Relax Bay, Koh Lanta

Terri and I have confirmed the thought that we are more “beach people” than anything else.   As much as we love the jungles, forests, deserts and mountains, we find that we are most at ease around large bodies of water (and I am happiest under them, on them or above them!)

Koh Lanta is a great island with beautiful beaches.  We stayed at the Relax Bay Resort which many people would consider a misnomer (the resort part).  It has about 30 individual bungalows set among palm trees and ponds and is at the water’s edge.  It’s best aspect is the beach itself, a crescent shaped white sand beach with a few colorful fishing boats scattered along the shore.  The bungalows themselves are quirky to say the least but the idea is to not be in them!  I believe, in Thailand, to be considered a “resort” the facility must provide indoor plumbing, Check! The Relax Bay Resort qualifies!  The resort also provides covered cabanas for the early risers (thats us!) along with a nice restaurant and bar if you get hungry or thirsty.  A short walk along the beach offers additional opportunities for libations, nourishment and massage.  We really did enjoy our stay here and would eagerly stay here again if the opportunity arose.

After our stressful travel day, we decided that we needed a massage.  We found a local establishment that met our requirements of not having separate walled rooms (curtains are fine) and the  masseuses were dressed appropriately (i.e.:no tube tops, halter tops or Daisy Dukes).  While there  we met a Romanian girl who had been to Koh Lanta a number of times and was in her 4th month this trip.  People like her are a treasure to us newbies as she confirmed that this was an excellent massage location, she told us of the best reasonable places to eat, beaches to visit and things to see.  On her recommendation we rented a motorbike to explore the island’s offerings of beaches, mountain jungles and the national park.

We finished our last two days in Thailand at Rawai Beach just south of Phuket.  This was a stop more out of convenience than desire as we needed to be near an international airport for our flight to Bali.  It also just happens to be a very popular kitesurfing spot, what a coincidence……