Our honeymoon definitely needed a beach portion away from crowds and usual tourist route. While people recommended Koh Lipe or Koh Lanta, I wanted it to be closer and reduce travel time to Khao Sok National Park. I ended up finding the Surin Islands National Park, one of the best Thailand areas to snorkel.  

• 

Day 15 – December 1, 2018

Unfortunately, the tour company I reserved didn’t have many other bookings so they informed us we would travel with another operator. We may have lucked out since this tour operator appeared to be more high-end. We checked in, boarded and before we knew it, we saw beautiful clear turquoise waters inviting us to dive in.

The colorful coral was filled with activity and life. I saw a starfish, an eel, an octopus, a stingray, and many unique fish in all different colors and patterns. 

We had lunch on the island and checked into our cabin before being taken to another snorkeling spot. The snorkeling was the best I’ve done (compared to Cuba and Mexico) and another Canadian couple we met said it was the best they had done in Thailand.

We stayed in a rustic cottage owned by the national park. It was very basic as if you were camping in the woods. But it was authentic because we saw the local Thai people enjoy their vacations here too. We relaxed at the beach, steps outside our cabin.

In the evening, the place quiet down as all the day trippers leave and there were only a handful of people in the canteen area. It was peaceful.

Day 16 – December 2, 2018

The next day, we went to the Mai Nga beach by private boat and we were again one of the few people here. The water was perfectly turquoise and crystal clear. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves.

• 

The only downside was Chi started feeling ill. He ate something bad the previous night and had food poisoning. Luckily, another traveler gave him some antibiotics and he instantly felt better after a few hours. But during those few hours, he just laid on a first-aid bed as I played nurse. I could have easily spent another day snorkeling here! 

Our driver picked us up from the pier and drove us to Samet Nangshe, where we would spent the night. My friends recommended seeing the sunrise here and after seeing photos I had to go. Little did I know, it was off the usual travel path and most of the people who visited were local. We stayed at the only hotel in the area, ‘Samet Nangshe Boutique’ and got an upgraded room with the best balcony view. 

Day 17 – December 3, 2018

Since we checked into the hotel after sunset, I had no idea what view to expect until we woke up around 5am to peek outside our window in our PJs. It was spectacular and the best sunrise view I’ve ever seen… let alone being able to wake up to it. 

We wouldn’t be picked up for our next destination until noon so we went back to bed, cuddled while enjoying the view and eventually back to sleep.

We eventually woke up and enjoyed breakfast with a bright sunny view. This was my favorite view of Thailand. 

From there, we took the highly rated John Gray Sea Canoe Tour to see the popular islands of Phang Nga Bay. It was more popular than I expected… This tour group had at least two boats filled with 60 people each! And so, I’m not sure I’d recommend even though it was fun and the views were beautiful. I was spoiled with small groups and local secret spots! 

Each couple is paired with a guide who kayaks for you. Maybe my unfavorable opinion of the tour is because our guide, Latte wasn’t great. We always felt like he was in a rush —we were the last to group to get on the kayak and first to get off, and we had to ask him take us somewhere instead of taking us back. 

The first stop was Panak Island, which was cool to go under a cave but it was like a bottleneck in there with all the sea canoes. We did get to see the fish with legs hopping around.

It then poured but Chi and I didn’t care. It was more fun in the rain! We were already in swimwear and this would mean less people. We ventured to Hong Island which was bottle-necked but this time, we asked Latte to take us around again when the crowds dissipated and for that short 10-minutes, it was truly enjoyable. 

Latte had to get back on the boat to prepare our next activity and a snack. So it was free time… most people chose to swim but Chi and I were eager to get further away from the crowds on the kayak.

• 

We had a coffee break on the boat and made Krathongs. Soon after, we lit them in a darken cave and looked at plankton when you create movement through them. I took a dip in the shallow areas and swam with them. 

After the tour, our return transfer was to Phuket old town. The historic buildings had character and charm. But oddly, it felt like a ghost town after 9pm. I guess everyone was in Bangla Road district.