Southern Thailand itinerary: 6 islands away from the crowds

We deliberately avoided the built-up south of the island in favour of northern Phuket: quieter, cheaper, far fewer people. That is where we found the real local atmosphere.

In Phuket Old Town we got lost in a street full of shops — clothes, souvenirs — with small hidden stalls you only find by pushing doors open. In the evening we headed for small beaches where only Thai families come to eat, feet almost in the water, far from the tourist terraces. Those simple dinners beat every smart restaurant in the south of the island.

The highlight: going to see the monkeys on Monkey Hill (Khao Toh Sae), a hill above Phuket Town home to hundreds of macaques. You can walk up — it is steep, about 1.7 km — or take a little golf buggy. The woman who drove us up was lovely and explained exactly how to behave around the monkeys to avoid trouble. Late in the day the road closes to cars and the light over the town is superb.

To reach Koh Lipe we flew to Hat Yai, took a transfer to Pak Bara pier, then a boat. That awkwardness is exactly what protects the island: right at the southern tip of Thailand, on the Malaysian border, Koh Lipe is still a small, largely unspoiled paradise.

We stayed at the Mali Resort Sunrise Beach, out on the point at the best-known spot on the island, with rooms opening straight onto white sand and water whose colours you do not forget.

Facing the beach, a small islet (Koh Kra) that we reached by kayak or swimming to snorkel over the coral. Next to it, a little trance bar with its feet in the sand, and a sunset that stops you talking. We also took a longtail out into the Tarutao marine national park: empty islands, translucent water, complete quiet.

Life revolves around the Walking Street: no scooter rental here, but small tuk-tuks always available that come to fetch you from your hotel as soon as you call. And our canteen: a small restaurant on the main street, just past the 7-Eleven — always full, very good, cheap, with lovely owners.

Koh Lanta was the wildest and calmest island of the trip. We loved Lanta Old Town, the old village built on stilts above the water, and the jungle covering the interior. Monitor lizards and monkeys everywhere, and enormous, completely empty beaches.

We stayed at the Rawi Warin Resort & Spa, a large property set in a huge tropical garden — ponds, fountains, palms and traditional Thai roofs, absolutely peaceful after a day of exploring. We have been back since, and the welcome is the reason why.

The highlight: the trip out to the Emerald Cave (Tham Morakot) on the neighbouring island of Koh Mook. You go in by swimming, through a dark tunnel in the cliff — mildly intimidating — which suddenly opens onto a hidden beach in the heart of the mountain, open to the sky. One of those moments you struggle to believe.

On Koh Phi Phi we stayed at the SAii Phi Phi Island Village Resort, away from the noise, with an outrageous breakfast buffet: over a hundred dishes, omelettes to order, pancakes, pastries. But the real treasure was elsewhere.

Behind the hotel there is a real village — not the restaurants at the front, but the one where people live. That is where our best encounters happened:

• A tuk-tuk driver who spoke no English at all. We understood each other by gesture, and he was always on time, exactly when he said. Total trust, every single time.
• The masseuses, a hairdresser, a manicurist — all unusually kind.
• The village restaurant, which gave our daughter fruit. When we told them we were leaving, they were genuinely moved that we had come back all week. That kind of bond is not something you buy.

And then there was Maya Bay — the beach from The Beach, with DiCaprio. We left very early and found ourselves almost alone between the cliffs, in a setting that barely looks real. Access is regulated now to protect the site, and to get that near-solitude you simply have to be up before everyone else. A memory for life.

A complete change of mood on Koh Tao, over on the Gulf of Thailand side. We stayed at the Cabana Hotel, a five-star at the far end of Sairee Beach, the central beach where the boats come in — attentive staff and enormous round rooms.

The big moment is Shark Bay (Thian Og Bay): you swim just off the beach with small blacktip reef sharks (entirely harmless) and, above all, green turtles, over hundreds of corals. It is one of the rare places where you see turtles almost every day.

In the evening, head for the liveliest bar on Sairee Beach, recognisable by its leaning palm tree: the Lotus Bar. Loud, fire shows, a happy and slightly unhinged crowd — the island's meeting point at sunset.

We finished at Chumphon, a find very few travellers know: quiet, beautiful, and far more peaceful than the touristy southern islands. It is also the natural crossing point between the Gulf and the mainland.

We took a superb boat trip out to wooden structures built on rocks in the open sea, then into the Mu Ko Chumphon marine national park, full of small hidden corners. It feels like the southern islands, but with nobody there — just silence and the view.