Koh Lanta is the grown-up-gently island of Thailand's Andaman coast: long, quiet beaches like Klong Dao shelve softly, the sea in high season is bathwater-warm and barely moves, and the pace suits families rather than full-moon crowds. Go between November and April — monsoon season brings waves and closed resorts — and take the beachfront bungalow option; falling asleep to that particular silence is half the point.
Featured in Ten beaches with calm, shallow water for small swimmers · Family
Lanta is Thailand at its most relaxed: long west-facing beaches, a mellow Muslim-Thai fishing culture and sunset bars where a cold Chang costs little more than a pound. Bamboo bungalows steps from the sand remain genuinely cheap outside January. Hire a scooter, work through the beaches from Long Beach south to Bamboo Bay, and time dinner to the nightly sky show.
Featured in Ten affordable tropical escapes that won't empty your savings · Tropical