A whole lot of nothing in Koh Lanta, Thailand

After spending a couple of weeks traveling through Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Chiang Mai, we wanted to finish off our time in Thailand on a beach.  Figuring out which island to go to was the biggest challenge--there are many islands to choose from, depending on your interests and budget.  We weren't interested in a "party island" (such as Koh Pha Ngan), nor were we interested in staying exclusively in a resort (such as in Phuket and Koh Phi Phi).  After considering the options, Koh Lanta seemed like a good fit for us--kid-friendly beaches with safe waters, plenty of lodging and restaurants (but not too overbuilt), and a location that would be generally dry in late November.

All of our research paid off because we loved Koh Lanta!  This was the secluded beach directly across the street from where we stayed.  There were never more than about 15 people on the beach, and sometimes we were the only ones there.

The boys loved being able to play in the warm, calm waters of the Andaman Sea.  No lifejackets necessary, unlike with the strong undertow of the South China Sea in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

The sunset at this beach (aptly named "Secret Beach") was pretty amazing.

Our time in Koh Lanta was also very comfortable, thanks to the great AirBnB rental that Bob found for us.  It was nice to have our own little bungalow so we could spread out, eat breakfast in our PJs for a change, and just relax.  As an added bonus, the house had its own private pool!  After a couple of days we decided to extend our stay in Koh Lanta, so we ended up in this little house for 10 days total.

Besides playing on the beach, we did a whole lot of nothing in Koh Lanta.  This generally included watching "classic" movies...

Putting our children to work making meals...

A lot of reading....

Eating yummy Thai food on the beach...

Setting out shoes for Sinterklaas...

And just general relaxation.

We spiced up our beach-going by trying out a few different spots on Koh Lanta, all of which had their own character.

We even did school work one day on the beach...literally!

We took a walk one day and ended up at Koh Lanta's animal shelter, where we petted cats and dogs and learned about the work this non-profit does to help control and care for the islands' animals.

On our last day in Koh Lanta, we went on a snorkeling day trip.  A speedboat took us out into the Andaman Sea, near other smaller islands, where we made 3 separate stops to snorkel.  The whole family had a blast spotting fish and beautiful coral.

We also stopped at Koh Rok, probably the most magnificent beach I've ever seen.

We've seen some pretty beaches around the world, but nothing has ever topped the white sands of Pensacola Beach, near where I grew up.  Well.......this beach had bright, silky sands and the most incredibly turquoise, clear water I've ever seen.  It was absolute beach heaven.

During our lunch on Koh Rok, a gigantic monitor lizard meandered his way across the picnic grounds, oblivious to all the tourists taking his picture.  This creature was MASSIVE.  I took this picture far away because I was worried he might turn his slow plod into a manic charge at any moment.  His destination appeared to be somewhere in the woods, though, so he kept slowly moving along without eating any of us.

Koh Rok, the Thai beach we'll be dreaming about when we return to "real life"...