner. Think Gap in NYC (thanks Joey). After enduring a full day of walking along the beach we opted for a foot, leg and neck massage. It was the best £3 I think I've ever spent. The best part is you can sit next your bestie and well pretty much laugh your way through all the weird and wonderful techniques they use - or at least that's what we did...
Lady Boy Cabaret Show - if you're looking for a night of cheesy music, a little theatre performance and an hour of dis-belief that these girls are actually men, this is for you. I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere but we didn't pay to get in. We did however have to buy a drink though which cost us about £5 each.
Mr Ung's Jungle Safari - this was a great day out and allowed us to experience corners of the island that we probably wouldn't have on our own. The day starts with a visit to a temple with a mumified monk (slightly scary but so fascinating to see!), a visit to a zoo, swimming in a waterfall, lunch in the mountaintops and entry into magic garden. You're picked up in one of those open air trucks which has two seats on the roof - so much fun!
Shopping - unfortunately this isn't something I did much of in Koh Samui (the usual 'I'll wait to see what else there is' error ) but I think Koh Samui has some of the best shopping. Especially if you're after some fakes! I'm still regretting walking by those Dior So Real dupes!
KOH PHANGAN
After three days in Koh Samui heaven we packed our bags and headed for our next stop: Koh Phangan. For anyone planning this island hop on an upcoming trip you'll be happy to know it's only an hour boat trip between the both.
Accomodation
After a short taxi drive to our hotel we made our way down a small driveway and checked into the Phatcharee Resort. Firstly, the accommodation itself is gorgeous. With our own little lodge and a pretty pool we were set. Well, we would have been set if a few pesky cockroaches visiting our room didn't leave us terrified for our three nights there. I know this really can't be helped when you're in a tropical island but unfortunately for us it dampened our experience a little. My only other issue with this hotel was its location. As the sun disappeared we were required to make our way down a street that had absolutely no street lights. Definitely not something two girls want to face before reaching their hotel. I don't want to give a completely bad review of this place as it was still lovely and clean and the staff were really friendly.
What to do
Mopeds - Koh Phangan is very different to Koh Samui. Everything is spread out and for that reason a moped is almost essential. I'm not sure what we would have done without ours. Thankfully the roads are pretty quiet so once you get the hang of driving it's a lot of fun! Taking long drives to stop off at random beaches is what our days consisted of. The bikes only cost around £4 to rent for the day and petrol is cheap as chips!
Half Moon Party - our main reason for heading to Phangan, and most travellers for that matter, was to attend the Half Moon Party. Everyone has heard of the infamous Full Moon party and this is basically a slightly smaller version of this. The one difference is this party is held inland as opposed to on the beach. It was a fantastic night filled with drinking, dancing, people watching and neon body paint, of course...
Bubba's coffee shop - we stumbled across this place on our first day and visited again the following day. The staff are incredibly friendly and they serve a mean breakfast with some delicious smoothies. Definitely a must-visit if you're ever in Phangan and in need of a good hangover curer!
I hope you enjoyed the first of my Thailand posts - more in the next one. If you've ever been to Thailand I would love to hear your recommendations!
XoXo
Lady Boy Cabaret Show - if you're looking for a night of cheesy music, a little theatre performance and an hour of dis-belief that these girls are actually men, this is for you. I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere but we didn't pay to get in. We did however have to buy a drink though which cost us about £5 each.
Mr Ung's Jungle Safari - this was a great day out and allowed us to experience corners of the island that we probably wouldn't have on our own. The day starts with a visit to a temple with a mumified monk (slightly scary but so fascinating to see!), a visit to a zoo, swimming in a waterfall, lunch in the mountaintops and entry into magic garden. You're picked up in one of those open air trucks which has two seats on the roof - so much fun!
Shopping - unfortunately this isn't something I did much of in Koh Samui (the usual 'I'll wait to see what else there is' error ) but I think Koh Samui has some of the best shopping. Especially if you're after some fakes! I'm still regretting walking by those Dior So Real dupes!
KOH PHANGAN
After three days in Koh Samui heaven we packed our bags and headed for our next stop: Koh Phangan. For anyone planning this island hop on an upcoming trip you'll be happy to know it's only an hour boat trip between the both.
Accomodation
After a short taxi drive to our hotel we made our way down a small driveway and checked into the Phatcharee Resort. Firstly, the accommodation itself is gorgeous. With our own little lodge and a pretty pool we were set. Well, we would have been set if a few pesky cockroaches visiting our room didn't leave us terrified for our three nights there. I know this really can't be helped when you're in a tropical island but unfortunately for us it dampened our experience a little. My only other issue with this hotel was its location. As the sun disappeared we were required to make our way down a street that had absolutely no street lights. Definitely not something two girls want to face before reaching their hotel. I don't want to give a completely bad review of this place as it was still lovely and clean and the staff were really friendly.
Mopeds - Koh Phangan is very different to Koh Samui. Everything is spread out and for that reason a moped is almost essential. I'm not sure what we would have done without ours. Thankfully the roads are pretty quiet so once you get the hang of driving it's a lot of fun! Taking long drives to stop off at random beaches is what our days consisted of. The bikes only cost around £4 to rent for the day and petrol is cheap as chips!
Half Moon Party - our main reason for heading to Phangan, and most travellers for that matter, was to attend the Half Moon Party. Everyone has heard of the infamous Full Moon party and this is basically a slightly smaller version of this. The one difference is this party is held inland as opposed to on the beach. It was a fantastic night filled with drinking, dancing, people watching and neon body paint, of course...
Bubba's coffee shop - we stumbled across this place on our first day and visited again the following day. The staff are incredibly friendly and they serve a mean breakfast with some delicious smoothies. Definitely a must-visit if you're ever in Phangan and in need of a good hangover curer!
I hope you enjoyed the first of my Thailand posts - more in the next one. If you've ever been to Thailand I would love to hear your recommendations!
XoXo
