DH and I are "Scuba Divers" (we have Padi cards, but we're limited to 39 feet and can't go alone). We're going to be in Thailand with about 11-12 days at the end of Nov, early Dec, after our time in Bangkok until our flights home from Phuket.
DH gets bored after too much diving (probably due to our depth limits, but he has no interest in further certification) so I've promised him no more than 2 days of diving. We also enjoy kayaking, snorkeling, and don't mind a couple of days hanging out on the beach. He's also a serious mountain biker, so if we found somewhere he could get a bike and explore some trails, he'd be ecstatic.
We don't care for splashy resorts. We like huts on the beach. But huts, not cinder block cells.
Based on guide books and tourist blogs, I have tentative plans to go from Bangkok to Koh Lipe, diving with Forra, snorkeling off the beach, napping in hammocks. Then to Koh Muk where I'm getting mixed messages whether they even HAVE diving. But they do have the Emerald cave? Which we could kayak to?
And then a couple of nights in Phuket for last minute souvenirs and pool/beach time.
Should we do Koh Lanta or Phi Phi instead? Should we look into an island north of Phuket? Because we're not highly experienced, Hin Muang and Him Daeng aren't realistic for us.
It looks like most places require a boat for snorkeling? Any time we've done a snorkeling tour, we've been highly disappointed. $$$$ to take a boat with hordes of tourists to see dead coral from the aforementioned tourists standing on them.
Koh Tao was high on our list, but due to the time of year, we're going to the Andaman side.
DH gets bored after too much diving (probably due to our depth limits, but he has no interest in further certification) so I've promised him no more than 2 days of diving. We also enjoy kayaking, snorkeling, and don't mind a couple of days hanging out on the beach. He's also a serious mountain biker, so if we found somewhere he could get a bike and explore some trails, he'd be ecstatic.
We don't care for splashy resorts. We like huts on the beach. But huts, not cinder block cells.
Based on guide books and tourist blogs, I have tentative plans to go from Bangkok to Koh Lipe, diving with Forra, snorkeling off the beach, napping in hammocks. Then to Koh Muk where I'm getting mixed messages whether they even HAVE diving. But they do have the Emerald cave? Which we could kayak to?
And then a couple of nights in Phuket for last minute souvenirs and pool/beach time.
Should we do Koh Lanta or Phi Phi instead? Should we look into an island north of Phuket? Because we're not highly experienced, Hin Muang and Him Daeng aren't realistic for us.
It looks like most places require a boat for snorkeling? Any time we've done a snorkeling tour, we've been highly disappointed. $$$$ to take a boat with hordes of tourists to see dead coral from the aforementioned tourists standing on them.
Koh Tao was high on our list, but due to the time of year, we're going to the Andaman side.