Nikolai Stern, 129 TCCS

Tell us about your trip…

Where did you go?
Koh Mook, Trang Province

How long did you stay?
5 nights

What was the weather like?
The weather was perfect, a cool breeze in the mornings and evenings, but hot enough where you could bake in the sun all day.

How would you categorize this place?
Inundated by tourists

Getting There

How did you get there?
We flew from BKK to TST (1 hour), then took a Taxi from the Trang airport to the pier (45 minutes). From the pier it was only a 15 minute boat ride to the island.

How long do you think it would take to travel here from Bangkok?
4-6 hours

Do you have any travel tips you can offer?
If you are flying take the earliest flight from BKK so you can spend the afternoon on the beach. A more affordable option would be to take an overnight bus and train to Trang (Here is a website for me information on travel options – https://www.travelfish.org/transport/thailand/southern_thailand/trang/trang/all ).

Recommendations

Places to stay…
We stayed at Nature Hill, a cute set of bungalows only a 3 minute walk from Farang Beach. Designed by the most hospitable owner, Pi Su, and built by her cousin, Pi Om. Pi Su makes you feel right at home when you stay here. And order the fresh fruit bowl for breakfast. If you need AC or a hot water heater, this rustic place isn’t for you. Tong Bar is right across the dirt road, and hosts a fire show every night. Some nights the music from Tong Bar carries across the road until 1am or 2am.

Places to eat…
Everyday, we ate breakfast at Nature Hill, lunch on the beach at Charlie Beach Resort & Hotel, and dinner at Mayow Thai Kitchen. Mayow Thai Kitchen had some incredible Thai dishes and the owners were very friendly and accommodating; they made some dishes that weren’t on the menu. Two stand out dishes were the Gai Pad Pong Karee and the Yam Mamuang (bring your own sticky rice for those of you coming from Isaan or the North.) The family that runs Mayow Thai Kitchen also owns the Mong Bar on Farang Beach and rents out kayaks and boat tours. There is some live music some nights so go enjoy a drink, relax on some Thai mats and listen to some Thai reggae. Prices ranged from 80- 150 baht per plate depending on the dish.

Places to visit/things to do…
If you love to relax this island is the perfect place for you, if not I would turn around quickly. There’s not much to do, except relax. Morning Yoga on Farang Beach; then rent a beach chair for 50 baht a day until the sun sets over the beach. If you want a break from relaxing, rent a kayak for 100 baht an hour or take a tour for 300 baht to the island’s famous Emerald Cave. Swim through a dark cave until you get to a crater and beach with emerald water. It’s a must see!

Other Information

When would you recommend going?
The whole island has a pretty short season from November to late April, shutting down the rest of the year. I would recommend going in December, the weather was perfect! Every hotel was booked, but it was not crowded at all.

Tips & Advice

Please provide any other tips or advice you may have for PCVs who want to travel here…
An excellent place to relax and unwind, away from the typical 20 year-old backpacker island hopping in the south. There’s not too much to do so grab a book or two from the PC Lounge before you go.

Would you go back?
In a heartbeat

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