Koh Lanta is one of Thailands best kept secrets. Its not known internationaly in the same way as Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi and Samui, which most will agree helps give the island its charm.

Lanta life is very laid back, relaxing and always has something to look forward to.Its a very common story here for people to come for just a few days and eventualy leave a few months later. Lanta has a very friendly long stay community and many people come for months at a time or return every year.

We have our own accomodation at the gym but if you would prefer something different we can help organise it for you.

With almost 26km of beaches on the west coast of Lanta its very easy to find what your after. Down the south of the island there are many beaches with just one small resort where you can relax without seeing a single person. The larger beaches have a wide selection of rooms and places to go. You can choose between bamboo, wooden and concrete bungalows, larger resorts or apartments or even just camp on the beach! Most resorts have a small bar and often a restaurant as well. If you want you can pay a little extra and get a pool, or most people just enjoy the sea which is an average of 30C all year round.

One of the most popular pasttimes on Lanta is simply enjoying the beach. With a selection of hammocks and cushioned platforms, fruit shakes and cocktails, with amazing views the beach always draws people in.

You can go kayaking or sailing, do a little snorkelling or have a massage. Inland there are some impressive caves to visit, a National Marine Park with wild monkeys, elephant trekking, horse riding, a sea gypsy village and a whole lot more. You can even learn a lot here with courses in diving, Thai cooking, Thai Massage, Thai Language, yoga, Muay Thai boxing and even videography.

There are hundreds of restaurants on Koh Lanta with a wide range of dishes. Most are Thai run serving a mixture of thai and western food. Prices range from 30B (less than $1US) to 150B per dish for Thai food and a little more for Western food.The Thai food is almost always excellent but like the rest of Thailand, western food cooked by Thai's is a little gamble. Sometimes its perfect but we have very different tastes and cooking styles which occasionally gives strange results! However its easy to find that taste of home with many British, Scandinavian, French, German, Irish and Australian run restaurants.

Koh (or ko) Lanta is actually a pair of islands, situated near Krabi on the west coast of Thailand. Koh Lanta Noi (Small Lanta) is the smaller of the islands just 100m North of Koh Lanta Yai (Big Lanta).

Lanta Noi is completely undeveloped by tourism, inhabited solely by Thai's. It provides the stepping stone to the mainland and anyone travelling by minibus to Koh Lanta (Yai) will visit Noi for the 10 minute drive between the 2 car ferrys. Minibuses can be booked between Lanta and most places in Thailand, going even as far as Kuala Lumpar and Singapore. Passenger ferrys run to Lanta in high season from Krabi, Ao Nang, Phuket, Phi Phi and Koh Ngai(Hai).By plane you can fly to either Krabi or Phuket and choose between ferry or bus to Lanta, or fly to Trang and take a bus. Trang is also on Thailands rail network so train and bus is another option.

December 26th 2004 was a terrible day for Thailand and the rest of Asia yet "Lucky Lanta" survived in good shape. The shape of the island and direction of the wave helped protect Lanta and limited the damage mostly to the beachfront. Saladan, the main town and port was completely undamaged as were most places along the road. Many places right on the beach were damaged or even destroyed yet just a few meters back things were often much better. Traditional Thai buidings are normally built raised on stilts and this design feature was great at allowing water to flow underneath without damage.Yet the wonder of Thailand is the community and everyone still on the island, thai or farang (Foreigner), did their share helping out. Just a few weeks later the majority of places were open again, trying to rebuild the lives and business's that were shattered by the wave. Unlike many places however, Lanta didnt get its biggest impact from the sea, but from the drop in tourism that supports so many people here.