Oh and haven't we made the right decision to come to Ko Lanta instead of Koh Phi Phi? Yes we most certainly have. No doubt about it. Not for us. Not a single, solitary one. This was in part due to talking to some locals in Phuket (including Mike from the dive shop) and to trusting our gut instincts. And we started to think we'd made the right choice even before we'd arrived on Ko Lanta!

Our journey from Phuket involved a change of boats at Phi Phi. The first boat was a massive ferry, (4 levels of seating), stuffed full to the rafters with very loud and excited Chinese people. There was barely a square inch free. As soon as we hit Phi Phi, we went straight to our second boat, a much smaller one with about 20 chilled-out people on it. Peace.

From the port on Lanta, we took a tuk tuk to the Lanta Marina resort where we quickly ensconced ourselves in a thatch bungalow made for two. The rest of the day consisted of some lunch and a strong drink on a bamboo platform, lying on some axe pillows looking out across to crystal blue waters and a white sandy beach without a soul on it, breathing a sigh of relief. Finally out of rat race. This is the Thailand you read about in books. And we're once again loathe to recommend it (like Copacabana in Bolivia) in case the place gets inundated, thus ruining it. We hope it stays as it is.

Go on then - Lanta Marina is http://www.lantamarina.com/. Like many places in Thailand (or this part at least) it appears to now have a different phone number to that in the guide books.

So the 4 nights we were meant to stay here turned into 6 and then 10. We did think that we should check out Koh Pha-Ngan later in the trip but we'd be searching there for what we have right now, with no guarantee of finding it. Anyway, Pha-Ngan will be rammed because of the Full Moon Party approaching... and going there would cost a day to traveling from an increasingly short time we have left. So, better to be safe than sorry and stay where we are.

And what do we do in Lanta? Well apart from an afternoon at cookery school (Lanta Thai Cookery) making such wonderful dishes as massaman curry and chicken coconut soup, we lie down and read or doze. LUSH. The staff at the Marina are very friendly and really look after you, making a mean whisky and coke, as well as some lovely food and a mean banana shake.

One blight on it was the bar/club on the corner of the beach called the Korner Bar. Every Saturday they hold a very big party, which is so close and loud you have to join in as you can't sleep anyway. Even with ear plugs it sounds like it's going on right in your room. So one time is fun - we joined in, having our first (and last!) ever whisky bucket - but twice would get boring. There is ************e in the Korner Bar through the rest of the week but the bass from their sound system still kept us and other guests awake. However, in the morning you kinda forget about the noise because the place is so special- Lanta Marina is highly recommended but ear plugs are a must.