Thai Islands

Koh Phi Phi is probably the most beautiful of the Thai islands, and an easy trip from the mainland, which is what spoiled it. It is a party town now, best for backpackers. We had fun there in our youth and would think twice about going back. The beauty it had thirty years ago is further south, on the islands fewer people reach, and Koh Lipe, near the Malaysian border, now flies the flag Phi Phi used to. Getting there takes a minivan from Hat Yai airport to Pak Bara pier and then a speedboat, around four hours in all, which keeps the crowds down. Phi Phi never had that protection.

The two seas keep different calendars. The Andaman, Phuket's side, has the limestone karst and the clearer water, and from May to September a monsoon of rain and rougher seas, when some of Koh Lipe's hotels and restaurants simply close. The Gulf of Thailand, home to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, is calmer and shallower and saves its heaviest rain for October and November. We have only ever gone in summer, the season with the bad name, and for whatever reason it has been fine every time. The bad name is only half earned: while the Andaman has its monsoon, the Gulf is in its driest months.

Which island comes down to size. A small one is for boutique luxury, a big one for every amenity you would expect at home. Koh Samui is probably the island of choice for luxury, and it has the hotels to prove it. Phuket has wonderful hotels as well, and a city and an international airport to go with them: Thailand at its most commercial and built up. From there a speedboat runs into Phang Nga Bay to Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai, which are very quiet, with glorious hotels and none of Phuket's crowds. Koh Tao belongs to the divers: it is one of the busiest places in the world to learn.

Good food in Thailand comes on a shoestring. The street food is incredible, and with the beach cafes as good as they are, an expensive restaurant has a hard job earning an evening.

Koh Phangan, twenty to thirty minutes by ferry from Samui, is an island of two halves: the full moon parties, and serious natural beauty. The quieter resorts are on the north coast. Give Haad Rin a wide berth unless the party is the point, and since the party keeps to the lunar calendar, check the moon before booking.