Phuket

Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences Not To Miss In Thailand

June 18, 2016 by admin 2 Comments

Heading to Thailand’s Phuket? A Phang Nga Bay tour is a must! A day trip on the Phang Nga Bay tours involves a taking speedboat through the emerald waters of this epic bay, past hundreds of limestone islands making stops at James Bond Island and hidden caves with kayaking. Thailand is gifted when it comes to picturesque scenery, which makes it an awesome destination for memorable adventures. So one cannot come to this part of Thailand and not do a Phang Nga Bay Tour.

One place in Thailand amazing access to tours allowing you to experience the James Bond Island, the Phang Nga Caves and many stunning locations in Phuket. One of Phuket’s best places for these adventures is Ao Phang Nga National Park. You can explore islands, caves, lagoons, try your hand at Phang Nga Bay kayaking and take in beautiful and unique landscapes that will create indelible memories for you and friends.

With plenty of wildlife from lizards, rare hornbills, kingfishers. What’s even more wonderful about this is that its suitable for all ages. So bring your kids, friends, and gran for an adventure of a lifetime as I tell you about 9 experiences you need to have in Phang Nga Bay. There are various tours heading to Phang Nga Bay. For more on this check out Expedia’s Phang Nga Bay tour list or Viator’s Phang Nga Bay Tours.

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Nine Experiences On The Phang Nga Bay Tour

When we book the Phang Nga Bat Tour we based ourselves in Phuket but you have access to these tours from Krabi as well. I will provide details on where to stay and how to get to Phang Nga Bay below. Majority of the tours available will mainly center around Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu now popularly known as James Island. These will also include stops to visit Koh Phanyi; the floating villages as well as stops for sea kayaking or canoeing around the hongs or caves. These can vary from a private charter, Phang Nga Bay half day tour to a full day tour.

The links above provide a list of tours to choose from depending on the stops you want to do or if you want to specifically do the Phang Nga Bay kayaking yourself rather than have a guide do that for you. Whichever tour you do, below are 9 experiences on a Phang Nga Bay tour you won’t want to miss out on.

1. Stop By Wat Suwan Khuha – Temple Cave

Before heading to catch boats and see the islands. The first stop is checking out the Temple Cave. Located in a limestone cave, housing a beautiful 15-meter reclining Buddha image. The caves are decorated with Thai-style tiles, you will also find a small grotto there.

James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

2. Check Out The Cheeky Monkeys

A stop at Wat Suwan Khuha is not complete without running into the naughty monkeys. These cheeky little monkeys will snatch the food right out of your hand if you are too slow in offering up your fruit or candy that may be looking enticing. Interacting with them is just the start of a fun trip around the islands.

Money Temple Phuket | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

Money in Phuket | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

3. Take The Thai Speed Boat And Watch The Islands Whizz By

The only way to take in the sights is via the Thai speedboats for a scenic cruise through the Andaman Sea. Crystal-clear water and postcard picture islands whizzing by. The landscape is surreal. Get your Go-Pro and cameras ready because you will need them to remind your eyes later of what they saw as it will seem like a dream.

4. Explore Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu – AKA James Bond Island

Arrive at Khao Phing Kan and on the shores of that is a 20-meter tall inlet called Ko Tapu. In 1974 Ko Tapu was shown in James Bond Movie – The Man with the Golden Gun and since then Ko Tapu has become known as James Bond Island. In the scene Bond flies over Phang Nha Bay on his way to the hitman Scaramanga’s island hideaway on Ko Tapu. You can take in the views as you pretend to be part of the scene in a Bond flick. Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu have collectively now been know as James Bond Island, the very reason people visiting Phuket and this part of Thailand are now keen to do the Phang Nga Bay tour when visiting Thailand’s beautiful islands on holiday.

5. Explore The Hongs by way of Phang Nga Bay Kayak or Canoe

So you have whizzed through around the islands and captured panoramic views of the Andaman Sea and its surroundings. It’s now time to stop and see it from a different angle. Explore the many Phang Nga Bay caves and lagoon aboard a kayak or canoe and paddle through the crystal-clear waters. Most tours will bring you here as part of the Phang Nga Bay tour but you also have other tours that can bring you here at night and light candles and leave in the hongs. Either tour is great, but the day tours have an added bonus of seeing the amazing rock formations in addition to spectacular views of Hong Island. You will mostly have someone take you around the hongs but on some tours but there are tours that are specifically geared to those that want to do the Phang Nga Bay kayaking and canoeing themselves. For that click here for Phang Nga Bay kayak and canoe tours.

Phuket hongs, Caves, | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

Phuket Kayaking | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

6. Walk Along Phang Nga Bay Beach on James Bond Island

The stop on James Bond Island will give you enough time to stop for a refreshing walk around the Bay and take in views from secluded shorelines to relax and enjoy the pristine white sand Phang Nga Bay beaches.

7. Koh Phanyi – Explore Phang Nga Bay Floating Village, MarketsAnd Community Built On Stilts

Koh Panyi (aka Koh Panyee) is a small island. There are close to 1500 people from 300 families that permanently live on Phang Nga Bay’s floating village. All of whom are descendants, directly or indirectly of Toh Baboo and his family and friends who were the first people to settle on Koh Panyi some 200 years ago. The village has its own school, a mosque and health center, with that many small souvenir shops and restaurants. This is also where many tours will stop for lunch so you will get some time to explore the village on stilts.

8. People Watching On Phang Nga Bay

With such amazing sights, there will be many a person busy with their selfie sticks which in itself is a side entertainment opportunity for people watching. Unless you are planning on doing the tour twice make sure you take time to put the camera down and just see this beautiful place with your own eyes than through the lens of the camera.

9. Hike Around Phang Nga Bay

When you arrive at the Bay you will be dropped off on the back of the island by the boats and picked up from the other side. This gives you an opportunity to walk around the island for a mini hike and take in the views from another angle and see more stunning rock formations and views across surrounding islands.

Phang Nga Bay Map

Below is the Phang Nga Map with areas of where the tour takes you around. Shown on the Phang Nga Bay map are places like the hongs, James Bong Island are all places that you stop and explore while on the tour.

How To Get To Phang Nga Bay

You can get to Phang Nga Bay buy bus or car. We travelled from Bangkok to Phuket. By far the easiest way as Krabi and Phuket are the nearest airports. If you are thinking of taking the bus to cut costs, know that the journey by bus is about 12 hours from Bangkok to Phang Nga Bay. Search for cheap flights from Bangkok to Krabi or Phuket on Kaykak.com. You have Air Asia and Nok Air that do budget flights. Flights from Bangkok to Phuket or Krabi will only cost around £50-60, for a return flight! You can also take taxis from Krabi or Phuket to Phang Nga Bay but make sure you ask the drivers to switch on the meters as most will overcharge as well as get you to stop at various vendors to buy things at shops they receive a commission from. Phang Nga has no train station, but the State Railways of Thailand operates a daily train service from Bangkok to Surat Thani. From there, you will be a two hours ride from Phang Nga via bus. Keep in mind with the buses, you will see fewer of them towards the evening. For more on how to get to Phang Nga Bay check out Aleenta.

Where To Stay | Phang Nga Bay Hotels

The whole of this region is stunning and absolutely beautiful! From stunning beaches to beautiful mountain drop surroundings. When doing the tours you can opt to search for Phang Nga Bay hotels or decide on whether you want to stay in Phuket or Krabi and then do a day trip to Phang Nga Bay instead of basing yourself there. As far as Phang Nga Bay accommodation is concerned there are beach resorts, Villas, hotels and hostels to choose from and catering to every budget. As we based ourselves in Phuket I share a review of our private villa with pool at Renaissance in Phuket. This also had access to the hotel’s own private beach. For Phang Nga Bay hotels click here. If you choose to stay on Phuket Island then resorts and hotels in Phuket click here for Krabi you can find accommodation here.

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Simba Sea Trips – They run various tours like sunrise tours to Phi Phi Islands and Krabi Tours which include Koh Hong, Railay Beach & Centara Resort. In addition, they also do Phang Nga bay private boat charters.

More on Phang Nga Bay – Hotels also did a quick guide on all you need to know about Phang Nga Bay.

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What To Wear In Thailand – Plus The Perfect Beach Packing List

May 23, 2016 by admin 9 Comments

Another installment with Thailand vacation tips and packing list from my island hopping and exploration in Thailand. If you didn’t catch the first post in the series, you can read my tips on island hopping in Thailand’s Phuket.

Of all the places that I have traveled to Thailand is up there in the top 5. Stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches, great activities to sink your teeth into and so much more that you will easily be plotting your return soon after you leave. These shots were taken on some of the other stops on the same tour as the stop to May Bay, also famously known as The Beach.

We had a few stops for snorkeling, lunch and a bit of shopping on some of the islands. We had the pleasure of exploring some of the islands and getting up and down hiking, sailing to make the most of our stay in the country. If you have not been to Thailand and have it on your list, I would highly recommend you move it to the top of the list soon. If you need more reasons, to help you move it to the top of the list here are some to get you started off – all rolled in with some tips.

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Get Some Sun – I come from a hot country and by hot, I mean HOT! Our hottest time of the year is October and temperatures can get as high as 40’s! So now living in London, you know that summer is promised to no one, so if you want to be in with the shiny happy people then getting some sun will definitely do you some good.

Thailand is not short of the rays and even when it rains, it’s hot and sunny soon after a few drops. Another advantage is that you can also have beautiful beaches to enjoy the sun all to yourself. To bag yourself a holiday in Thailand check out Expedia’s package deals to Thailand.

Pick Flattering and Comfortable Pieces – With all the beautiful beaches around Thailand you will be spending the majority of your time swimming and floating around in Thailand’s beautiful turquoise waters. As amazing as holidays are, they can take a lot of planning but can also cause anxiety especially when it comes to swimwear.

I have always believed that there is a flatting swimwear for all no matter what shape or size you are. I love the new collection Gabby Fresh came out with, so definitely check out sites like SwimsuitsForAll.

Nothing boosts your confidence than putting on clothes or swimwear that is comfortable, flattering and shaped to suit your body type. So always scour the interwebs for that pieces that make you stop and check yourself out in the mirror. It adds to the enjoyment of planning the rest of your holiday activities.

Perfect One-Piece Swimsuits

Be Adventurous – I love being near the seaside as much as I also love city exploring. I always try and get the best of both worlds. We spent a lot of time in Bangkok(pictures to come), before heading out to the islands. I love that Thailand is a playground for those that dare to be adventurous.

From sea diving, both night and day diving, to caving, skydiving, sea kayaking and so much more. I can’t wait to get my butt back to dive into more activities that London weather just doesn’t allow.

Beauty Saviors – Whether you like it all not, you will be exposing a lot of skin just to combat the heat. With that in mind make sure you stock up on moisturizer. I find that in hot climates my skin tends to burn quickly and it’s a lot more sensitive than usual.

I also find that moisturizer that works in London weather do nothing for me in hot countries. So bear that in mind when packing beauty and skin care items as lack of moisture in the skin can also affect the absorbency of sun creams. So pack plenty of moisturizers and sun creams.

Perfect Beauty Kits

Thailand | Sun, Sea and Style in Koh Phi Phi Islands

Thailand | Sun, Sea and Style in Koh Phi Phi Islands Thailand Vacation Tips and Packing List

Perfect Beach Cover-ups

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What To Wear In Thailand - Plus The Perfect Beach Packing List

Visiting Koh Phi Phi Islands | 7 Tips For Island Hopping In Phuket Thailand

May 12, 2016 by admin 8 Comments

Ko Phi Phi Island - Thailand - Maya Bay Tour - maya bay the beach

Maya Bay is the very epitome of paradise. Maya Bay is a little enclave of pristinely soft melt-in-your-toes white powdery sand on the Ko Phi Phi Lay Island. It is, of course, the island made famous by the blockbuster film ‘The Beach’, featuring Leonardo DiCarprio.

Visiting Thailand, or more specifically when visiting Phuket, island hopping tours are a must! There are many tour operators and depending on where you stay on the island you will either have to pay an additional fee if you are far away from the main collection points or starting points of the tours i.e the boat piers.

Two really popular tours in Phuket are the tours to James Bond Island as Phang Nga Bay and Ko Phi Phi Island for the Maya Bay tour – The Beach. You can find details of the other tour on my Thailand posts. For now, these are shots from my May Bay tour on Ko Phi Phi Island. Ko Phi Phi Islands are about 40-50km of the coast of Thailand’s Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Below I am also sharing tips for when you visit Maya Bay.

Visiting Phi Phi Island – Quick Tips For Phuket Island Tours

1. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes because other than the pier to get on the boat, you won’t have an opportunity to change into them before your first swimming stop.

2. Bring a few snacks and some water. Although a lot of these tours include food and drink. You will most likely leave your hotel on an empty stomach or will have just about enough time to scoff down a bun and some coffee. Depends if you are the first person to be collected, though. The collection can take about an hour especially if you are the first one. Also, you will have one long stop for lunch and may come across a few stalls to buy some items on some island stops but I would recommend you pack a few snacks for in between stops.

3. Get some waterproof sacks. You will stop several times to swim and explore the islands so to keep your phones, camera, and gadgets you can invest in the waterproof sacks. The tour boats will have one where you can all put your items but I also like having all my gadgets with me so I didn’t use the communal sack.

4. Snorkeling gear is not included in the tour prices so you will most likely need to bring some additional cash to rent these items.

5. Make sure your tour provides life jackets and also make sure you use them. Plenty of people acted like they were born with natural floating devices. Think Safety first. It’s a tropical island and weather can switch as well as a number of other things can happen so just put one own.

6. Prepare to pay additional prices for transportation, if you are staying far away from where the tour starts off. I did the Phi Phi Lay tour and Phang Nah Bay(James Bond Island) tour, for these I chose to stay on closer to where the tour was starting as well as give me an opportunity to explore that part of Phuket without having to travel half the day. For Phang Nga Bay, I stayed in the Northern part of Phuket and Phi Phi Island I stayed in the South or more central part. If you are far from your starting point then look to pay an additional 50-60% of the tour price for transport.

7. Also, consider a private boat tour. See further below in the post.

For available tours to Maya Bay, you can have a look at Phuket tours on Expedia. You can also check out tours on Viator as its usually same vendors and just compare prices. Clear turquoise waters and breathtaking beaches, stunning rock formations rising out of the beautiful waters of Phi Phi Island.

The majority of tours will take you to a few stops that include, Maya Bay, Lo Samah Bay(see below), Viking Cave, Money Beach and another I can’t seem to recall the name of. I will post separate pictures from the other stops. You also get time to go snorkeling at 2 or 3 stops depending on weather and time of the trip. Also if you are looking for things to do in Koh Phi Phi for party lovers.

here

Tip 7 Cont’d | The Other Side Of Maya Bay That You Don’t Usually Get To See

Above in tip number 7, I mentioned how you should consider having a private boat. A lot of the boats have about 20-30 people on them and that’s one too many for me. It’s not so bad if you have a good crowd. It’s not just the crowd on the boat that you need to consider on the tours it’s the hordes of people when you get to Maya Bay! There are boats coming every few minutes offloading people on this little small beach. Each of them all busy with their selfies sticks attempting to get that ‘money shot’.

When you see a lot of pictures of Maya Bay you don’t see much of the crowds that you will no doubt find there. Having a tour with your own boat means you can explore Maya Bay when the big tours have left. Most of them stop off at a certain time. When you hire a boat you can find out from the locals or the boat captain what times are the quietest in Maya Bay and head there then.

This means that you will have this little bit of paradise all to yourselves or with a few other people than the massive crowds when the tour boats all arrive at once. The prices are comparable to would you would pay for the tours. So well worth it if there is at least 3-4 of you so you can split the cost.

Where to stay

I have covered a couple of places that we stayed at in Phuket, from Gold Digger’s Resort(yes I booked because of the name), Ikon Hotel and Renaissance Hotel. You can read about this on my Thailand posts. To visit Koh Phi Phi you don’t necessarily have to be staying on the island.

We staying on Phuket Island and did a day tour to Maya Bay. You can also opt to stay on Koh Phi Phi so that you maximise your exploration of the small island and perhaps avoid the crowds on Maya Bay. For hotels near Maya Bay check out the list of hotels on Koh Phi Phi.

If you want to stay in Phuket, which is a lot bigger than Koh Phi Phi then check out this list of hotels in Phuket.

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Phuket

Nine Experiences On The Phang Nga Bay Tour

1. Stop By Wat Suwan Khuha – Temple Cave

2. Check Out The Cheeky Monkeys

3. Take The Thai Speed Boat And Watch The Islands Whizz By

4. Explore Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu – AKA James Bond Island

5. Explore The Hongs by way of Phang Nga Bay Kayak or Canoe

6. Walk Along Phang Nga Bay Beach on James Bond Island

7. Koh Phanyi – Explore Phang Nga Bay Floating Village, MarketsAnd Community Built On Stilts

8. People Watching On Phang Nga Bay

9. Hike Around Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay Map

How To Get To Phang Nga Bay

Where To Stay | Phang Nga Bay Hotels

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Perfect Beach Cover-ups

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Visiting Phi Phi Island – Quick Tips For Phuket Island Tours

Tip 7 Cont’d | The Other Side Of Maya Bay That You Don’t Usually Get To See

Where to stay

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