What are the best islands to visit and why?

What are the best islands to visit in Thailand?

• Has anyone heard of Ko Phi Phi, Ko Pha-Ngan, Andaman coast, Hat Khao Lak, Ko Kham etc.? Can anyone please let me know which of these beaches and islands I named are the most beautiful. I can only check out one or two islands at the most. I heard that Koh Samui is not all that great.

• Answer:

  Hi, I've been to all of the above except Ko Kham. Khao Lak was my least favourite in terms of beauty, I'd definitely leave that out if I were you. It was very affected by the tsunami and was a bit of a building site, but we found the actual beaches/sea to be disappointing. Andaman Coast includes Phuket island - lots to do but still nowhere near as beautiful as other places. Southern is best (Kata, Karon). Avoid Patong, too touristy. Ko Phangan - pretty but not that easy to get to. Full moon parties are there and accom can be hard to get at those times. Easiest access is via Samui which is not as nice. Phi Phi - very small and beautiful, quite commercialised (its where The Beach was filmed) and more expensive than anywhere else. Worth a couple of days but dont limit your Thai experience to there. In my honest opinion the most stunning islands in Thailan are Ko Samet and Ko Chang, swaying palm trees and the whitest sand ever. However, even though they are closest to Bangkok, they are apart from everywhere else. If you wanted to see a few places in a short time I would recommend heading to Krabi (which in itself is a fairly dreary town) but is very close to vibrant Ao Nang. From Ao Nang you can easily get to Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi and its own beautiful small beaches/bays - Railay, Ton Sai and Princess Cove. From Phi Phi you can get a boat to Phuket (about 3 hours I recall) and the southern beaches there are among the nicest. It all depends where you are flying into/out of, how much time you have, and how much island hopping you are willing to do. Also consider the time of year as the weather differs on the opposing coastlines. Enjoy, Thailand is amazing!!