The more the merrier; never has a saying been more apt than when applied to my Christmas on the beautiful Thai island of Koh Chang.

I knew that spending Christmas away from home would be strange, so decided to go somewhere that would feel totally removed from a normal Christmas. I didn't want carols, fake snow, roast dinners or anything which would make me feel sad. Turns out, we had a ball.

Lonely Beach was anything but - having met a great group of friendly fellow travellers we set about making Christmas in the sunshine merry... The obligatory buckets of booze might have helped...

Any pretence of culturally enriching experiences was put on hold as we celebrated the festive season on the beach. I spent Christmas Day swimming in the clear blue (warm) sea and sunbathing on the fluffy white sand. Cords and I were having a little dip, smiling widely at each other as we realised how lucky we were to be there - 33 degrees and palm trees galore to rest underneath. The island is pretty much a party place by night, and we sipped cocktails in chilled-out beach bars, then threw our best shapes on the beach with our new friends. I seem to be meeting lots of Swedish and Dutch people, and they love a good dance session - Melvin was a total star as a dance partner. The Scottish group staying at Sunflower entertained us by getting up on stage with a Thai band and joining in with the performance (all this in a nightclub on the beach, complete with sandy dancefloor).

Our beach hut was 'rustic' to say the least - smaller than the shed Heather's rabbits live in, it had two mattresses, gaps between the ceiling and the walls, and a lot of bugs - but it was so sociable we loved it nonetheless. And it acted as a great warm-up to the madness of New Year on Koh Phi Phi...

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