Thailand's Islands Beyond Phuket: Where to Go Instead

Phuket and Koh Phi Phi deliver the postcard, but they also deliver the crowds, the jet skis and the inflated prices. Thailand has over a thousand islands, and the best ones still run on generators and fisherman schedules.

Koh Kood, near the Cambodian border, is the pick for pure beach: powder sand, waterfalls you can swim under, and a single main road that never quite fills up. Koh Phayam in the Andaman Sea attracts the hammock-and-paperback crowd — no cars, cashew farms, and sunsets that clear the beach bar by eight.

Koh Lanta strikes the balance: proper roads and good food, but a pace that stays slow even in high season. Rent a scooter, explore the old town's stilted wooden houses, and take a longtail to Koh Rok for the clearest snorkelling in the region.

The practical note: ferries to the small islands thin out in monsoon season (May to October on the Andaman side, October to December on the Gulf side). Book the first two nights, then decide with your feet.