Rachel and I took Asher for a short, 4D3N trip to Bangkok and Krabi earlier in June, flying via AirAsia. We spent two nights in Bangkok at Amari Watergate hotel and one night at Crown Lanta Resort & Spa in Ko Lanta.
Ko Lanta consists of several islands, the two largest of which are Ko Lanta Noi (เกาะลันตาน้อย, “Small Lanta Island”) and Ko Lanta Yai (เกาะลันตาใหญ่, “Big Lanta Island”). The one which tourists go to is Ko Lanta Yai and is usually referred to as just Ko Lanta like in this blog post.
Much quieter and less crowded, Ko Lanta is popular with tourists traveling with children like Rachel and I, divers, as well as those who just want a tranquil holiday with minimal disturbances. Think more walking on the beach and watching the sunset versus drinking and dancing all night long. The island is less well-known than neighbouring Ko Phi Phi and hence is less commercialised and corporate.
To get to Ko Lanta, we took a domestic flight from Bangkok to Krabi (about an hour), followed by an airport transfer from Krabi Airport to the AirAsia land tour partner’s office (15 mins) and finally, a land and barge transfer from the office to Ko Lanta (about three hours).
AirAsia bus at Krabi Airport
Asher and Rachel in the bus
Barge transfer
Weather was pretty good
It was the monsoon season when we visited, hence we have to take the land and barge transfer instead of a direct ferry from the pier near the tour operator’s office. It would have been much faster, but the ferries were not operating because of strong winds.
On reaching Crown Lanta Resort & Spa, we checked in to one of their Ocean Sunset Villa Rooms which like the name suggests, has a balcony facing the ocean:
The resort staff greeted us with fresh juices upon arrival for check-in at the lobby
Reception counter
the exterior of the room we stayed in
Living room area
Complimentary fruit platter
Asher was quick to grab the fruits he wanted
The bedroom
View of the bedroom, looking in from the balcony
Ocean view balcony with deck chairs
This is life
Bathroom shower area
Bathroom dressing area
Poolside rooms
Resort spa
Strong wind during the monsoon period
Nice isn’t it?
The hotel general manager told us that they have done many wedding parties and events at the resort. The resort is popular with Scandinavian tourists, especially from Sweden. Singaporean guests are less frequent.
The resort boasts two private beaches and 83 rooms, including an exclusive Grand Villa. Wifi is available in all the rooms at no extra cost (very important for me) and there are free buggy transfers to-and-from anywhere within the resort. More details on their facilities and services are available on their official website.
Free buggy transfer
Computer terminal for internet access at the resort lobby
When we arrived, the weather was pretty pleasant and we got to enjoy a quiet outdoor lunch by the poolside:
Poolside restaurant area
Closer shot of the pool with a children slide
Deck chairs
Phad thai (thai fried noodle)
Thai pineapple rice
Hawaii pizza
View of the beach from the poolside restaurant
We were lucky to enjoy a clear sky when we were there
In the evening, it started to rain heavily and we ordered room service for dinner:
Wanton soup
Minced pork porridge
The next day morning before we left, we took time to visit one of the two beaches after having breakfast at one of the resort’s restaurant:
Buffet breakfast with a green view
Where we sat to enjoy our breakfast
Omelette station
My breakfast
Bunny-shaped pancakes for Asher
Asher enjoying his pancakes
Panoramic view of Crown Lanta resort
it was high tide, so we couldn’t really get down to wet our feet
Rachel with Asher
It was relaxing to listen to the lapping waves though
Room rates are lower during the monsoon season, but you may not get to enjoy the beach and views much if it keeps raining. For my family, we were lucky the sky was clear most of the time when we were at the resort. For other periods, book early to avoid disappointment. They have a promotions page on their website offering regular discounted rates – do visit if you are interested to book a room at Crown Lanta.
Booking the land transfer or ferry ride to Koh Lanta and other exotic Thai islands can be done directly on the AirAsia website when you book your plane tickets. There are no hidden charges. The local operators we encountered at Ko Lanta did not try to up-sell up any other tours or make us give any extra payment. What was provided was no frills, straight-forward transport from one point to another. One thing to take note when making the booking is to ensure there is allowance in transit from plane to land transfer and vice versa. You would also want to avoid too much idle time waiting in-between.
My advice is to go for a longer vacation if you plan to hit Bangkok, Krabi and an exotic Thai island in one trip. A better schedule would be to fly from Singapore straight to Krabi and transfer to Koh Lanta, stay there for a couple of days; then fly to Bangkok and stay there for a few days before flying back to Singapore or vice versa (Singapore to Bangkok to Krabi to Koh Lanta to Singapore).
Check out how my blogger friend, Qiuting does it on her Budget Barbie show:
Click here to read all my blog posts on flying to Bangkok and Krabi with AirAsia.
