Ao Nang

From Koh Phangan we took the ferry back towards Surat Thani but instead of going there, we directly boarded a minivan that brought us from the Donsak pier on the east coast to Ao Nang on the west coast of Thailand. In Ao Nang, we checked into the GP Guesthouse where we spent five nights.

The next day we got up late, went for breakfast at the Tan Tribe Cafe, and then walked around to explore Ao Nang Beach and Pai Plong Beach before ending the day with dinner at the Jungle Kitchen. The day after we did a beach day on the Railay peninsula, which can only be reached by boat. We took a long-tail boat from Ao Nang Beach to Rai Leh Beach from where we walked through the village to have breakfast at the D’Oasis Cafe and then continued our walk to the beautiful Phra Nang Beach in the south. There we spent the rest of the day relaxing and swimming. Once back in Ao Nang, we went for dinner at the Wanna’s Place Restaurant, which offers Swiss cuisine. We saw this place when walking by the day before and thought we would go there once just for fun. But as it turned out, the fun would soon be over. Sometime at night, Matthias woke up and felt like becoming sick but wasn’t sure if it was the food or something that would go away shortly after.

The next morning he still did not feel well but good enough to join the boat tour we booked. So we took a taxi to go to the pier to check in for our tour. Luckily, we had some time before boarding the boat and there was a restroom around because Matthias suddenly had to throw up. After that, we boarded the boat and went off on our tour. While it wasn’t the best day for Matthias, it was still a nice tour during which we visited various islands like Chicken Island, Poda Island, and Koh Thap. We could also do some snorkeling and relaxing on beautiful beaches. In the afternoon we just relaxed in our room. While Matthias stayed in the room, Marina went out to have lunch and later watched the sunset and a fire show at the Ao Nang Beach. We then went out together to have dinner at the Thanya restaurant which serves delicious food but, to the surprise of the waitress, Matthias only ordered and ate plain rice.

The day after, Matthias stayed at the hotel to relax and recover further while Marina did another boat tour to the Hong Islands for which she boarded a speedboat very early that morning. There was another woman from France who was alone on the tour, so they quickly became friends. During the whole tour they were exploring things together such as Ko Lao Lading Island for snorkeling, Ko Phakbia Island where they had lunch, Koh Hong Beach for swimming, and Hong Island Viewpoint for a hike and beautiful views. As the tour ended, Marina went straight back to the hotel to look after Matthias. In the evening, we went for dinner together again at the Thanya restaurant, this time ordering proper meals and undoing the shock we gave the waitress the day before.

The morning after, we checked out of our hotel and hopped onto a ferry to get to our next destination.

Good Restaurants and Cafes:
- Much & Mellow Bread & Brunch (incredible breakfast / Try the Birchermuesli!)
- Tan Tribe Cafe (big variety of drinks and food for breakfast)
- The Coffee Club (great coffee)
- D'Oasis Cafe at Railay Beach (good for a small breakfast)
- Jungle Kitchen (lovely Thai food)
- Thanya (Amazing Thai food, that's why we went there twice.)
- Alibaba Restaurant (good Indian restaurant)Læs mere