Lanta Sand Resort & Spa

Funky Fish Bar & Restaurant = SOLID

by jumpamonkey about Indian + Thai + Pizza

North end of Klong Dao Beach next to Lanta Sand Resort & Spa. The Funky Fish has an exceptional chef from Indonesia that cooks Indian food better than most Indians. Solid Thai and original fusion dishes as well but it won't break the bank. Red curry is fantastic = chicken/beef/duck/seafood. Tikka Masala is best I have tasted in Thailand and comes with rice or naan bread. Pizzas are super thin crust cooked in a real pizza oven. The fish dishes are specialties and supposedly the best on the island according to the German owner who stays onsite in high season. Kitchen is kept tidy and everything is done fresh upon ordering. Lots of tables and chairs on varying levels with nice lights so it's easy to find on the beach at night. Beers are about 70 baht for small Tigers, Singhas, a little more for Heineken a little less for Chang. Service is attentive and background music is always chilled. 10-night Lanta stay October 2010, we ate here every other night. Owner says it's packed in season and they go through 200 cases of beers every night. Favorites are Tikka Masssala, Red Curry and an awesome grilled shrimp appetizer served on skewers. The menu pictures accurately represent what you will get. Next door they also own Funky Fish Massage. "Li" just started Oct 2010 for the high season. Ask for her and you won't be disappointed. She studied in Bangkok and has worked in the business for years. She has a gift for massage and will treat you right. Very different than the "beach ladies" who sell massages but are not qualified. I did a 90 minute massage every day with her before heading out for the evening.

Ko Lanta

by Loops

"The Sunset Island"

Ko Lanta is a peaceful Thai island which has not really entered into the booming Thai tourist industry yet. There are lots of places to stay ranging in price from cheap and basic backpacker huts to fairly swish exclusive resorts.

The beaches seem to be the focal point of the whole island, with almost all of the accommodation lined up along them. From the badly surfaced road, these resorts look like nothing much more than a signpost along a dusty track, but from the beach side, they look alot more appealing.

The island itself is long and thin with forest/jungle and hills (or small mountains) along the spine, mangroves to the east and beautiful sandy beaches to the west.

The main villages are Ban Sala Dan up in the north and Ban Ko Lanta which is midway down the eastern side. Ban Ko Lanta is the district capital, but remains sleepy and quiet while Ban Sala Dan has taken off as a bustling tourist hub. This is probably because it is the place where the ferries dock and where most visitors arrive. There are a few mini marts, a good number of eating places and tourist shops and lots of excursion/travel agents.

The main ways to get around the island are by motorbike taxi, resort courtesy transport, hire jeep or scooter. I didn't see any sawngthaew buses at all.

The road on the island is terrible. For a couple of kilometers out of Sala Dan it is OK, but then it gets very potholed, bumpy and lacking in surface in parts. If you rent a jeep or bike, you really do need to keep your wits about you.

In my guidebook it said that the road from Sala Dan to Ban Ko Lanta was OK and that the road from Ban Khlong Tohp down the rest of the west side was a dirt track. This turned out to be rubbish and the book obviously hadn't been updated for a while because the Khlong Tohp to Waterfall Bay road was better than the main road! I heard that this was because one of the upmarket resorts had paid to have it paved, but whatever the truth, it's alot kinder on the bum than the so called 'main' road!

Dusty, bumpy roads aside, Ko Lanta is a nice island that is very unpretentious. The people are friendly and shop keepers rip you off with a smile! The beaches are great for kids, the sunsets are fantastic and it is a brilliant place to go to get away from the crowds.