Koh Lanta is a popular island located on the Andaman Sea between Krabi and Phi Phi Island. It was the second island we visited in Thailand. After the peace and quiet we experienced on Koh Jum, we found Lanta to be a bit too touristy at first. But, as we settled in, we came to realize that Lanta has it charms as well. We ended up staying on Khlong Kong Beach our first night which we weren’t too crazy about because it was very touristy and the beach wasn’t particularly nice. The next day, we rented a scooter and headed further south where the beaches are less developed. We found a bungalow at Lanta Marine Park View Resort on Kantiang Bay Beach. The bungalow itself was just okay, but the view of Kantiang Bay from our porch was unbeatable. And, once again, our bungalow was located at the top of a big hill in prime monkey territory. Kantiang Bay Beach is exactly what you think of when you picture a Thai island: beautiful white sand and crystal clear, turquoise water. Although there was a small handful of resorts nearby, the beach was never crowded. We spent most of our time zoning out on the porch, but we also enjoyed a scenic scooter trip around the east side of the island and a fun 4-islands boat trip which included a stop at the awesome hidden beach on Koh Muk (the only way to reach the beach is by swimming through a long, dark cave!) We ate at a lot of places on Lanta, but here are the highlights.

Blue Marlin Resort – We stayed at Blue Marlin Resort on our one and only night at Khlong Kong Beach. The bungalow we rented was kind of shabby, but it was cheap and run by a friendly family. Although we weren’t thrilled with Khlong Kong Beach, we did get pretty excited when we saw all the resorts setting up for their nightly seafood barbecues. The moment the grills were fired up and the giant platters of fresh seafood were brought out, my mouth started to water! We decided to eat at our own resort, Blue Marlin, mostly because it had the best music on the beach (I’ll take Amy Winehouse over Pink Floyd or techno any day.) We picked out a nice piece of barracuda and two giant prawns from the seafood display and then ordered potatoes and veggies to go with it. It was all very good, but here’s the weird thing: our seafood never made it onto the grill. And neither did anybody else’s. As soon as anyone ordered a piece of fish, it was whisked away and cooked in the kitchen. The only thing that we saw on the grill all night was the potatoes. What is up with that? Why put out a platter of seafood right next to a big grill if you are not going to put said seafood on said grill? I wanted to see some char marks on my fish! Oh well, it was still very fresh and delicious. Plus, you really can’t complain too much when you are eating barefoot in the sand!

Drunken Sailors – Drunken Sailors is a really cute café located in the tiny village at Kantiang Bay. It is situated in a very distinctive octagonal blue building consisting of two stories: the bottom floor is the café and the top floor is the home of the young Thai woman who owns the cafe. It is a tiny, brightly lit space with only a few tables. Regardless of its small size, however, it is one of the hotspots in town. Each night, they show a different movie on the television; movies run the gamut from recent Oscar winners to unknown (to me) foreign flicks. We went there for breakfast and enjoyed it quite a bit. Everyone in the place is really friendly, and it’s a fun spot to just sit and watch village life during the early morning hours. Plus, they serve good, strong coffee and some of the lightest, crispiest pancakes I’ve ever had.

Lanta Thai Cookery School – I knew that I wanted to take a cooking class sometime during my stay in Thailand. Originally I was going to sign up with Time for Lime, but they were a little too peppy and overly branded for my tastes. Lanta Thai Cookery School, on the other hand, was very laid-back (and cheaper too!) I can’t really say that I learned too much as I’ve cooked a fair amount of Thai food in my day, but it was fun and I met a nice woman from Sweden (we were the only two people in the class that morning.) We made Tom Yum, Pad Thai (of course), Chicken with Cashew Nuts, and Green Curry with Seafood. We were also shown how to make green curry paste from scratch but, unfortunately, we didn’t get to use our homemade paste in the green curry dish because it takes too long to pound it properly (our teacher said it takes 1 hour for Thais but 2 hours for foreigners – ha!) Everything that we made turned out really good. My favorite dish was the Tom Yum because I had never made it before and was amazed at how such a simple set of ingredients could be so complex in flavor.

7-11 – Yes, I really am including 7-11 in with my Lanta food notes. Since we had a fridge in our bungalow, we were constantly going to the 7-11 in town to stock up on beer, iced coffee and whatever crazy Thai snacks sounded good that day. The 7-11 at Kantiang Bay was frantic every time we were there. There were usually about 10 or more people working in the tiny store at any given time, and they were all obsessed with mopping the floor. Seriously, the mopping was nonstop (interestingly, the 7-11 is also the only place that we came across where people didn’t remove their shoes before entering – I think there may be a connection there.) I spent a lot of time perusing the available snacks at 7-11. I tried several kinds of potato chips including Hot Chili Squid, Seafood and Mayonnaise and Pla Sam Rod flavor, whatever that is. I also bought a very unusual salted jujube snack which was kind of good and kind of gross all at the same time. But, my favorite snack from the 7-11 was Miang Kam candy. This delicious candy contains all of the ingredients in Miang Kam: coconut, lime, peanut, chili, dried shrimp, etc. I bought all of the bags on the shelf to bring home as souvenirs, but it wasn’t enough. This stuff is like Thai crack, and I’m an addict! I couldn’t find any at Uwajimaya, but I’ll be sure to scour the entire International District until I get some (or else I think I might freak out a little…)

“The Road” – In the middle of the town at Kantiang Bay, right by the side of the road, there exists a tiny shack run by a couple of Muslim ladies. This place has the best food we found on Lanta. Since we didn’t know the name of it, or maybe it doesn’t even have a name, we started referring to it as “the road.” We ate there four times during our trip (coincidentally, we met another American couple who had eaten there four times as well.) People who eat at the expensive beach resorts are really missing out (although, if you’re uncomfortable with the thought of roosters and stray cats running around at your feet during lunch, then “the road” might not be the right place for you.) My favorite dish was the red curry vegetables. Unlike sweeter versions made with coconut milk, this red curry was all about the spicy! Robert loved the fried noodle dish: wide rice noodles sautéed with vegetables and prawns. We also enjoyed their pad thai, a vegetable dish with fresh basil and some delicious Thai iced coffee. Each dish costs 60 to 70 Baht (under $2.) We saw lots of locals eating there which is always a good sign. There is nothing at all fancy about the food at “the road.” It is just simple, honest, homemade, delicious (and spicy!) food, and I miss it terribly.

4 Comments »

  1. hi!
    I am a truly foodie like you, that’s why I’m doing what I do.
    I am sorry that I am also a graphic designer as a profession, and may seem preppy. I hope you will find some time to come back to Lanta, and maybe learn some more about the Thai cuisine. We may be more expensive but you pay for what you get. e.g.. fresh seafood is more expensive than most chicken dishes, also my rent is higher becuase it’s on the beach….you can learn 24 dishes within 6 days. And how to do this at home also!
    Your web site is nice, and also a bit peppy and arty-farty design, but I like it.
    nice input on food and recipes.
    Junie,
    owner of Time for Lime

    Comment by Junie — January 18, 2009 @ 11:52 am

  2. I just came back from my first trip to Thailand and I spent a nice, relaxing week on Koh Lanta. Sure, the dock area when you first get there is tourist-town; I think I needed something like that to ease into the groove there. But once I headed south, especially around the Swedish area and relaxed on the wide, empty beaches, then I was sold.

    While I didn’t try the Time for Lime, I did do the Lanta Thai cooking school too (it was a 5 minute walk from my bungalow park). I, too, was one of 3 people, the other being a young swedish couple, and I thought the school moved at a good rate. I did a few others while in-country, and of the 3 total this was the most relaxed and informative, and now I make thai beef salad with alarming regularity..

    Comment by Jim — April 6, 2009 @ 2:30 am

  3. Nice blog. I’ve added it to my favorites.

    Comment by bangkok hotel guy — May 19, 2009 @ 9:27 pm

  4. Hey Natalie! It looks like I am headed to Thailand in a month :-) I was just cknhcieg out your guys posts on Thailand! I love the photographs!! did you just use a regular point and shoot? the mossy rock one is my fave. Let me know if you have any suggestions on your fave places to go while you were there!xo

    Comment by Andrey — December 5, 2012 @ 9:08 am

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