People ask me why Thailand is my favourite holiday spot in Asia. The answer is simple, it’s cheap, relatively close to Malaysia and it has some of the most gorgeous beaches known to man.

Perhaps one of my favourites islands on the South West coast of Thailand is Ko Lipe. Living in Kuala Lumpur which is the capital of Malaysia, makes crossing the Malaysian Thai boarder by car rather easy, and then a gorgeous beach holiday is only a stone’s throw away.

Ko Lipe is an island in Satun Province, near the Tarutao National Marine Park, on the Andaman (west) coast of the south of Thailand. Ko Lipe is usually reached from the town of Pakbara. Speedboats take one hour to reach Lipe, leave several times a day and cost 650BHT one way or 1,200BHT return. If you bargain hard, you might knock it down to 900BHT return/person. Once your speed boat gets to Lipe, local Chao Ley (Sea Gypsies) will come with their longtail boats to pick you up from the ferry. They will take you to any beach on the island for another 50BHT (not included in your ferry ticket!).

the long tail

Ko Lipe’s beaches feature white, soft sandy beaches with clear, calm, and shallow water. There are four main beaches to relax on, Pattaya Beach in the south the most popular beach; Sunrise Beach on the east, near the Chao Ley village; Karma Beach in the North which faces the Adang/Lipe channel, and Sunset Beach in the west, which as the name implies, faces the sunset.

secluded, gorgeous chalets that are affordable and clean

I love this place because it is the perfect getaway and a brilliant place to party, have great food, and just get away from KL’s city life for a bit. Paradise so close to home, what more can you ask for?

pristine beaches as far as the eye can see

About the writer…

Mei is an avid traveler, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who enjoys writing about her travel and gastronomic experiences. In her words: “It all started out a couple of years back as a means to journal our travels and related photos. However, because we enjoy eating so much (as do other Malaysians) this blog soon took on the form of a food blog: Cumi & Ciki is a Malaysian food and travel blog. The name is derived from a popular educational television puppet show for Malaysian children in the 70s and 80s. This is the tale of the two traveling, eating, thrill-seeking monkeys from Kuala Lumpur. Food and culture go hand in hand. We feel that in life, we need to enjoy what we do, have passion; cultivate a sense of curiosity about the world.

We hope that this is conveyed through our travel and food blog Cumi & Ciki blog.

Alternatively check out our adventure blog www.whoaadventures.com

You can also follow Mei on Twitter.