SRC:https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-find-thailands-best-beaches Thailand Best Beaches
Serious partiers, hippies, and backpackers migrate to this ferry-accessible island (plans for an airport have been stalled) notorious for its wild full moon parties on Rin Beach. Held every month on the night of the full moon, the festivities feature DJs, fire dancers, and more. Thousands of people come from all over the world, adorn themselves with neon paint, and dance all night long. Half moon parties can be a slightly tamer but still fun experience. Hippie culture is still deeply rooted in the island, so you can expect to find places to practice yoga, study meditation, and engage in Ayurveda and other holistic practices. Travelers who want to enjoy all that, with the comforts of a luxury resort, can do so at the top-rate Anantara Rasananda.
8. Koh Phra Thong
A secluded island-reachable by boat only-with large expanses of flat savannah bordered by sandy beaches, this is a great choice for travelers who want to escape the grind and stay at a small eco-resort. Villages with thatched-roof homes lend the island a humble vibe, and visitors may feel like they’ve arrived in a place frozen in time. Nature lovers can go bird-watching and spot over 100 species of birds, including endangered storks, or visit the local turtle sanctuary. (Try a value-minded eco-resort like the Moken Eco Village for a bungalow stay and full immersion in the great outdoors.) It’s even possible to board a squid-fishing boat to see how the local fishermen catch squid by night.
9. Koh Phi Phi
You might be familiar with this island group made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach, but Koh Phi Phi is actually an archipelago of six islands, with picturesque beaches, set in Thailand’s Krabi province. Only Phi Phi Don is inhabited, while the others are protected as part of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Although the uninhabited Phi Phi Leh’s main attraction, Maya Bay, is temporarily closed after suffering damage due to overtourism, you can still explore the island’s other bays and nearby islands, which can be reached exclusively by boat. Base your stay at the eco-luxe Zeavola Resort or the seafront Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort for a pampered base for further island exploration.
In addition to Koh Tao, the Similan Islands are known for some of the world’s best diving. The archipelago contains 11 islands, often simply referred to by the numbers 1-11, which the Thai Department of National Parks assigned according to their positioning from south to north. The Similan Islands Marine National Park is fringed by coral reefs-though coral bleaching has destroyed some of the hard coral-and depending on the time of year, divers and snorkelers can see hawksbill turtles, rays, reef fish, barracuda, and even sharks. Visitors can stay in basic bungalows operated by the national park, get a cabin on a dive boat, or take a day trip from Khao Lak on the mainland. There’s no airport on the islands, so you have to get a boat transfer from Phuket or Khao Lak.