Secret Beach on Koh Lanta

Before we took our trip to the islands of Lanta we had read about the resort having a secret beach hidden away someplace. I guess there are lots of little secret beaches around the world either made up to for adding a little bit of spice to the location. At the other end of the scale they are so secret that every body knows and decided to visit on the same day as you.

The resort at Kaw Kwang was really spoilt for its beach front and with not many other tourists soaking up the ambience of the place the secret beach idea drifted from memory. We were just spoilt for space and sand and had no need to go searching for that little bit extra quietness.

But on chance after a few days it did cross our minds and although we never really went searching our curiosity made it’s location reveal itself. Really we could have just asked and somebody would have pointed us in that direction.

Kaw Kwang beach ends at the top of the island with a rocky outcrop with covered in lots of tropical greenery, trees and bushed growing thickly. But Through this jungle a little path was spotted leading up the rocks. Climbing up the hill expecting a long trek which really turned out to be 50 or so meters of well kept path and suddenly ending at the edge of a cliff. Climbing here in darkness and you`d be over the edge.

Down below gradually exposing itself was the secret beach. A short stretch of sand bounded by rocks on either side and totally deserted. The clear water gently lapping up the sand as the waves break on the shore.

Unfortunately the sun was setting and probably not the best time to venture down – actually there was a set of wooden steps leading down to the beach. Managing a few photographs and walking back down the path the only animal life here I noticed were a few hermit crabs, not where you`d expect to find them far from the water.

Maybe next time we might make a point of really going there, but as the other beaches were extremely quiet the idea fell from memory. But if you want a little bit of tranquillity you might find it here or maybe there a few other hidden beaches along the island.

Looking back it was a missed opportunity. Then we did have a lot of happiness from the days we spent on the island. It is probably something that will keep for the next visit unless everybody finds out about it.

Kaw Kwang Beach For The Last Time – Day 9

Weather – Brilliantly Hot

The Lanta Holiday is nearly coming to an end with our last full day here on the island. The beaches are still quite deserted which is quite unbelievable, I guess in a few years time the beautiful views of desolation will be hard to capture as the tourism industry becomes more commercial. But for now this seems to be the place to be for anybody that wants a few days of quiet relaxation.

Today the weather was hot, nearly unbearable without a few attempts at cooling off in the sea. The low tide exposes a huge stretch of sand down to the sea and once in the water there is still quite a distance for the coolness to reach a depth over your knees.

It really probably was a day to take cover under some sensible shade, but as it’s all nearly over for us we were out trekking along the sand. Suitable amounts of bottled water along with hat for survival but for me I had already been exposed too much to the rays and my skin was peeling off like paper.

There were more signs of preparedness happening in the resorts. Storm nets were getting removed and a bit maintenance on the grounds, but still relatively few guests around to be seen.

The empty Golden Leaf Restaurant and Royal Lanta Resort sitting empty. Both places, along with all the other resorts and restaurants, looked just as quiet as the beach. It might have just been the heat keeping everybody indoors, probably where we should have been as the temperature was getting too much for some and any cool place was a welcome relief.

Food and shade for a while, then off on our travels again. Getting away from the beach front there are quite a few buildings that are not quite what they used to be. Maybe once the high season picks up these places will be buzzing with life, just maybe.

Late afternoon, it was still just as hot, there was a little bit more life on the beach. It was hard to find but it was there. Time moves slowly here but for us the past 8 days seem to have really been a flash.

Not everybody’s perfect holiday but one of our most enjoyable. Secretly, I think this is because we just took each day as it came without sticking to any schedule. Spending a day on a touristy trip might have felt like a day wasted. Maybe next time we will see the elephants, caves, forest, monkeys, island trip and all those other things that you spend 2 hours getting there , half an hour watching and 2 hours getting back from. If that is your style then it is available here on Koh Lanta if the quietness is too much for you.

Saladan and Sunset at Kaw Kwang, Lanta – Day 8

Weather – Would you believe it`s hot.

The morning was spent at the pool in Kaw Kwang. We could say we had it all to ourselves again, but not today. There was at least one other person taking a cooling dip although the whole resort was virtually deserted. All the sun loungers were untouched with the mats laid out to dry and the gardens remained empty apart from a few brave animals risking the sunshine. Here I caught a little bird taking a bit of shade under a sun lounger.

The bay here has its own little bit of mangrove and coral reef along with the coconut filled jungle. The secret beach still seems to be keeping its location hidden.

The afternoon was started with a trip to Saladan, well its such a small town we have seen it all before but we might have missed something along its two roads. Getting a little feel of town life after the remoteness of the beach does actually feel good, even if it’s a few minutes in a town as basic as Saladan.

Looking over to Koh Lanta Noi from Saladan Town

Down the empty streets of Saladan, I guess when the high season starts and the ferries begin their runs the town will become much busier.

It does have a few places to eat although and even if quite a few were still closed for the season the opportunity arose to sample the food again and how could we refuse. Butter fried chicken with peanut satay along with some deep fried onion rings. The O.H. delved in with fish and chips, no beer this time but a couple of cooling coconut drinks.

Today seemed to be an eating day and somehow we ended up down the strip and outside the German bakery. The lack of coffee the past few days seemed not to be affecting me at all, no caffeine withdrawal symptoms, short tempered outburst or aching sore heads. It must have been the thought of nice fresh cake that took us here and to justify it more, we never has dessert after out late lunch.

Like most of the places here, the bakery is open ended to the road and the local Koh Lanta life can be watched passing by as you sip your drink. The coffee did taste good and the cake reminded me of something my mother would make. The O.H enjoyed her slice just as much and never even voiced any concern that it might make her fat.

Popping across the road to the 7-11 to get a few more snacks and drinks then we headed back to Kaw Kwang Resort to laze beside the pool and catch a bit of the sunset. Nothing really seems to be happening, eating and sunbathing and eating more, the days seem to go fast and I think the long walks make up a lot of our day time are not really noticed. It`s a funny feeling not being bored while really doing nothing for over a week.

The football seems to be a regular thing and I`d guess with a few more holidaymakers that are a bit fitter than myself a few larger teams would be playing on the beach.

This would really be our first sunset at Kaw Kwang with the few days of cloud and catching the sunsets at Sanuk bar it seems we were never here at the right time to witness the scenes.

The rocky jungle outcrop here means the sunset comes a bit earlier and sets behind the trees rather than descending on the horizon but the site is just as beautiful to witness. The day is not over yet and I guess it will soon be time to eat, again and actually again. Luckily we have a long walk to burn up those calories. Koh Lanta, Thailand in the low cost monsoon season is turning out to be very nice indeed.

Day 7 – Koh Lanta Thailand Sunsets at Sanuk Bar

Sanuk Bar provides another welcome relief from the heat and refreshments just in time to catch the Koh Lanta sunset over the Andaman Sea. Having lived for many years in a very northerly part of the world, I am used to long slow sunsets that last for hours and it really only goes dark(ish) after 10p.m. Here down in Thailand it comes much earlier and much quicker, not quite blink and you will miss it, but fast enough.

Having the usual nice cool drink, that salt water does make you a bit thirsty, and a little bit of a snack. If I remember correctly and I am ashamed to admit that the O.H had “Toast” , a not very Thai Choice.

The time was around 5.30pm when we sat down to watch the skies and the Islands of Koh Phi Phi can be seen just on the horizon.

I`d like to think that the animals of the jungle came out to watch the sun with us, bit of a Disney moment there.

It was actually a Childs toy, a family was having dinner in Sanuk and the hosts provided something for the kids occupied with in the sand.

I`m really hoping for the best with my photographs. The Canon G10 thankfully takes care of most of the settings automatically but it’s still up to me to frame the shot. I have no idea. Fortunately, snapping 100`s of photographs costs nothing with digital (except battery power) and maybe a few will look good.

Just before 6.10pm and Koh Phi Phi catches the sun.

The beach was not quite empty, a few other diners mingled with the Thai football players on the beach.

This was our destination, Kaw KWang, along the dark beach. By now we had travelled back and forth a few times and could really do it with our eyes shut. In fact it was so dark eye open or closed made no real difference once the sun went down.

6.30pm and it`s gone for another day.

Watching the sunset go down on Koh Lanta along with the atmosphere of the island was just as enjoyable as, if not better, than any all star cast blockbuster movie. Not everybody will enjoy it, but I know many that once it`s been experienced then you will want more.

Day 6 – Very Hot Day in Koh Lanta, Thailand

Weather – Like an oven with the door open.

Started the day with what is becoming a bit routine in Koh Lanta, back at the pool, how boring!

All this clean air, sunshine and blue skies are starting to get us down, we don't know if we can take much more of this. And to make things worse the tide was out, far too far to walk for a paddle.

Well seriously, it would take quite a while, months or years, for us to find the slightest need for a change. We were loving every minute and were already thinking about when are we coming back. After the speed of city life, the rate here is much much more more slower, even the Thai taxis seem to get to their destinations at a leisurely pace.

Sun was shining brightly, so taking a sun lounger under the tree for a bit of shade, we relaxed. The occasional cool off in the pool was needed and still, mostly, all to ourselves. This is supposed to be the off-season but apart from the few downpours of rain the weather has been fantastic. We are still amazed at how deserted the beaches and resorts were.

The local fishermen were out in the bay just off Kaw Kwang beach, I have no idea what they were doing, couldn't see any nets. Maybe they were just waiting for the right moment.

We were running out of local currency and the weekend had just finished, so a trip into town was needed. The problem with Thai Baht, for us and probably other currencies is the conversion rate. At around 33 THB for a US$ and about 50 THB for the UKPound. Having a thousand THB seems like a lot of money and then spending 300 THB on a meal for two seems very expensive. But in reality it’s just the big numbers fooling us. A thousand is just around US$30 and actually can go a long long way in Thailand.

We were thinking of walking to Saladan but an excuse showed up in the form of a taxi sitting in the shade just outside our resort. Naturally the driver tried to offer his services and oh so reluctantly we accepted. From Kaw Kwang the cost was 40THB each. Speeding along the coast road at about 15 miles per hour was just enough to create a cooling breeze and a short conversation was started. A bit of confusion may have arose here, we were exchanging names and I passed mine and he said “mine is same”. Luckily I played safe and never said “bye same” just in case.

So off to the bank in Saladan and up to the money exchanger. We handed over a few notes and the cashier did quite a bit of typing, rubbing, looking, hoping for help from his colleagues – I guess they don’t see much of our currency on the island. With wads of cash now stuffed in our pockets we were going to hit the town.

Despite the smallness of Saladan we never got really too far, the heat was really too much for walking about. Refuge was sought in a restaurant complete with a good helping of food and 1 beer, large, 2 glasses just to get a bit of liquid back into our bodies.

It was going to be a really lazy day, had a nice slow long long lunch. In keeping with the theme of the day, we hailed over a taxi to take us back to the hotel. Not much more was going to happen today and we took up our spot under the trees beside the pool and let the day go by. We would probably die if we tried to exert ourselves. The heat was a bit much and tomorrow would show that even the locals found it too much to handle.

During our treks along the beach we stopped by a few of the resorts and restaurants hoping they would be open. Most were still closed, others were gearing up and be open in a week. Some were open but too far along the beach from us. Sanuk Bar was our regular place, not just because it was the closest ( or we didn`t want to walk any further), but also the hosts were nice and friendly. The food was also pretty good too. That was our destination for tonight.

The sun had gone and although it was still very warm, there was no burning sun bearing down on us and a refreshing cooling breeze from the sea.

Tom Yum Koong along with a chicken curry was sampled here. We asked for spicy and sure enough it was. Very tasty and completely addictive, we were both nearly licking the bowl clean.

While we were proud of on our ability to handle chilli (or silly) our nice hosts let slip that they have two versions of “extremely spicy”. One flaming spicy for born and bred native Thais and a baby spicy for the rest of us. We immediately lost all sense of achievement and ordered another large bottle of beer.

The day ended quietly.

Day 5 – Sunset at Sanuk Bar, Klong Dao Beach, Koh Lanta

Not letting an opportunity pass our little oasis appeared. Sanuk Bar was there at just the right time and having our usual, beer, large, and 2 glasses, we sat on the side of the beach and watched the sun go down and our first views of the sunsets here.

There were still a few clouds out in the Andaman sea and the photographs capture some of the beauty, but it is something to be experienced.

Our host at Sanuk with her dogs taking in the evening.

The gentle slope of the beach made for some good reflections with the waves keeping the sand wet.

The Locals also take advantage of the slope and have their game of footy here.

The sun goes down quickly and soon it was all over too quick. Finishing our refreshments we start back to our resort and I managed to take some more long exposures of the night sky now a bit clear from clouds. With city lights I often forget how much is actually up there.

In the above picture we seem to have caught a UFO streaking past.