Monkeys, Bamboo Bay and Incredible Sunsets

Don’t Miss Part I: Best of Koh Lanta: Friends, Luxury Villas and Sunset Dinners

Every morning we rolled out of bed and peeked out the window to see if the monkeys we’re hanging around in the trees below our villa. What we found to be most interesting was that the monkeys were on an actual schedule. Each morning, they would make their rounds to all  eight luxury villas in search of food, gadgets and anything else they can get their dirty paws on.

There were a few times where we would be sitting in the living room eating breakfast and we would see a monkey the size of a small child walk across the patio. These sneaky basta*ds usually send one big guy ahead to scope out the scene and if all is clear, he gives a shout to his boys and they get their ransack on. After 9 or 10 AM, the monkeys finish up their patrol and make their way up into the hillside and won’t be seen again til the next morning.

We’re told that one mistake you never want to make is to forget to latch your doors when you leave the villa. If you do, you can just about guarantee that you’ll return to what was once a luxury villa turned Motel 6 with holes torn in the mattresses, missing cash, jewelry and mobile phones, an empty refrigerator and toilet paper hanging from the ceiling fans. Do you hate monkeys yet? I sure do.

After breakfast we spent an hour or so at the pool. After a quick dip and a brief discussion, we decided to hop on our motorbike and explore more of the southern part of the island. Today, our mission was to find the best beach in Koh Lanta.

We cruised along the windy roads of the south western coast, stopping from time to time to capture some of Koh Lanta’s most beautiful views.

We spotted a small path leading through bush that looked as if it led to a beautiful beach in the distance. We quickly learned that we had arrived at the southernmost beach on the west coast of Koh Lanta, known as Bamboo Bay.

Thankfully, we were on a motorbike because there is absolutely no room to park a car anywhere in the area. Keep this in mind if you’re planning on renting a car and making the 40 minute drive from Saladan. Do yourself a favor and rent a motorbike for this trip. For tips on renting a motorbike in Koh Lanta, click here.

We came, we witnessed, we swam, and we enjoyed our time at Bamboo Bay Beach. On the way home, we made a quick pit-stop to see where we had just spent the last couple of hours. This is what the best beach in Koh Lanta looks like from above.

After a relaxing day of fun in the sun, we made our way back to Ancient Realm, showered up and hit the road yet again.

Our next mission: To hunt down a spot to catch one of Koh Lanta’s famous sunsets.

As we were riding along the coast, we quickly realized that the sun was going down a little faster than we had thought it would. Once we arrived at Khlong Nin Beach, we decided to pull off to the side of the road and try to make the best of the sun that was still hovering over the horizon.

Til’ next time…

Want to hear more about our trip to Koh Lanta? Stay tuned for more.