Day 2 – Krabi Town to Kaw Kwang, Koh Lanta

Weather – Cloudy and wet…

Still Monsoon season in Thailand….

Breakfast was not included in the hotel stay, it was still low season so I guess it was not worth opening the kitchens for only a few guests. So after a quick shower and getting dressed we headed down stairs, checkout was quick.

Last night we spotted the location of our transport to Koh Lanta a few blocks down with departure times around every hour. It was getting near the top of the hour so having a long breakfast would probably mean waiting for the next departure.

Breakfast showed itself before us in the form of a quick cup of coffee, getting a few sips as we walked over to the bus station. Not really a bus station more of a parking spot with a desk. The price from Krabi Town to Koh Lanta was 200 THB each / under US$6 and that included the fares for the two ferries that we would use.

Our hotel could have actually arranges the whole thing for us along with a pickup at the hotel door. If the station was a bit further away we would have probably taken this option.

Coffee half sipped and it was time to go, looking around for a place to dispose of our waste nothing was to be seen. This seems quite normal not to have places to deposit your trash but luckily a nice woman who we had just given 400 THB indicated she would take the cups off our hands.

Bus departed and after a little windy route around Krabi Town to pick up a few more passengers looking for paradise we were on our way.

By the time we got back to the airport to pick up a few more travellers the skies were starting to clear up a little bit and the sun started to beam.

The journey down was not too long or uncomfortable, most of the time we had the shades pulled to keep out the shine of the sun and did not really get much of a look at the scenery. Our view was mainly little glimpses of what was in front between the other passengers heads.

Reached the first ferry terminal and practically drove straight on without much waiting. Here we had a chance to get out and stretch our legs and have a little look around.

Lanta Noi is the first island crossing, the whole area looked like it has not been touched since it was created. A few bits of human developments poked through but mostly it looked quite pristine.

Two or three ferries seemed to be in operation here, back and forth when they have a full load and they seemed to be busy enough with the locals that I was wondering how long a wait would be in the more busy high season.

On our way again and across the top of the island we caught our first glimpse of Lanta Yai, our holiday island. The channel here was not as wide as the first one and the second ferry trip was even quicker. The town of Saladan was spotted half perched in the water and half on land just to the north. This is where the passenger ferries arrive during the months that they operate.

Our resort was on the north of the island and after one stop for dropping off a much needed bit of equipment for one of the hotels we were deposited at the front of our hotel. The other passengers probably had the same treatment but some may have had a longer trip than we had.

The whole trip must have taken less than 3 hours including the slight waits for the ferry and the occasional pickup and drop off for passengers. But it never really seemed so long, I guess if you were doing it every day you might grow to tire from it.

We choose our hotel for the location. It`s not too far from town and may have been a bit quieter than some of the other resorts further down our beach and the other beaches. The theory of this was sound, but only failed by the complete quietness of the whole island. During the coming days we were to realize that this little bit of paradise seems to have been overlooked by the masses and hopefully will continue to be.

Kaw Kwang Beach Resort was the name of the hotel and from what I gather was the first resort established here. Situated at the top of the island on Kaw kwang beach which runs into the longer Khlong Dao beach where there is a slight more mass of resorts each try to grab a little bit of beachfront.

So hotel check in and the normal complementary drinks of fruit juice. In fact it was so quick that the O.H nudged me and said “they are waiting for us”, I was too engrossed in sipping my drink and peering over at the sea trying to catch a glimpse of the waves.

We had a second row room/hut, garden view, the huts were well space out and enough foliage to create the ambience. Inside was clean with just the occasional bit of wear and tear showing through. Just one cockroach was found lurking in the bathroom, as it was the only one found the whole holiday. I could presume it was left behind by the previous guests but I doubt it. The hotel was running really on maintenance during the low season, still open but not running at full capacity. The Kitchens were closed but the staff said that they could source food from other places if we wanted to eat in.

Good sized garden with tall coconut filled trees between the huts and beach all mostly surrounded by untamed jungle. The pool was more than enough for the two of us and frequented often for a refreshing cooling off

Weather – Back to cloudy and some light rain