I have heard about this Thai Island from many friends, some of which have been already twice and are considering going back again in the near future.
Through them I got to know a few Italians that live on the island and have setup businesses and families there.
So I started thinking this place was magical a few years back, way before planning a trip there. In then end last winter I planned a trip there and I went. See my article on Bangkok for tips about the city, if you’re going through that.
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HOW TO GET THERE:
There are multiple ways to get to Lipe, the island is very close to Malaysia so one way is to fly to Kuala Lumpur and then get to the island by getting to Langkawi first and then take a speedboat to Lipe.
Another way is via Hat Yai Airport that is connected to Bangkok with multiple flights per day and then get a speedboat to Lipe from Pak Bara Harbour.
All of this is super easy to book using the 12GO app! Access them here!!
I took the Pak Bara - Hat Yai route coming out of Lipe and I remember booking 1-2 days before during dinner and that was Speedboat to Pak Bara - Bus transfer to Hat Yai airport and the flight to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (flights are also available for BKK Don Mueang).
Their cancellation policy is also very flexible in case your plans change.
Another way - and the one I used to get to Lipe - is a speedboat from Phuket (Old Town) - this one is about 5 hours in total, sometimes you might change boat in Koh Lanta, or make a stop in Pak Bara.
This is where you arrive, there’s no harbour, just a floating dock taking you to Pakbara Beach. The view is just incredible.
This one I’ve taken literally whilst getting off the speedboat, I could not believe my eyes. In fact on Facebook someone doubted it 😂
On this side of the island, called Pattaya Beah (to not be confused with Pattaya the city near Bangkok - naughty naughty!!!) you can find a LOT of restaurants and bars, as well as some hotels and resorts.
Let’s go in order:
WHERE TO STAY!
I stayed at ANDA LIPE - (BOOK IT HERE) - I had a great time, it’s on the Sunrise side of the Island and the hotel has a narrow beach with some sunbeds. My room was humongous, completely made of dark wood, beautiful and it wasn’t too expensive (early December) - as a Booking.com Genius I probably spent around £70-80 a night.
They also have a huge swimming pool, useless IMO in a place with a beautiful sea but I have dipped in after dark just to chill with a beer in hand just reading emails (as you do).
This was the view from the breakfast/bar, again, mind blown, I swear I cried the morning I left..
And these are pictures from just outside the hotel, to show you how beautiful Sunrise Beach is..
Some of my closest friends stayed at the Ten Moons Lipe Resort Sunrise Beach - see it and book it HERE - another beautiful property with direct access to the beach, they also a little private beach, between the rocks, stunning place! They also have a property on Sunset Beach, Ten Moons Sunset.
Some other properties to consider, on the expensive/posh side:
AKIRA LIPE RESORT - stunning property on Pattaya Beach, very luxurious, very posh but worth checking out! BOOK IT HERE
ANANYA LIPE RESORT - very beautiful property on Pattaya Beach, big pool, very luxurious, (also a nice restaurant, on the posh side, but we went one night we were dying for some wine after 2 weeks of Tiger beers) BOOK IT HERE
BUNDAYA VILLAS - This is the one after Ananya if you continue on Pattaya Beach - stunning property, luxurious and post, check it out HERE!!
However I strongly recommend:
FAMILY SONG BUNGALOW - run and owned by an Italian guy called Cristiano, who is from the same area of Italy as I am, avid Cesena FC supporter as we all are in the area. If you’re Italian, I recommend Cristiano wholeheartedly, you’ll be able to book transfers, accommodation as well as day tours for both fishing and visiting/snorkeling etc.. I did their Tour #11 I think, it’s the one with everything, and the tour was awesome.
I think for families it’s the best place, huge bungalows, just a few steps away from Pattaya Beach and the Walking Street, I have many friends that stayed there and I think I will choose for my next visit (as I might stay a longer time - hello midlife crisis 😜)
Cristiano hires staff from Italy so just imagine booking all this in your own language :)
You can of course book in any language, and here’s their website - tell them you heard about them from Alberto! E Forza Cesena!
If you wanna book through Expedia via me, I have an affiliate link here
This are images from a tour organised by Family Song Tours
Speaking of boats, on the Island you’ll see a lot of Boat Taxis, I mean the island is tiny but sometimes you just wanna get somewhere quick (e.g. the north side), we once took it coming back from Sunset Beach to Pattaya and here’s the resulting sunset..
WHERE TO EAT:
Family Song - literally, on the beach, this restaurant has been on the Island for ages and is run by a local Chao Ley family (read more about the indigenous inhabitants of Lipe here)
Nee Papaya Thai Food and BBQ - basically, as you get out of the walking street inland, turn right and it’s one of the first restaurants on the left. we ate fantastically here, we did a ‘vertical prawn tasting’, as in we bought 400grams (a Pound I guess?) of each variety to see if we could tell the price difference (first world games uh?).
And I must say, the cheapest were better, the skin was coming off better that the others more expensive, so you see? there’s a lesson everywhere..
We also had a small tuna and some other fishes, all super fresh and grilled to order. What I really love about their style here, is that they BBQ like we do in Italy, with NOTHING on top other than salt! Sorry America! 😜
Funny story, they serve a “Side Rice” that can probably feed a whole family 😂
Elephant - this place is awesome, it combines an international menu with Thai delicacies, their pizzas looked good too. They’re open for brunch and all day. It’s a must when in Lipe! The staff are just awesome too.
OMG Sports Bar - yep, I went there, first day, I was on my own, I saw a stage with instruments and so I have to go in, it was lunch time though so it was very quiet. I had some great Thai food and a bunch [sic] of super cold beers. They also allowed me to play one of the guitars they had there on stage, which was cool (you should never stop practising!)
Ananya - I mentioned it above but one night we wanted white wine so badly that we had to go here (long story but the Island’s deliveries had been affected by the flooding in Hat Yai so there’s was no wine anywhere!! - again first world problems)
The food was great, again, it’s on the posh side, directly on the beach but part of a very luxurious resort so expect to pay New York prices (or London for that matter)
For the Italians 🇮🇹 missing their cuisine,
Il Chioschiño - we went once, as after 2 weeks in Thai, we wanted some pasta and we got an AOP (Garlic Oil Chilly) with prawn tartare on top.. I mean, it was delicious.
Made In Italy - I personally never been, however it comes highly recommended from the Italians on the island. They have been in Lipe a long time.
There are others such as La Luna, Mangiamare Lipe, Paolo Italian Pizza, however, the last thing I wanna eat whilst in Thailand, as an Italian, is Italian food. I mean it’s great, a pizza every now and then and what not, but I guess it’s good for the Thais to have access to it, and also international travellers why not.
the guy can chat and he’s from near where I'm from (like Cristiano the owner of Family Song Bungalow & Tours)
WHERE TO DRINK:
The island is small and generally speaking, quiet. Most places shut at Midnight, however there’s a buzzing community of locals so there are places to hang when all tourists have gone, and here’s a few. And yes, I've been hanging with the locals, that’s how I travel, also my friends go to bed too early for my taste 😂
There are of course a gazillion places to drink in Lipe, I’m gonna list the ones I’ve been hanging at! As I do, otherwise you could just Google right, why read this.
Corner Bar - literally in a sharp corner on the way up of the Walking Street - about half way to the beach. The staff are amazing, they have live music Wednesdays and Thursdays I think (at least when I was there) and the atmosphere is awesome.
There’s a reason people drink beer in Thailand, cocktails can be very expensive, but again, it’s not like Dry Gin is the liquor of choice in Thailand, so if you want your G&T, again, be ready to pay as if you were in London. Well, a bit less, about £7. A beer would go for 100Baht, so £2.26 roughly.
High Bar: this is for the high achievers, for the dragon catchers that have seen it all but that are still out there fishing. This place is awesome, there’s a pool table, sofas and comfy chairs.. they have rooms too I think, or there’s a hostel upstairs.
I spent many nights here playing pool until very late, with the locals. This is part of why I love Lipe, in 2 nights playing pool at the High Bar I met so many locals that I now say hi to people on the Walking Street every other shop.
Another special mention for Lipe@Home Bar - Jimmy Bar - and Maya Bar - i’m just gonna say I don’t remember if it was Maya or Jimmy but had a late late night DJ set and it was just locals (it was only early December to be fair), and I went with all the Corner Bar staff.
So yeah, Koh Lipe, what a place. Now I know why whoever has been wants to go back again and again, also why so many have settled there from Europe, some just for the winter (as we know it) and some permanently.
It’s a really special place and I hope I have made it justice with this small article.