Ahh Thailand. My first venture out of Europe was a holiday to Bangkok and the islands of Southern Thailand. Ever since that first trip, over a decade ago now, I’ve had a soft spot for the Land of Smiles. Although the Thai islands have their reputation for crazy parties and other shenanigans there are some that have escaped this fate and offer that tropical paradise we all need from time to time. Koh Lipe is one of those.
After I managed to drag myself away from Koh Lanta I travelled to Thailand’s southernmost island. This was during May, which meant that I stayed on Koh Lipe during monsoon season. I’d heard mixed reports about Koh Lipe. Some consider Koh Lipe the ‘Maldives of Thailand’ and gush that it’s the most beautiful of all the Thai islands. Others shared that it was overcrowded, dirty, and too expensive. I usually take negative reviews with a pinch of salt so I packed my bags and boarded a speedboat with an open mind.
This is how my short ‘n’ sweet stint on the island played out!
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Koh Lipe: The Maldives of Thailand
Koh Lipe is the so-called Maldives of Thailand. And, having travelled to the Maldives before, I could see how the nickname came to be even before the boat docked. Powdery white sand, swaying palms, turquoise waters swishing around coral reef, the whole travel brochure worthy works. The island is situated within the National Marine Park of Tarutao, which is rumoured to feature 25% of the world’s tropical fish population. Inland there is a stretch of jungle although it’s not large enough to warrant any grand plans of hiking and chasing waterfalls (spoiler, there are no waterfalls on Koh Lipe).
Koh Lipe absolutely caters to the high-end and honeymoon markets with several luxury resorts to choose from. This is somewhere you could really throw your baht around if you want to. But, it also has a wildly bohemian vibe and affordable (alas not quite budget) backpacker digs. As a barebones backpacker, I think it would be tricky to stay for longer than a few days as the accommodation costs would devour your bank balance. However the Maldives of Thailand is a more affordable option whilst you save up for the actual Maldives.
Like my personal favourite Thai island, Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe is really laid back. There are some really chill beach bars to kick back in and it’s a popular destination for divers due to the pristine diving conditions. Whilst you can definitely party on the island, that’s not the trademark of the island and it’s not the place for buckets. By comparison, it’s much calmer than the likes of Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan where you can dance until dawn any night of the week, any month of the year.
Exploring Koh Lipe
Once my toes touched that lovely, soft sand, I only really had a day and a half to explore before my boat to Langkawi. As I visited Koh Lipe during monsoon season, the island was winding down and felt lovely and quiet which was exactly what I needed after a brief stint on Koh Phi Phi which doesn’t stop for the rain. So, here’s what I ended up doing (and not doing) on Koh Lipe.
Digital detox
Wi-Fi was scarce on Koh Lipe and I loved the blasé response whenever I asked for the code.
“Yeah, we do have Wi-Fi but it rained yesterday/last week/three months ago and now it doesn’t work.”
Followed by a glance at the sky and a shrug. Perfect! I for one love any opportunity to be unplugged and fortunately my visit fell over the weekend so I wasn’t planning to work on the island anyway. I’m not sure whether this is the norm or a side effect of visiting Koh Lipe during monsoon season. If you are a fellow digital nomad then you should consider getting extra data for your phone whilst on the island. But if not, or if you’re taking a nomad holiday, order another beer and enjoy the lack of pings and beeps!
Sunset at Sunset Beach
There are three major beaches on Koh Lipe; Sunset, Sunrise, and Pattaya. As you can probably work out – one is particularly good for sunrise whilst another is the golden spot for sunset. Pattaya Beach, where most of the boats dock on the island, is good for photographic shots of long tail boats bobbing in the waves.
The walk to Sunset Beach from Walking Street takes 10-20 minutes and weaves its way up a gentle hill through the jungle. Once at the beach you can swim here (the water was very calm when I visited) and over near the cliffs on the lefthand side there are rock pools. It might not be there any more but there was also a little swing hanging from one of the palm trees when I was on the island. I recommend picking up a cocktail from the beach bar, Happy Mojito.
Sunrise Beach is a little closer to Walking Street so there’s no excuse to skip an early morning stroll to check it out. Unless the rain season clouds threaten, which was my excuse for staying in bed.
(Not) kayak around the island
The best thing to do on Koh Lipe is to hire your own kayak and snorkel gear and spend a day circumnavigating your way round the island.
On my one full day on Koh Lipe, I bounded out of bed and walked to Sunrise Beach to hire a kayak from one of the hotels who rent them out. As I left my hostel, the sun was beaming and I was excited to spend the day on the water. Once I found a guy renting out kayaks, it turned out I needed to leave my passport as a deposit which, obviously, was in my locker far from the perils of the Andaman Sea.
By the time I returned, 20 minutes or so later, all the two-seater kayaks were gone. I wasn’t confident about navigating a three-person kayak solo especially as the sea looked choppy. So I sat on the beach and waited for other customers to return. Within 15 minutes, there was a clap of thunder and the skies opened. Waves clawed at the clouds as rain lashed that oh-so-soft sand.
A string of colourful dots appeared on the horizon; the kayakers, scurrying back to take shelter… ‘Oh goody,’ I thought, ‘now they’re back it’s my turn.’ Sadly, the guy at the rental thought otherwise and sent me packing. He pointed at the sky and said to come back when the rain stopped. Which wouldn’t be happening any time soon from the looks of it.
Hammock life
So, what else to do? I retreated to a friendly-looking bar on Sunset Beach called Sea La Vie. There, I spent the afternoon sipping on Singha in a treehouse and napping in a hammock. Koh Lipe is one of the most chill places I’ve ever been, and actually, taking an afternoon to do absolutely nothing was blissful. If you head to Koh Lipe, factor in at least a day or so to do just this.
Tat-two
What with all the rain, I ended up getting my second bamboo tattoo on Koh Lipe. There is a wonderful parlour on Walking Street called Diamond Ink which is run by a talented group of artists if you’re after any recommendations. The design I asked for was intricate and the result was flawless. Easily the best way to use up my leftover baht.
Thai house party
Afterwards, the tattoo parlour crew invited me to join them for some drinks at what I thought was a bar. Off we went on a squad of motorbikes up into the tiny hills of tiny Koh Lipe. The party turned out to be at someone’s house, tucked away in the jungle.
Beer was flowing, guitars were strumming and my (lack of) Thai language skills were put to the test. It was an unexpected and fun end to a couple of days on this special little island before I boarded the boat to Malaysia the next day. Besides random house parties, Koh Lipe does have a couple of laid back bars where you can enjoy a drink. I loved Maya Bar on Walking Street although it appears to have closed.
Food, food, food
Besides all the fabulous Thai restaurants on Koh Lipe, I noticed a weirdly high number of Indian restaurants on this tiny island. I’m not sure why the island has so many but based on the food I sampled at Bombay Indian, it’s the real deal!
Sea la Vie was my favourite beach bar and where I ate my FINAL Pad Thai of this trip, which might have been one of the tastiest ones I’d had that month in Thailand (which was a lot as I ate one per day without fail).
I also enjoyed a tasty breakfast bowl, smoothie and coffee at Elephant on Walking Street. They have a good lunch and dinner menu too and it’s a nice place to hang out, with live music on some evenings.
How to get to Koh Lipe
If you fancy visiting Koh Lipe for yourself, the island is only accessible by boat. During the Thai high season (November – April) you can get there by speedboat from the neighbouring western Thai islands. That includes Phuket, Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, as well as Ao Nang (Krabi).
Want to see Koh Lipe during monsoon season when there are fewer people to share the island with? Between May – October, you must travel to Pak Bara Pier (Satun) by minivan and take a speedboat from there. The journey from Ao Nang or Krabi Town takes 5-6 hours and the speedboat takes 90 minutes so it’s possible to complete the journey in one day providing you take the earliest minivan.
Getting around Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is completely walkable, so you don’t need to worry about hiring a motorbike or getting knocked over by one. There are very few vehicles on the island. If you want to beach hop, there is a friendly long tail boat service to save your legs.
If you need to transport luggage from the pier to your accommodation, you can take a Koh Lipe-style taxi. This is a motorbike with a small trailer attached to the side. You sit on the trailer in a sort of wooden crate with your bags and hang on tight! Oh, and when I say pier I just mean the beach you’ll land on. Koh Lipe is such a tiny island that it doesn’t actually have a pier. The speedboat pulls in as close as possible, but do expect to get your feet wet when you arrive.
The main beaches of Pattaya Beach and Sunrise Beach are connected by Walking Street. This pedestrianised path has lots of eateries, shops and convenience stores for all your needs.
Koh Lipe: Yay or nay?
So that was my experience of Koh Lipe during monsoon season. Aesthetically, Koh Lipe didn’t disappoint me at all and I love the mellow vibe on the island.
Addressing those negative comments I’d heard, first of all, I was fairly confident the crowds wouldn’t be an issue. And, indeed they weren’t; the island felt deserted during the low season. In fact, I had my hostel dorm all to myself on my second evening.
The island was clean and well maintained. I think we have the wonderful Trash Hero initiative to thank for that! But I can imagine that during high season this would be more of a problem.
Whilst there is a decent number of hotels and guesthouses, Koh Lipe doesn’t feel overdeveloped. The resorts are tucked away among the trees, blending in well with the natural environment. There’s absolutely no McDonald’s on the island which is a big plus. All the restaurants I ate at were of a great standard. Cost-wise, Southern Thailand is much more pricey than the north. I noticed that essentials like bottles of water were slightly pricier on Koh Lipe but it wasn’t that bad. Travelling during green season definitely meant there were a few deals to be found.
Of all the Thai islands I’ve visited, Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta are my two firm favourites. Both have a laid-back vibe and are perfect for taking a break from the party crowds of the likes of Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Phangan. What I really loved about Koh Lipe was the boho spirit. It had all the happy-go-hippy, laid back charm of Koh Lanta and Pai.
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