Koh Lanta: A Destination for Foodies on a Budget

“There’s going to be a live reggae concert in the middle of the island tonight, and I have to warn you it’s going to be loud”, my Airbnb host told me as I checked into my bungalow on Koh Lanta. So much for the Thai island’s reputation for being a quieter alternative to Phuket or Koh Samui, I thought.

And he was right. It was loud. Apparently, these concerts are staged on Koh Lanta every couple of months during the high season. I don’t know what time it finished but I eventually managed to drop off to sleep around 12.30am with the reggae music still going full blast. At 7.00am I was awoken by an excavator attempting to dig a trench in rocky ground near my bungalow. Judging by the noise it was making, it was having a hard time breaking through the rock.

That wasn’t the only morning I was awoken early. The next day it was kids screeching what sounded like karaoke through the loudspeaker system of a nearby mosque. And that night there was a beach party that kept me awake to the early hours of the morning again. This wasn’t what I expected Koh Lanta to be like.

Aside from the noise, my first impressions of Koh Lanta were not that great. As I drove down from the car ferry that links Koh Lanta to the mainland, I couldn’t help noticing how dry and dusty everything was compared to the lush green scenery of Phang Nga from where I had just driven.

Heading across to Koh Lanta on the car ferry.

The main road was badly pot-holed, there were piles of uncollected trash by the side of the road, and a lot of places looked rundown. I had the impression that very little of the income from tourism was being used to improve infrastructure or facilities. However, that wasn’t deterring visitors because everywhere looked busy.

The ratio of foreign tourists (especially backpackers) to locals seemed to be higher than in Phuket or Koh Samui, although total numbers were much less. There were a surprising number of families with small children and older travellers too, so this clearly wasn’t just a backpacker destination.

Whilst I quickly realised that Koh Lanta’s reputation for being a tranquil alternative to Phuket or Koh Samui was a fallacy, what I did discover over the four days that I was there was that Koh Lanta is a great budget destination for foodies. The variety of both Thai and western food (including vegan options) is as good as in Phuket – but at half the price.

Budget dining on the beach at Relax Bay, Koh Lanta.

There’s a lot more beach dining available on Koh Lanta than there is in Phuket or Koh Samui, and some excellent coffee shops and bakeries. Many places bake their own bread, and you can find perfect European quality baguettes and sourdough loaves which are almost non-existent in other parts of Krabi province.

I started to warm to the island on the second day when we drove down to the Mu Ko Lanta National Park at the southern end of the island. Once you pass Klong Nin Beach the scenery changes and becomes greener and lusher as the coastal road climbs up and down over rugged headlands and beside rocky coves.

And after several nights of excellent beach dining at extraordinarily reasonable prices, cocktails at 99 baht, and some great breakfasts and lunches, I decided that Koh Lanta wasn’t such a bad place after all. In fact, I concluded that it was probably one of the best destinations in Thailand for foodies traveling on a budget.

One of Koh Lanta’s many excellent coffee shops.

It’s difficult to recommend particular restaurants because everywhere we ate was good, and we were only there for four days, but my favourite breakfast place was The Backyard on the main road back from Long Beach, the best lunch we had was at the French Bakery down on Klong Nin Beach (their brie and ham baguettes are so good), and the best dinner at the Turtle Beach Restaurant at the southern end of Long Beach (although the grilled barracuda and salad dinner that we had for 200 baht at an unnamed shack-type restaurant on the beach at the southern end of Relax Beach was the best in terms of value for money).

For coffee, The Glass House on the main road towards the northern end of Long Beach took top marks, but Auntie Mae’s Bakery & Deli on the main road travelling south just before you reach Klong Noen Beach came a close second. Auntie Mae’s also had some of the most delectable pastries and cakes that we found on Koh Lanta.

Beach dining at night on Klong Khong Beach.

For those who enjoy dining right on the beach, there are more than a dozen restaurants on Klong Khong Beach where you can eat with your toes in the sand, and for those looking for cheap street food, there is a busy walking street with food stalls north of Khlong Dao Beach towards the ferry terminal where the boats from Phi Phi come in. The stall owners start setting up around 5pm.

How to Reach Koh Lanta

Most people travel to Koh Lanta from either Krabi or Phuket. From Krabi there are regular vans from both Ao Nang and Krabi town which can be booked through almost any tour desk. The road trip takes about 90 minutes to reach the car ferry. The ferries operate continuously throughout the day, so you shouldn’t be waiting long.

From Phuket there are several ferry services to Koh Lanta which cross the southern reaches of Phang Nga Bay. Again, these can be booked through most tour desks. Journey time is usually 2-3 hours depending on whether it’s a fast or slow ferry and whether it stops at the Phi Phi Islands on the way.

Phi Phi is a popular stop-off for travellers to Koh Lanta.

Many travellers choose to spend a night or two on Phi Phi Don (the largest of the Phi Phi Islands) on their way from Phuket. You can do that from Krabi too by booking a ferry to Phi Phi and then another from there down to Koh Lanta.

Once on Koh Lanta you can choose to hire a car or motorbike to get around, or just use songthaew taxis or tuk-tuks to do your sightseeing. However, it’s not recommended to use tuk-tuks to go to the national park because many have difficulty making it up the steep hills on the way (despite what the drivers will tell you!)

Where to Stay on Koh Lanta

Most people stay on one of the western beaches, because the beaches are the primary reason that people go to Koh Lanta. There is a wide range of accommodation from luxury resorts down to budget beach bungalows on all of the main beaches, whilst some of the smaller beaches have no accommodation at all. Prices are generally a little cheaper than Phuket or Koh Samui.

Long Beach is the most popular beach on Koh Lanta.

The busiest beach is Khlong Dao beach because that’s closest to the ferry terminal on the north or the island, and that’s where most of the backpacker hostels are located. That’s. not to say it’s a backpacker beach because there are many mid-range family resorts located there as well. It’s a reasonably good swimming beach, but there are some rocks at low tide.

The next beach down travelling south is Phra Ae Beach, more commonly known as Long Beach. It’s one of the best swimming beaches on Koh Lanta and it never feels too busy because it is so long (about three kilometres). Accommodation here tends to get booked out before the other beaches because it’s the most popular beach on the island.

Next beach down is Relax Beach (also known as Relax Bay) which is another good swimming beach but much smaller than its northern neighbours, so accommodation and restaurants on this beach are fairly limited. There is a wide range of budget accommodation within 100-200 metres walk of this beach.

A Koh Lanta sunset viewed from behind Beautiful Beach.

At low tide you can walk around the rocky southern headland of Relax Bay to Secret Beach. There’s no road access to this secluded beach, and no accommodation or eating places at all, so be careful not to get stuck there during high tide.

Further down is Beautiful Beach, another nice small beach which is accessible by car or motorbike along a dirt road. When we visited for the sunset, there was a distinct aroma of marijuana in the air, and groups of ‘happy people’ on the beach, so we presumed it must be the beach where people go to smoke their weed.

The next main beach down is Klong Khong Beach which is not a good swimming beach because there are a lot of rocks and coral on the water, but it’s the best beach for on-the-sand dining options, and there’s many beachfront massage places there. Lots of good budget accommodation options at cheaper prices than Long Beach, which is why people stay there.

Klong Nin Beach is much quieter than those to the north.

About five kilometres further down is the last main beach that’s good for swimming – Klong Nin Beach. This is probably the beach where we will stay on out next visit to Koh Lanta because it’s well away from the hustle and bustle of the northern part of the island. It’s a much quieter area but still has a good range of accommodation and dining options.

There are two other reasonably good swimming beaches further south called Bakantiang Beach and Khlong Chak Beach, but accommodation and dining options around there are fairly limited. There is, however, a five-star resort and several three-star resorts along this part of the coast which could suit people looking for an even quieter location than Klong Nin Beach and not planning to spend much time outside of their resort.

The other smaller beaches along this part of the coast such as Nui Beach and Bamboo Beach do not have any accommodation within walking distance. The is also a good swimming beach inside the national park, but there is no accommodation there.

What to See on Koh Lanta

Aside from eating and drinking and relaxing on the beach, there are several places worth visiting on Koh Lanta. Already mentioned is the national park at the southern end of the island. There’s not a lot to do there for older travellers except for a short hike to the lighthouse on a promontory at the far southern end of the island, but the scenic drive down and back makes it worth the trip.

The old lighthouse at the southern tip of Koh Lanta.

You’ll pass by Maiphai Bay about two kilometres before reaching the national park. It’s worth stopping at the restaurant on the hill on the northern side of the bay for a spectacular view along that part of the coast. The beach there is known as Bamboo Beach (not to be confused with Bamboo Bay further north).

Those at the younger end of the ‘older traveller’ spectrum who consider themselves fit and healthy might want to attempt the two-kilometre nature walk in the national park, but signs warn that the first 400 metres is extremely difficult and requires climbing experience. The signs also warn that the ‘elderly’ and anyone with health issues should not attempt the climb.

For those who may want to attempt the nature walk, it’s advisable to take a steel or bamboo pole to fend off any aggressive monkeys in the jungle. Apparently, there are quite a few in that part of the national park. There are some poles near the warning signs. Return them there when you’ve finished your hike.

Maiphai Bay is a picturesque section of the southern coastline.

Another place that will appeal to older travellers is Lanta Old Town on the east coast. It’s not a large old town but well worth a visit. The town has a distinct Chinese influence due to its history as a trading port back in the 19th century. There is a small community museum behind the park near the pier that’s worth a quick visit. Entry is free but there’s a donation box if you’d like to make a small contribution towards the upkeep of the museum.

The most interesting part of the old town is the street to the left of the pier (when facing the sea) where there is a small temple and old timber houses built out over the water. Many of the houses have been converted to restaurants and in keeping with the culinary reputation of the rest of the island, you’ll find some excellent eating places here.

Other traditional homes have been converted into shops. Whilst these include the usual souvenir, clothing and weed shops, there are also some selling locally produced handicrafts and heritage-type home furnishings imported from China.

The small temple on Koh Lanta Old Town’s main street.

For those who hire a car or motorbike, a third option is to take a drive around Koh Lanta Noi which is the part of Koh Lanta that those coming on the car ferry will first set foot on. The Koh Lanta that tourists are familiar with is actually called Koh Lanta Yai (‘yai’ means big whilst ‘noi’ means small).

Koh Lanta Noi and Koh Lanta Yai are connected by a road bridge and the roads on Koh Lanta Noi are much better than those on Koh Lanta Yai, despite it not being a tourist island. It’s quite scenic and there are some nice views from the eastern coast of the island. Drive carefully because there are many monkeys on the road on Koh Lanta Noi.