Roi Thai Cooking School

Cooking School:Roi Thai
Location: Klong Nin Beach, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand
Chef: Toey
Cost: Sunset Course is 1,800 bahts
Other Courses: Early Bird Course 1,200. Lunch Course: 1,500. Sunset Market Course: 1,900
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

View from the restaurant

Cooking Stations

Most of my holidays revolve around cuisine. Dishes from around the world will always connect to me at a deeper level than other cultural offerings. To experience the Thailand culinary culture is to taste dishes from the different regions, to distinguish the particular styles & flavors that makes it special. However to take it to the next level, it is best to enroll in a cooking class to learn some of the techniques and style.

Now there are several cooking classes offered in Koh Lanta and after reading several reviews of some of them, the thought of cooking right next to the beach was hard to ignore. So I booked at Roi Thai and they came picked us up on time and took us to the location.

Upon arrival my group of 4 were greeted with a welcome drink and shown the menu that we would be cooking that evening. We were in total 10 people for the course that evening. The menu for the night was:

1. Po Pla Thod (Deep Fried Spring Rolls)
2. Gal Pad Med Ma-Muang (Chicken with Cashew nuts)
3. Tom Yam Goong (Hot & Sour Soup with Prawns)
4. Red Curry Paste
5. Gaeng Phed Pla (Red Curry with fish)

The introduction to the course was done with a dish called Miang Kham. This is a Traditional Thai snack that involves many flavours wrapped in a leave to explode in your mouth with that one bite. The five flavours of Thai cuisine were represented in this traditional appetizer; spiciness (chilli, ginger, shallots, garlic),sweetness (the sweet sauce made with palm sugar and fish sauce), bitterness (lime, sour green mango), saltiness (small dried shrimp), and creaminess (peanuts, toasted coconut).

Introduction to Thai Ingredients

Chef Toey

Cooking the Soup

Thai vegetables and Spices

Po Pla Thod

Gal Pad Med Ma-Muang

Tom Yam Goong

The Introduction

Gaeng Phed Pla

Red Curry paste

While making these appetizers and introducing ourselves to the other guests, we ordered some drinks as well, and got comfortable. In the background the Roi Thai staff were setting up the cooking station for the first item on the menu.

Once we directed to the cooking station, it was at this moment when the Chef Toey broke out from his administration registry role from 10 minutes before into the flamboyant cooking maestro that was ready to light up the night with his entertainment.

After a very entertaining introduction to all the Thailand spices, we wiped away the tears of laughter and composed ourselves before the first dish. Toey was very informative about each cooking step & ingredient, he consistently interacted with the students and ensured everybody was up to speed and comfortable. The multi-tasking level of our group was fantastic as we managed to do photo sessions, and Q&A sessions in between cooking.

Learning to make the red curry paste was one of main objectives and the information offered was very good. So applying the same techniques and knowledge to the other curry pastes such as massaman, green, chu chee, and yellow paste was a walk in the park.

After each cooking session, we would take our dishes to the restaurant area and dine there with the group. The whole class lasted about 4 hours and at the conclusion we were dropped off back to our hotels by Toey himself, which was one of the most entertaining rides. The man should be acting on Broadway, the entertainment value is a bonus to the cooking knowledge he teaches during the class.

I would definitely recommend attending his class as a must do event in Koh Lanta. I give this cooking class a 5 out of 5. You get good value for the overall experience.

Krabi town & Klang Island

Krabi is a town on the west coast of Southern Thailand. It is the capital of Krabi Province and Krabi District. The 8 districts include Ko Lanta Island as a district and also Mueang Krabi district which holds Ao nang and Railay bay. So to sum it up it is a huge province with some areas more popular than others.

Tourism is the main source of income here.

Unfortunately I did not have time to cover all the districts on this trip. Explored 3 and drove through an additional two. My trip to Krabi covers my short stay in Krabi town and my stay at Klang Island which is near the mouth of the Krabi River. Additional posts cover Railay, Ko Lanta, and Ko Phi Phi.

Travel tips for this District:

** Arrival to Krabi Town

There are 3 options here:

Krabi International Airport (KBV): Ideally located not very far from Krabi town or the surrounding districts. This serves as a convenient entry point.

Krabi boat piers:  Klong Jilad is the new pier 4km from Krabi town.  Chao Fah pier or Phi Phi pier is the old ones in the center of the town. Ferries run daily from Ko Phi Phi, Ko Jum, Ko lanta, and ko Yao Noi. There is also a Pier called Krabi Thalen 27km west of Krabi town where they have frequent speedboats. Buy your tickets at the pier to get a good price.

By Road: The roads here are good and easy to travel on. There is a bus service to Krabi town but do yourself a favor and take a private taxi. I did a taxi from Phuket to Krabi for ฿2500 and it took 2 hours through some gorgeous scenery.

**Krabi Town Expectations

This is a small town and much calmer than Phuket. The town is next to Krabi River and there are hotels and restaurants scattered all around. One of the few chilled out places for a Thailand town. 

Arriving there at 1pm there was some traffic but not much pedestrians about. Most of the tourist population use this location as a transit point to go to the other Islands in or simply transfer to Ao Nang or Railay further to the west. The highways around the area are very modern due to all the transportation needs in and out of town.

**Locations for accommodation

There are few hotels in krabi town ranging from backpackers to some 4 star hotels. There is one popular hotel called Maritime Park Resort & Spa, this is over booked most of the times and contains a lot of large travelling groups. So try to avoid this place or double check your booking status before arrival.

Most visitors staying in the Krabi Mainland head west to Ao Nang where all the fantastic hotels and resorts are located. The more adventurous get in long tail boats and head to Railay.

My situation here was different, arrived at the Maritime Park resort to discover they have overbooked so relocation meant a new adventure. The relocation option was to an Eco Village Resort on Klang Island, just south of Krabi town.

 The hotel staff drove us to Tara pier, located along Krabi River in Krabi Town. The local long tail boat then another 5 minutes cruising across Krabi River to Klang Island’s pier.  Then we jumped on a motorbike tuktuk and drove through the village across the island. A fun ride about 7 km through the narrowest of roads if we can call it that. Finally we arrived at the secluded peaceful Islanda Village Resort.

The Krabi Adventures: From Krabi town to Tara Pier, to Klang Island. The Drive to the resort. Boat out to Railay bay

**Islanda Village resort

Most of my travel friends don’t really like Krabi town after spending few too many days there so a relocation here was a sign from the travel gods looking after me. This was a hidden paradise. You have quite surroundings, luxury comfortable villas, a big swimming pool with Jacuzzi, good restaurant, and a manager who goes by the name Mr. Big. There is not that great of a beach or night life on this island but it is designed for relaxing & recharging. The only way to travel on the island is by tuk tuk or bicycle. Only way on and off the island is by boat or helicopter.

The Beachfront Villa and Pool	Arrival by boat and transfer by tuk tuk
Relaxing in the pool and Sunset view	Hotel Manager: Mr. Big

**Wildlife

While most people fought the mosquitoes and played with the cats at the resort, I found myself trying to convince more than save a cat from a snake. Both animals were safe from the drama that unfolded. So there are snakes on the island if you are lucky to see one.

Snake

Cat versus Snake

**Things to do on Klang Island

Daytime: I was here to relax and they have a big pool overlooking the beach to do that. You also have the option to borrow a bicycle and go check out the island. There was also a bathtub on the deck to watch the sunset. Limited activities so more of a “my time” place.

 Nighttime: Dinner and drinks followed by interaction with other guests. If you get bored you go look for snakes or other wildlife.

** Costs on the Island
Food is relatively cheap and will cost ฿200-300 a day at the resort. Water is quite cheap with big bottles 1.5 litres trading at ฿20. Beer is about ฿50 and cocktails can range from ฿100 to ฿150.

Accommodation price was ฿5000per night with breakfast for the Ocean Beachfront Bungalow. Other Bungalows start from ฿3000.
No Grocery stores here so buy you goodies in Krabi town.  No Medical centers or ATM’s either. I did mention it was a secluded Island with one awesome resort and a village.

** Conclusion

If you looking to stay in Krabi you can choose a hotel in Krabi town but options are quite limited if you looking for luxury. As an alternative for a night or two try this resort on Klang Island. It is quiet and peaceful. Getting away from the crowds helps in Thailand. On check out we took a 30 minute boat ride across to Railay.

South Thailand Island Guide
Boat options for Island Transfers

Phuket Tips
Phuket Map
South Thailand 13 Useful tips
Ko Phi Phi Don
Railay Beach 
Ko Lanta

Ko Ngai

This was my favourite island on this trip. Pronounced as Ko Hai. You arrive at an Island with beautiful turquoise coloured water, dense tropical forest, rocky headlands, and a beautiful white sand beach. This Island has no roads and is approximately 4 km long and 2 km wide. It has approximately 10 resorts, with 9 of them lined up across the beach on the east side of the island. There is one exception with one resort located on the southern beach.

This is one of the more relaxed islands. It is not too large and therefore the crowds are minimum. There are no day trippers so it feels like an actual holiday without intrusion here. The hotels are cheap and the costs on the island for restaurants are cheap with the option to go even cheaper outside the hotel. There is no cash machine so bring about ฿300-900 for each day if you eating out. You will need money for the private non hotel excursions which costs ฿400-500. So bring cash, mosquito repellent, and snacks. Definitely a great stay that is better than some of the bigger Islands.

Here are my top 10 tips for Ko Ngai:

1. Use the Speedboat: The island is a 45 minute speedboat ride from Koh Lanta. It is the middle point for travellers going further towards Koh Lipe, Koh Muk, and Koh Kradan. The speedboat pulls up to the front of one of the resorts to let all the passengers and luggage off. A long tail boat then comes to pick up the luggage and passengers. Most of the visitors choose to walk to the resort since it is so close and the beach is awesome.

Arriving to the beach landing spot

Arrival to Ko Ngai island

2. Accommodation options: They have a range of accommodation from the Hill side Villas to the beach from villas. There is also couple of camping sites. I chose Koh Ngai fantasy resort for my 3 night stay. Try to get one of the beach front villas or a family villa which is just behind the beach front villas with partial views to the ocean and a quick 1 minute walk to the beach. Accommodation prices vary from backpackers to hotels. Hotels are roughly ฿5000per night with breakfast.

3. Be Prepared for the wildlife photography: The island has a dense tropical forest and there are all kinds of wild animals and insects present here. I saw some bugs that I have not seen on Discovery channel on hangover Sunday. The main fear is once again mosquitoes so use a lot of repellant. (Recommend citronella which is very effective) There are snakes, spiders and monkeys in the tropical forest here so any hikes would require proper shoes and not flip flops (jandals, thongs).

Bug John Doe

Dragon Fly

Horn Bill Birds

Bats

4. Things to do on the Island: The Island is small and day time activity would include tanning, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, PADI scuba courses, and just long walks on the beach. There are two hiking paths on the island, one goes to the south of the island to a sunset viewing point. The other goes west of the island to another view point from the west of the Island. I set out on the west end view point but took a wrong turn and ended at the southern point which was pretty good. Chilling on the beach at night time is fun and if you lucky you might see some shooting stars.

Tanning and Enjoying the view

Ocean Time

5. Excursion to Ko Maa & Ko Chuaek :There are two islands in front of the beach. They are Koh Ma and Koh Cheuk. Most of the excursions have a snorkeling trip which visits these two islands with 2 additional spots. The 3rd spot on the excursions is the Emerald cave (Morakot cave) located on Koh Muk. The final spot is usually the beach on Koh Muk where you can visit one of the resort restaurants for lunch. Koh Ma and Koh Cheuk offers nice snorkeling spots where there is a lot of fish and they are not shy swimming all around you. The reef is quite colorful and alive. On the rocky cliffs you can see hundreds of bats chilling in the sun (not by choice).

6. Excursion to Emerald Cave: This was quite an experience. The boat operator anchored the boat a good 30 meters away from the cave. He did not speak good English and gave our group of 6 a touch and pointed to a hole in the rock. We assumed this was the cave and just jumped in. Once we got to the entrance of the cave it was a 70 meter swim to the beach on the other side. Approximately 30 meters of this swim is through the caves is in pitch black hence the touch. Our touch worked for 30 seconds and then we followed the sounds of people on the other side. At this point I was thinking of all my equipment back at the hotel like my touch and the Rambo glow sticks. There is the occasional chain gang tourists in life jackets in groups of 10-20 swimming through in a line formation through the caves. The beach on the other side is amazing and worth the effort in the darkness.

Inside the cave where there is still some sunlight

Exiting the cave after some Pitch black action

Enjoying the moment after exiting the cave

At the Hidden Beach

Cave Exit to the Beach

The Chain Gangs of Tourists

7. Where to Eat: Food is relatively cheap outside the hotel and will cost ฿200-400 a day. At the hotels you can double this cost. Water is expensive with big bottles 1.5 litres trading at ฿60. Beer is about ฿80 and cocktails can range from ฿180 to ฿400.So head next door to the Thai restaurants on the beach for some fresh seafood at really cheap prices. The service is fantastic and the food is representative of the island.

8. Hotel Services: Some of the resorts on the island are under foreign ownership and this kills the vibe for the resorts. Fantasy resort for example is under Chinese ownership and the services are focused on making money from tourists without much concern of the staff. This removes some of the traditional Thai friendly hospitality. A lot of the staff were from Burma and Philippines here. All hotel bills have a 10% service charge (tips) but some investigation led to the discovery that this money goes to the owners and not to the staff who deserve the tips. So get to know the staff and tip them privately with the secret handshake. The resort food is okay but too international with burgers, pasta etc.

9. Medical Emergencies: : There is no medical center on the island so emergencies will require a boat visit to the east towards the Trang district on mainland. Our group had one case of dental emergency and had to take a 2 hour boat ride to Trang and a private taxi to the hospital dentist. The quotation from the Chinese owner for this trip was ฿5000 for the trip including the taxi. Speaking to locals the same trip was done for ฿1600.

10. Watch out for Hidden costs: As mentioned the hotels have lots of mark up on all products and services for normal Thailand prices. Excursions can be purchased for 50% less from the local tour operator at the beach. Same with restaurants outside the hotels which are 50% cheaper and quality of food is better.

Similar Thailand articles of Interest:

THAILAND USEFUL TIPS
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The most visited spot in South Thailand due to the Movie "The Beach". An overview Ko Phi PhIsland. The places to stay, things to do, and things to avoid.

Ko Phi Phi Don Island Travel tips

The most popular island on the Southern Thailand tourist radar. Situated in the middle of all the locations, east of Phuket, south of Krabi, and west of Lanta, this island welcomes a lot of traffic. I chose this as my last location to visit on the Island hopping tour as research indicated this place will be noisy. However my 2 nights here were fantastic but perhaps that is because I stayed away from the chaos that makes up Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay.

Here are some useful tips when staying on this beautiful island:

**Arrival to Tonsai bay

This is the main port on the island and the ferry pier is busy. We have your large ferries on the west of the pier and a small drop zone for private speedboats or long tail transfer boats on the east of the pier. This place is very crowded with travelers trying to exit and enter via one main pier.

Large Ferries: You can arrive via the large ferries from the neighboring islands but expect large crowds on the boats. A lot of day trippers use these to arrive early in the morning and then catch another ride to Ko Phi Phi Le Island to visit Maya bay where the movie “The beach” was filmed.

Private Speedboats: The recommended way to travel in all of South Thailand. Smaller crowds and faster journey time.

If you are staying at hotels on the other end, staff from the hotel greet you at the pier and place you in a long tail boat to transfer to your selected resort.

Comparison of both the options

Transfer via Long tail Boat

**Locations for Accommodation

There are many options around Tonsai Bay and Loh Dalum Bay. It is looking great and getting away from the European winter I would be happy to settle there and just use some good ear plugs when it comes to sleeping.

Ao Ling: Northwest of Loh Dalam bay is the hidden cove of Ao Ling (Moneky Bay). Home to a colony of not so shy monkeys. Popular spot for tourists who come for picnic and photo shoots with the monkeys.

Long Beach: At the Southern point of the island had a beautiful beach and some nice hotels. We went past this area by long tail boat and it was very nice so next time I might try this location.

Rantee Bay and Pak Nam: We also traveled past these two bays and they were okay. Pak Nam stood out the prettier bay if compared.

Loh Bagao Bay: When we were travelling past this bay, the jaw dropped and we all went wow. The magnificent sight of a white sand beach with lovely turquoise water filling the bay was breath taking. Secretly hoping that this is where our hotel is because we have seen some good beaches on the way here but this was the spot.

Then slowly the boat started heading into the bay and that smile on the face was locked in. We stayed here at Outrigger Phi Phi Island . There is another hotel next to this place called Villa 360 which looks great but does not have the beach front. The beach front belongs to Outrigger. Once we checked in here it was hard to leave.

Laem Tong Beach and Hin Poo bay: Due to the Outrigger hotel being so good I did not leave to explore any further so this means another trip to this island. They do have the Twin Palms and Holiday Inn at Laem Tong beach with good reviews so worth exploring.  

**Things to do on the Island

The best choice is chilling in the pools and on the beach or take a long swimming/snorkeling sessions in the beautiful waters of the bay. Alternatively PADI courses and scuba diving is very popular here.

There is also some hiking options to a view point near Loh Bagao in the north or Tonsai Bay view point to the west. Further to the west is the Wang Long Cave. Kayaking to the caves or around the bay is an ideal option.

Daily view that is hard to escape

** Excursions from the Island

The main excursion from the Island here is to Phi Phi le. There are hundreds of boats lined up to go to Ao Maya (Maya bay) every day. Each resort has its own speedboat to take you at a fixed time. At Tonsai bay there are many operators who offer the same trip for a fraction of the price. However the main objective here is to get to the island as early as possible and pay the extra bhats to persuade the driver to depart at 7am or earlier. After 9am Maya bay fills up with tourists and remains that way till sunset.

There is also the option of Bamboo Island heading north. Thirty minutes by long tail boat to this white sand island with lovely turquoise water.

Another island up north next to Bamboo Island is Koh Yung (Mosquito Island) which has good colorful coral reefs.

There is a diving/snoreklling site called Koh Hin Klang which is 2km in front of Laem Tong Beach. It is 90 meters long and 60 meters wide and one of the best places to dive and snorkel.

**Wildlife
Mainly mosquitoes but there was the odd harmless cockroach flying in the air. Relatively calm at the resorts with bugs since they have pest control but expect to see some wilder creatures on hikes. 

**Costs on the Island

Compared to the other islands this is the most expensive island. Due to the large amounts of tourists and demand for products, a greedy markup is placed on everything. Outrigger hotel is expensive but worth it. The best breakfast we have had on all the Islands. The seafood buffet dinner at this hotel was fantastic.

Food at the hotel will cost ฿400-1000 a day. Water is quite cheap with big bottles 1.5 litres trading at ฿50. Beer is about ฿80 and cocktails can range from ฿150 to ฿400.

Accommodation prices vary from backpackers to hotels. Hotels are roughly ฿7000per night with breakfast.

**Conclusion

This is a beautiful island and a good place to chill for several days. A popular option is to stay here while visiting Phi Phi Le. There are large crowds so expectation of being alone on the beach is not possible. 

However the east side of the island is more relaxed and quiet. Take the speedboat in and out of the Island. Travel to Maya bay super early. Bring your snack supplies as shops are limited and over priced.

Try the Outrigger hotel as the service and hotel is amazing. 

Outrigger Phi Phi Hotel: Only place I arrived with dry feet thanks to the small pier

South Thailand Island Guide
Boat options for Island Transfers

Phuket Tips
Phuket Map
South Thailand 13 Useful tips
Railay Beach 
Krabi 
Ko Lanta

Comparison of the two ocean transportation options in South Thailand:

SPEEDBOAT

Expect some drama but nothing crazy on the speedboats in comparison to the large ferries. Our speedboat ride "Bundhaya Speedboats" from Ko Ngai was delayed by an hour, it was supposed to travel to Koh Lanta to drop the passengers who were headed further to Phi Phi or Phuket on another speedboat.

Due to the delay of an hour some people waiting at Lanta went bananas and forced the driver to take the boat out to the ocean. So instead of waiting at the port now they waited on the water for a good 20 minutes.

The Thai staff bowing down to the clients’ pressure meant now when our boat met them mid ocean, it will become the new passenger transfer point.

Not the ideal place to do a transfer but this is how things are done in the Islands.

FERRY

I only took 2 large ferries and I can tell you that the ride from Phi Phi to Phuket was the most horrific messed up boat trip I have done to date. Due to timing issues I had to take a ferry instead of the speedboat. Expectations for the ferry environment are:

1. The first time travelers who have no knowledge of what sea sickness is.

2. Groups of day trippers who may die of loneliness if they get separated from their groups for more than 5 minutes

3. Overcrowded ferry travelling slowly.

To avoid the chaos inside the ferry I went to sit outside at the back of the boat. It was a great seat with fresh air, great views of the Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le islands behind me.

The first hour was fantastic but after that the worse thing imaginable happened. Someone from the top deck puked and some of that shit landed on my shorts with a few spots on the singlet. (Could have been worse and all over the head and face) Anyway I had to strip down and use a tea towel as a wrap around on the waist to cover the family jewels while washing the clothes in the bathroom. The bathroom is large and clean with a powerful hose pipe, so ideal setup for cleaning.

However I did get some raised eyebrows from passengers who saw my sexy tea towel wrap around. Luckily the damage was limited and washed off with ease. That was the last time I will ever take a large ferry.

Conclusion: Take the speedboat! :) Bundhaya Speedboats

South Thailand Island Guide

Phuket Tips
Phuket Map
South Thailand 13 Useful tips
Ko Phi Phi Don
Railay Beach
Krabi

Phuket 10 Useful tips

Phuket is a large island situated off the west coast in the Andaman Sea with a bridge connecting it to mainland Thailand. It acts as the focal point for tourists who use this island as the main stay holiday or the base camp. Here are some quick tips about Phuket to help construct your plan when you visit this Island.

Here are my top 11 recommendations for Phuket :

1. Select wisely your entry points into the Island:
Phuket International Airport:
The second largest airport in Thailand after Bangkok. Nothing special about the airport but it is effective and efficient in operations with the high number of tourists passing through. Good to book your flight direct here instead of going through Bangkok if you have the chance. Once you are outside the arrivals area, you can get a taxi to your location. Remember the same same but different rule and therefore bargain for a taxi. Airport is located north of the Island.

Phuket harbour:
Rassada Pier is the main port here for moving tourists to the Islands around Phuket or across to Krabi. This port is on the east side of the island and it is a mess with herds of day trippers walking around without purpose, simply following a guide when they are not lost. There are all kinds of good, bad and nasty smells here so the less time spent here the better. There is a drop of point outside the ferry terminal and then it is a mission of getting your suitcases and yourself through the crowds to the right ferry or the ticket office. Avoid using the port if you can.

Thao Thepkasattri Bridge:
The driving option is one of the better options to avoid the crowds. Krabi is a 90 minute drive and the roads are very good, so it makes for a comfortable ride. So if you are flying into Krabi this is a good option as can skip the above two busy areas. I drove from Phuket to Krabi on New Year’s Day and it was a great scenic trip with lots of amazing temples and landscape along the way. Bangkok is a 9 hour drive so best to have a pit stop along the way for that road trip.

2. Get a driver if you are not renting a car:
Once you use a few private taxis, use one of the drivers as your local guy. You can pay them 1000-3000 bhats for 4-5 hours. They will take you around and take you to good lunch places, some sightseeing and pretty much save you time and money. Our driver below had this van they carried the team to all locations while keeping us entertained with the fancy lighting and sound systems.

Try the following drivers that I used while in Phuket, remember to call at least 1 day in advance.
West Side:
Mr. Mee (Buntang area) +66-83-105-3441 or +66-85-884-2859
Mr. Nop (Surin Beach) +66-92-073-6436
East Side:
Mr. Hab (Panwa Beach) +66-86-952-1667

3. Avoid living in the west side:
Okay for a night or two but not longer. It is noisy and chaotic especially Patong, you never know when a ping pong ball will fly at you. So stay in the East if you want to avoid the day trippers and big crowds.

4. Avoid the malls:
Unless you looking for something specific and need an international brand. Prices in the mall are not necessarily cheaper and it is very crowded. Try the night markets instead or wait till you get to a different city.

5. Avoid the spas near the malls or in the malls:
Forgot about privacy and expect something from the matrix. This photo was taken from outside the spa where at least 50 people were squeezed next to each other like a manufacturing factory.

Our Ride for Phuket by or driver Mr Hab

Spa at the Mall

6. Pick up some goodies from the Pharmacy:
Here you can get all the goodies you need to survive the trip. Citronella organic insect repellent is great along with lemongrass palm if the damage is already done.

7. Try the Chalong bay beach restaurants for good fish dishes and views:
These restaurants are mostly occupied by locals, tourists anchored in the bay and the guests living around the area. The price is approximately 1/4 of what you pay on the west side.

8. Try this restaurant for seafood Phong Phang in Chalong:
There is a tourist trap buffet restaurant in the front but take the back entrance to find a big seafood restaurant that served some of the best seafood during my time in Thailand. It is filled with locals and its a local hidden gem. Here is the Facebook page for this place.

Chalong Bay Dinner at the beach

Seafood galore at Phong Phang

9. Familiarize yourself with the Island setup:
Here is a Map with some descriptions of the areas. This is a big island with a lot of activity in comparison to others in this area.

10.Wildlife:
Expect a lot of mosquitoes all over the place. They have a lot of monkeys running around at the temples and other spots close to the forest. They will usually grab any food item that is on you or in close proximity so be careful.

Monkey at the Big Buddha park

The Big Buddha

11. Three days is too long in Phuket so get out to the other Islands:
The best beaches, the good spots, the reefs, and all the stuff that makes a holiday more relaxing is outside of Phuket or big cities. Go to the smaller Islands.

Similar Thailand articles of Interest:

KO NGAI
The island of Relaxation. An overview of Ko Ngai Island. The places to stay, things to do, and things to avoid.

KRABI
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RAILAY BAY
The hidden treasure of this Region.An overview of Railay Bay. The places to stay, things to do, and things to avoid.

KO PHI PHI
The most visited spot in South Thailand due to the Movie "The Beach". An overview Ko Phi PhIsland. The places to stay, things to do, and things to avoid.