Koh Lipe, Thailand

After two months volunteering, I met up with my friend Sarah for a week of island hopping before Christmas. First stop, Koh Lipe. In all my trips to Thailand (this is my fourth) I have never visited Koh Lipe. Probably because it's located in the far south of Thailand and takes ages to get there so I've never had enough time.

I flew from Bangkok to Hat Yai, where Sarah is teaching, then took a van to the pier and jumped on a boat to Lipe.

As soon as we arrived on the floating pier, I knew that this island was going to be my new favourite.

We hopped on a longtail boat to Pattaya beach and headed to our hostel, Baan Peangpor - definitely the nicest hostel I have stayed in. It felt like a cross between Glastonbury festival and Alice in wonderland!

Koh Lipe is a small island with no main roads, no cars and only three beaches.

Sunrise beach

This is the longest beach on the islands. Soft white sand, turquoise water and hardly any people - perfect!

Sunset beach 

This was my favourite beach with a more shipwreck feel to it. There was one bar at the far end of the beach, run by a Spanish guy, selling smoothies, snacks and beers throughout the day. At around 5pm they set up a pop-up bar in the middle of the beach and serve mojitos, just in time to admire the sunset.

The sunsets here are spectacular!

The only downside to Koh Lipe is how expensive it is compared to the other islands. We booked our accommodation online as we thought places would be fully booked during the high season, but there were a few places with great 'walk in' prices. Bottled water is expensive on the island, but you can buy a 'Love Lipe' water bottle which you could then refill for free at different points around the island - great idea and reduces waste too!

I feel happy that I finally made it to Lipe. It is definitely my new favourite island, smaller than the others but less crowded with a more laid back vibe.

What a magical part of the world.

Namaste x