does a paradise island still exist without tons of tourists

We are due to fly to Thailand on sunday and we are still looking for that 'Paradise' island! We've been to most of the tourist ones and find them so overcrowded now. Can anyone recommend somewhere with blue water, snorkelling and white sand etc? We've done Koh Lanta, PHi PHi yuch! Koh Jum, Koh Samui, Ray Lei, Koh Kud, Koh Lipe.. Looked at Koh Tao, but the best places seem to be really expensive and bungalows chock a block. Budgetwise we are prepared to pay around 40 dollars per night. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Trang islands are nice and quiet and very beautiful - Koh Kradan, Koh Muk and Koh Ngai. We found somewhere budget to stay on each of these but was almost 2 years ago when we went. Koh Bulon was also very nice and quiet.

If your looking for the uncrowded 'Paradise Island' ... you've got the wrong country. Check out the Philippines ...

Yes I agree they still exist I just been there last month ,I recomment Ar dang Island (opposit famous Lipe)it a national park lot of white sandy beach which still got turtle came to lay thier eggs got a waterfall on the island so no water problem like Lipe and at night if you bored you can hire a boat cross the chanel to Lipe to have some fun and back to sleep in yours tent at the beach on Ar dang Islandthe down side is it too far the boat to Island take2and half hours cost 2000bath and food and drink will cost more as it add transport cost
another Paradise Island I found this trip it not far from Pataya so quited the day I been just my family alone on this Island which got 3 white powder sandy beach to choose the coral reef to snorkel near the beach crytal clear water no speed boat no jet ski no food vender no hut no accomodation just beach & tree and toilet/shower room I think no alcohol allow on this Island as well the boat trip from land took 10minut cost 120bath

Just to make things clear - most websites will find Ar Dan as Adang. Got a page on it on my humble site.

nipon+ - unless your Paradise Island near Pattaya is called +Paradise Island I cant see any reference to its name.

#5 unless your Paradise Island near Pattaya is called Paradise Island

That one should be renamed "Hell Island".

does a paradise island still exist without tons of tourists
Look for one with no sceduled transport options. If it's difficult to get to, it just might be what you're looking for.

Just wait till tity sees this thread, LOL. Then the sand will fly!

Cheers all for your replies. Thanks Tezza for your input. Checked out your site and we have decided on Phangan. Just for some downtime we have decided (for my birthday) to splash out at Cookies on Had Salad. Hope this is still a decent place and beach. Then after that we will explore your recommendations.
We also have to do a visa run while we're in that region. Where is the nearest place? Thanks again Y'all.

I don't think you will be disappointed with Cookies. I thought their cheapest "hotel style" rooms were very good value - and killer views from rooms, restaurant and even near-beach pool.

Oh yeah, visa run. I'm assuming you mean from Phangan or near. Lotsa people from those islands go to Burma via Ranong. Buses and minibuses to Ranong from Chumpon and Surathani on the mainland. Chumpon is closer to Ranong.

Alternatively, people go to Penang. Dunno if it is any harder or easier. Best mainland starting point from Phangan is Surathani.

Best idea is to start a new thread - we have some visa-run experts who will not be following this thread.

Depends what you mean by "paradise"?

For me "paradise" is a spot of good fishing, a few rock pools to snoop about in, no bongos or dreadlocks in sight, ice cold beer (either local or imported) with cocktails as the sun sinks, pizza or a good blackened burger, followed by a night out of solid Metal and quality Rock tunes with more icy beers (either local or imported), some good (or Bad) company and plenty of crumpet (either local or imported).

I can think of nothing worse than being stuck on a beach with limited supplies of all of the above and tourists whose ides of "culcha" is swinging them fire thingies to endless monotonous technoshite all night.

You gotta hit Byron Bay, Farty. Ticks all those boxes.

I'm there dude.

#12 no bongos or dreadlocks in sight
Add amplified icrapods to that, and I'm with you there.

I'm hitting Chang/Wai/Mak/Kut next month. The Bride+ is coming, wants me to get a haircut. Being summer here I've normally got a #2 buzzie by this stage, but I'm growing it long. Gunna get some dreadies in Bangkok on the way thru. +Farty, where do you get yours done?

Long gone are the good old days when Byron Bay cops used to give any stray long haired hippys caught sleeping in panel vans a good beating and run em outa town eh?

Good info btw

# 18. Tezza, is Like all Byron places, charges are not inexpensive code for mind boggling wallet emptyingly expensive?
Lovina babe- Oh why does someone like that need to splash the ink on- sad.

Not mind-boggling tbl - but when a dorm bed is gonna cost the same as a nice budget bungalow on most Thai islands I start to get a bit antsy.
And Byron dorm beds cost a bit more than most other Aussie places.

I'm not a big fan of tramp-stamps, but somehow on that lady it looks okay.

Hi Tezza if your watching. Just booked the Cookies job with Sawadee, but how do we get there as there is no indication. Sorry if that sounds a bit lame!

When you get off the boat, there'll be no shortage of taxis waiting to take you anywhere on the island, at any arrival time. Haad Salad should set you back 150b each, one-way. Or rent a scooter(s), get a map (somebody'll hand you one on the dock, or they're available all over--check in front of the 7/11 for an info stand, or at the ferry office, or any travel agency), and go slowly, especially the "road" to Cookies...Scooters're handy as Phangan is not small, and it becomes cheaper than taxis so long as you don't crash them like many farangs do here (lucrative business). On the main road (east/west) through Thongsala, you want to take a left turn just before that 7/11 and stay towards the left when you approach another potential road split in about 1 km, and just follow the coast up to Haad Salad. Decent signage, and difficult to get lost. The usual island map is pretty good, and shows all of the resorts, including yours. If you don't love your new digs after a nite, then just keep looking north--the scenery gets better and better. Currently at Mae Haad, inland bungalo (200m from beach) at Wangsei Gardens for 400b/nite, fan, cold water, and digging it! Local beachside bungalo at Island Resort (my beach access) costs 1500b/nite. Offshore jungle island (Ko Ma) that you can walk to on a sandbar at low tide, or swim to anytime; good snorkeling (lil' sharkeys, sea urchins, parrotfish, occasional grouper...) Be sure to spend a few afternoons at Malibu beach--wide white sands; beautiful. Halfway between Chaloklum and Mae Haad (maybe 6k from Salad).

Usually a songthaew taxi waiting at the pier for Had Salad bound people as matt says - not too hard finding it among the fleet of other vehicles.

Cookies will also come down to pick you up if you contact beforehand. But I gotta admit they were not there when our ferry came in - we waited 10 minutes and then a local transport guy phoned them, waited another 10 and the pickup arrived. I guess they were on their way, just a bit late.

I'm not sure if the public taxi soghthaew would take you into Cookies on the separate southern access road. Maybe they put everyone off at the main beach access towards the north end - it's a bit of a lug along the beach to Cookies on the southern headland.

Hey matt - loved your description of Mae Had and surrounds. Going back to Phangan in April - was gonna do an east coast crawl. But now............

Edited by: tezza

Be careful what you wish for.

I read about paradise, it features relatively early on in the Bible, and it did not feature a lot of entertainment of any kind. No nice cafes, easy going bars with some guys playing Marley tunes, coconut shakes required monkeying up a tree and then shaking them yourself. Also the accommodation situation was pretty dire; building your own @#()&@ hut on the beach FFS.

So you may not actually want paradise, but something with just enough infrastructure and amenities to suit your own personal requirements at this particular point in your life.