Koh+Lanta

This page is about **Koh Lanta**. Look above at **"Discussion"** to post or answer questions.Use the **table of contents** on the right to help you navigate through this page. If you want to **add stuff**, use the edit button on the right (also see tips on the Guidelines page).

=General Koh Lanta Information= Koh Lanta is an amazingly relaxing, low-key beach destination. Think Bali or Koh Samui many moons ago. Tourist facilities are very present, but also very spread out along the length of the coast of the island, thus never making the place seem too busy or overcrowded, even in the high season. For details, there are many websites, but one guide found around the island (freely available book) is the Koh Lanta Pocket Guide, which should give a good overview, with lots of tour options, hotel ideas, restaurant listings, etc. The Lanta Biker's Map is interesting as well.

The main beaches/towns (from north to south) are: Ban Saladan (town/ferry), Kong Dao, Phra Ae (aka Long Beach), Klong Khong, Klong Nin, Ba Kantiang, Nui Bay, Waterfall Bay, and Bamboo Bay. It is busiest in the north, and gets quieter the further south you go. See the links above for details. Overall, you can stay in a resort the whole time, you can stay in a low-key accommodation and linger in your neighborhood the whole time, or you can travel around via Tuk-tuk or rent motorbikes (and possibly even a car) if interested. All options are possible, and the kind of stay you have is really up to you.

As far as traveling with kids, Koh Lanta is lovely in that it is very relaxing. You will find many families traveling with kids of all ages, but there are also plenty of childless ones out there too (bar scene is present, but absolutely not in your face). For the most part, all there is to do is beach, pool, beach, pool, and eat/drink. If that's what you're after, then this the right place. toc

=Koh Lanta Hotels= There are a plethora of places to stay in Koh Lanta, ranging from backpackers lodges to luxury retreats, and many holiday rentals as well. Even in the high season, you can get a room if you show up in town without a reservation (it might not be easy, and you would have to be flexible and patient, but it's totally possible).

It might be best to first decide what beach/community you want to be in. There doesn't seem to be any large international chain hotels/resorts, but rather all are independent, family operated or boutique. Hotels that have a pool will be noticeably different in price range (or from what we read, old and run down), with the pool being the main "draw." If you don't need a pool, you will probably be able to get a fabulous deal at a smaller, lovelier hotel. Otherwise, if you really want the pool, be willing to pay for it. Children's playgrounds only seem to exist in a limited selection of hotel/resort properties.

Klong Nin Beach
Klong Nin is about halfway down the island. It is a long stretch of beach, which is very calm and easy for kids to play and swim in. It is a sandy bottom beach, but be aware that at low tide there some (very few) rocks in clusters. This is hardly a problem though, as the beach is vast. As this is a predominantly Muslim area, it should be noted that there is a mosque nearby, so you may hear a call-to-prayer every so often (including approximately 5am). The mosque is in the northern end of Klong Nin.

===Baan Rabieng Hotel=== Trip Advisor Page Rooms do have a refrigerator and a safe. Breakfast is provided (usually some kind of bread, eggs, and fruit, nescafe, and some kind of juice--no choices), but only for the adults. There are umbrellas and lounge chairs for the beach that are free to use, against the wall just before you head down the steps at the beach entrance.
 * Location**: 40 meters from the beach, with some views to the beach, but not ON the beach. Northern end of Klong Nin, Turn toward the beach just north of the 7-11 intersection. It is also walkable (also 40m) from the beachside cafes and bars, but not in the midst of all that (makes it much quieter).
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 * Description**: Small family-run hotel with 11 rooms. Fairly modern property, clean and fairly well cared for. Most have a view of the beach (from outside), but about 5 rooms open up purely onto a lawn. It is great to look out onto the lawn if you need a place for the kids to play outside (though you won't be able to see the beach), and it's nice if you have a group, as you might be able to have rooms next door to each other. There are usually clusters of 3 rooms together, but not always the case. Staff speaks limited English, but will help as best as they can, including laundry and booking tours/transportation.
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 * Kid Friendly Features:** This hotel is midrange in price, and is located across the way from a great beach (1 minute walk). It is also a 1-minute walk away from a plethora of restaurants, 7-11 and other markets (where you can find whatever you need), massage, pharmacy, etc. etc. It is a super convenient location. No swimming pool is a big minus (though there is a beach, kids still tend to love pools), but the price was right. While this hotel lacks a pool, we were able to go to the very next hotel and use their pool, as long as we ate at their restaurant. This may possibly be the case with various other larger hotels in the area (e.g. Clean Beach Resort).
 * Other Details:** The rooms here are small, with one queen sized bed. Bathrooms are the all-in-one space kind (no separated shower space), and there is certainly no bathtub. There are also only 2 chairs (plastic patio chairs outside, but none in the room) available per room. We went to a market and picked up some plastic stools for our kids to sit on (a mere 30 THB each). Staff cleans your room only if you ask them to. Laundry is cheap. FYI you // can // hear the call-to-prayer from the mosque at this hotel, but it is not that loud. Yes, most mornings you can hear it from your bed at 5am, but it would only be a problem if you are a light sleeper who has trouble falling back to sleep (most parents with young children //don't have this problem//, and our kids were never bothered by it). It would likely be louder if you stayed north of this hotel in Klong Nin. Because you are near the bars and restaurants, you may hear a little bit of music on occasion (party night?), though it is not loud. However, it's probably quieter than the cluster of resorts south of here amidst those bars and restaurants, and if you move north, you get closer to the mosque.

Hotel 2

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=Koh Lanta Restaurants=

Many beachside cafes will have child high chairs (not all), and some even have children's menus. It seems they are all aware of family needs, and will be able to offer some sort of chicken nugget, fried chicken, spaghetti, pizza, or whatever "kid friendly" food you might require. Usually a menu is displayed at the entrance, so you can assess that situation right away. Pretty much all restaurants have free wifi. As expected, restaurants located on the beach tend to be very international, cater to family needs better, and are higher priced.

Oasis Restaurant

 * Location**: Klong Nin on the beach, about the 3rd restaurant from the northern end
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 * Description**: International and Thai food, coffee and breakfast.
 * Price** (approx): 120-400 THB pp depending on what you order
 * Kid Friendly Features:** They have a plethora of decent quality (i.e. not falling apart) high chairs, and a child menu.
 * Other Details:** Nice restaurant, similar to the rest. Service and food were pretty consistent here each time we visited. Free wifi.

Sala Restaurant

 * Location**: Ban Saladan, near 7-11 and Lanta Market
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 * Description**: Mixed international /Thai food. Standard family restaurant, located on busy main road, but a good stop if you've been shopping at the market.
 * Price** (approx): 150-300 THB depending.
 * Kid Friendly Features:** High chairs, children's menu, and they had a few of those Thai wooden rocking horses/rocking elephants. The kids were allowed to play on them!
 * Other Details:** Free wifi.

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=Other Information=

Elephant rides - South Lanta Waterfall Safari

 * Location**: South, somewhere around Kantiang Bay and the Noon Sunset view point (they will pick you up, don't worry)
 * Contact**: South Lanta Waterfall Safari +66844439789
 * Description**: Go on an elephant ride with the kids through a rubber tree forest and along streams. Hotels can arrange for you.
 * Price** (approx): THB 750/adult, 350THB/child (2 and under, possibly free)
 * Kid Friendly Features**: This is a fun and easy outing. It's quite simple. You are picked up at your hotel, walk up a paved way to the "launch point" and climb onto the elephant's back (large chair, fits about 2 adults, but small kids can sit between parents or on lap). The ride is bumpy with big "leans" but otherwise gentle and relaxing. You can feed the elephants after the ride if you wish--food is 100THB per bucket (which holds large pieces of fruit).
 * Other Details:** Standard toilet available (clean) at the site, and after the ride, you can have a break with fruit and water. If you want, you can go on a waterfall trek (they say 30 minutes there, 30 minute visit, and 30 minute return). There are several tour operators that offer an elephant trip. Some info says that they may even offer baby elephant shows (which can be disturbing to some people), but this tour did //not// include that.

Crabbing Trip

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 * Description**: Half day trip 8:30-11:30 (afternoon is an option too)
 * Price** (approx): Just over THB 2000 for a family of 4 (kids aged 2 & 4)
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Listing 2

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=Getting There and Around= You can fly to Krabi, and Koh Lanta is about 70km south by car (but supposedly this takes 2 1/2 hours). You can also fly to Phuket, but you will have to take a ferry (or a //long// car ride around) to get to Koh Lanta. The ferry leaves from Phuket's eastern port at Rassada harbor. One option is to go from Phuket to Railay (about 2 hours), and then at Railay you transfer to a different ferry (all mid-sea), which takes about another 1 hour to Koh Lanta. The ferry company said we would go to "Krabi" first (we thought it was headed for Ao Nang), and we would change boats, but we didn't realize the change would happen at Railay. In high season, the price was in the 900 THB range per adult, for a one-way trip.

Most people seem to rent motorbikes, which can go for about 250 THB/day. The roads are pretty mellow and not too busy, so this is a fairly reasonable option. If you have little kids (which you probably do), this may NOT be a reasonable option, as you would need a kid that is at least big enough to sit behind you on the motorbike, or able to sit/stand between your legs in front of you. This is up to your comfort levels, but compared to many Asian cities, driving on these roads should be pretty painless, other than the fact that there can be steep-ish hills, few sidewalks, and the driving is on the left side.
 * __Getting Around__**

There are also lots of tuk-tuks around constantly offering a ride. Prices seem to be around 150 THB per person to take you halfway across the island (e.g. Saladan to Klong Nin). The Koh Lanta Pocket Guide had a page somewhere in there that mentions standard going rates.

Depending on your neighborhood and purpose, you may not need any transport. Some communities are complete with everything you need from pharmacies to 7-11's to ATMs to beachside cafes to massage centers (the non-sleezy kind--maybe the other kind too, who knows), all within walking distance. Your hotel may also be able to arrange transportation for you, and if you book any tours, they will likely pick you up and drop you off. The only thing to note is that there aren't many sidewalks, so pay attention to traffic. Using a stroller would be hit and miss, and it all depends. Lots of steps (in varying conditions), gravel paths, etc. especially in beachside restaurants/communities. thaifood