A guy we met in Japan (donkeys years ago now) told us that when in the south of Thailand we had to visit Railay beach in Krabi due to is spectacular scenery and great beaches. Once at Krabi we enquired about Railay and found that even though it was on the mainland we still had to get a boat out to it, as it's completely unreachable by road. A little long tail boat took several of us out to the beach, with us loaded at one end, the rucksacks the other and everything rocking to and fro the whole time. We made it there without capsizing and with everything still fairly dry. We jumped off the boat and waded through the sea and onto west Railay beach, which was very beautiful. The west side was a bit more upmarket than what we have been used to with a few posh resorts lining the beach and charging a fortune for the privilege of staying there. Thankfully "lonely planet" was on hand to tell us that we could cross to the east beach in a matter of minutes for cheaper digs. Once settled we went off to find a hidden beach at the tip of the peninsula. We followed a windy path, which was lined with stalagmites and stalactites and had monkeys jumping in between these and the tropical trees. The path eventually led us out to a quiet little beach with breath-taking views of large craggy rocks and limestone formations. We spent two days here topping up the tan and swimming in the clearest waters we have seen yet. Whilst here we also went on a hike/climb to find a hidden lagoon, the climb started off quite easy with obvious places to put your feet and ropes to hang onto. However, after reaching the first ledge and having a look at the view below, the remaining climb got increasingly difficult. The last 3 sections down to the lagoon were vertical drops with only a flimsy rope to hold onto. I gave it a go but in the end admitted defeat. Ben on the other hand was determined to see the lagoon and managed to get down, get some photos and scramble back up. The pathways up here were quite muddy and so by the time we got back we were full of mud and dirt. We went straight on to the little beach and dived into the sea fully clothed. On our last day here we found a restaurant up in the hills and enjoyed a meal overlooking the bay and the ocean.

From Railay we took a ferry on to Koh Phi Phi, the island that is meant to be the inspiration behind "The Beach", and it's easy to see why. On our first day here we went to "Long Beach" which like all the beaches we have seen recently is stunning. There is one small expensive resort set up on this beach with very swish bungalows built on stilts into the hillside. We took advantage of the pool here before enjoying the sea and powder soft sand and then heading back to the main beach via boat taxi. On our second day we booked on a boat trip out to a smaller island off Phi Phi called Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Leh is part of a national park and building is forbidden here, the island is also home to Maya Bay the actual beach from "The Beach". We spent the day on a long tail boat visiting different bays where we could swim and snorkel. To get to Maya Bay we had to first swim into a rock cove, where there was hole to climb through the rocks and into the nearly landlocked bay. We carefully climbed over the sharp rocks, through the hole and out into a sandy area with tall palm trees (one of the guys from the boat had brought our cameras in a waterproof bag). We followed the sandy path through the trees until it twisted and opened out into Maya Bay….absolute paradise. Although there is a gap in the bay directly opposite the beach, and it's not completely landlocked as in the book/film, it is still pretty amazing and we enjoyed every second here. As the sun was setting we sailed onto a tiny cove, which had a small beach at the back of it, completely surrounded with tall rocks. On this tiny private beach area we enjoyed a BBQ and drinks by a campfire with a fire show for entertainment, before boarding the boat back to Phi Phi…..a spectacular day.

Next up is Malaysia; we took a boat back to Railay and stayed one night ready for the long journey onto Langkawi Island, Malaysia, the next day.