On the ferry from Railay to Koh Lanta, one of the chaps on the boat could arrange accommodation. Having none I welcomed his advice and we narrowed a vast list of Koh Lanta accommodations to 3 that were within my price range and (more importantly) were near the main Koh Lanta nightlife hotspot – according to the chap, the nightlife was best in Phra Ae beach, aka Long Beach.

I opted for the LD Beach bungalows for 600 baht per night (approx 12 GBP) and having dropped my gear in the concrete bungalow, set off to find out what night-time shenanigans Long Beach had to offer. I quickly found out… Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Koh Lanta’s Long Beach is a very long and beautiful beach of near white sand. Restaurants are dotted along the beach edge together with other restaurants and more restaurants. For every 5 restaurants there is a bar. My accommodation guide considered this array of eateries to be nightlife – I think he and I have different criteria! To compliment the restaurants there was an abundance of older couples and families. I was the only English speaking person in the 20 to 40 age bracket. This was will sound like heaven for some but for me, especially having come from Phi Phi and Railay, this was hell.

I jumped on the internet and searched and searched for information on Koh Lanta’s best spots for ‘young and lively’ individuals like myself. There wasn’t much info. I asked friends on Facebook and the few that had been to Lanta advised that I should leave for Koh Tao immediately.

Instead of booknig ferry I picked up all the trip brochures – elephants, snorkeling and waterfalls all sounded appealing so I decided to stick with Lanta for 24 hours. The next day I hired a moped and buzzed around the island. As I jetted along I noticed a barbers shop and stopped for a trim. The trim didn’t go well s the barber spoke not a word of English. I was alarmed to see the finished product – he had taken a razor to remove all hair within an inch of the ear and also had shaved my facial hair leaving me with a goatee. I looked less than my best!

The plus of spotting the barbers though was that it was located next to Klong Khong beach. I walked through for a commiseration beer and the sunset and found myself on a beach with some life!! There were beach bars, bars and Thai massage offerings… there was a laid back vibe and the old people and families were replaced by backpackers. Yee hah, this was the place for me.

I found the Lanta Emerald bungalows and booked myself into a brand new concrete bungalow with two double beds, great bathroom, good furniture and loads of space. All for only 700 baht (14 GBP). The Emerald is a great place. Very chilled out, nice clientele, friendly staff (except an old chap who was miserable as sin) and something happening in the bar each night. The Emerald also had a swimming pool which was useful because Klong Khong beach is rocky and swimming is not great when the tide is out.

With time on my hands I chilled by the pool and took the 4 islands snorkel trip by speedboat. This was a full day trip with a visit to a cave (Emerald Cave) in the middle of a limestone cliff accessible only by swimming down a pitch black 40 yard twisting tunnel. The swim is not for the faint-hearted but the result is worth it.

Overall Koh Lanta is a chilled out island that does not compare in anyway to the nightlife of Phi Phi and Railay. In hindsight the 4 nights I spent there were ideal to recouperate from the previous week of excess. Go to Koh Lanta to relax, read a book and get a suntan. If you want to party, look elsewhere.