Hi

My daughter and boyfriend are planning a trip to the above island for some mega chill time. They will be coming to stay in Hua Hin mid January 2015 and plan to go from here to Ranong to catch a 2pm boat to the island for a few days before returning here to take care of this grumpy old man. A couple of questions for those ardent travellers amongst you

1) Anybody been there and any views/tips etc
2) Best way of getting to Ranong to hit the 2pm departure

They are both in backpack/budget mode and want to get from HH to the island in a day. They will also need advice about getting back.

Thanks in advance for your responses

If they are looking for chilled out backpacking then have a look at Koh Chang. No roads, just a few resorts and pure picture postcard bliss. Koh Payam is a bigger island and more modernised with rooms with aircon, roads, internet etc. Some nice beaches but much prefer Koh Chang myself. Not sure about getting there from HH as always rode to Ranong, spent the night in a place near the ferry and got the morning ferry. On the return journey I had a night again in the rooms who looked after the ride for me

Firstly see link

http://koh-phayam.com/Phayam1.html

My wife and I have private property on the island, and we have a house in Ranong.

Firstly, the poster suggesting the island is developed and has roads is at best using poetic license.

There are roads but only for bikes ( push and motorbike )

For me the best places to chill are down the south west ( Aow Yai ) and the west Aow Khao Kwai ( my favourite )

The main ''happening place'' is when you get off the ferry and even then once the ferry has embarked/disembarked it quietens right down.

I wont recommend any places in case they turn out crap, but the link should help plenty.

At the jetty there are heaps of hawkers touting various places.

Enjoy

Ive been here. Theres absolutely nothing to do, apart from do nothing. Theres 1 massage place that we could find. We rented a motorbike to go around the island but that didn't take long and we got chased by a wild bore. The roads are just for bikes and are narrow and poor construction. We stayed here http://theblueskyresort.com/koh_payam/. The rooms are quite expensive but its the best resort on the island, and at night you can sit on the beach and watch the sun go down. Food is cheap and top quality.

Everywhere is powered by generators so expect the electric to go off quite often.

Would I go there again? Probably if I was in the Hua Hin area, but as Im in Pattaya its way too much hassle to get there. Flew from Suvarnabhumi to Surat Thani, Taxi to Ranong, overnighted there, then took the boat to the island.

Beware!!!!!! if its bad weather the boats don't operate, and its possible to get stuck and theres no ATM's on the island, so make sure they have plenty of cash, and credit cards.

There is phone signal.

Ive been here. Theres absolutely nothing to do, apart from do nothing. Theres 1 massage place that we could find. We rented a motorbike to go around the island but that didn't take long and we got chased by a wild bore. The roads are just for bikes and are narrow and poor construction. We stayed here http://theblueskyresort.com/koh_payam/. The rooms are quite expensive but its the best resort on the island, and at night you can sit on the beach and watch the sun go down. Food is cheap and top quality.

Everywhere is powered by generators so expect the electric to go off quite often.

Would I go there again? Probably if I was in the Hua Hin area, but as Im in Pattaya its way too much hassle to get there. Flew from Suvarnabhumi to Surat Thani, Taxi to Ranong, overnighted there, then took the boat to the island.

Beware!!!!!! if its bad weather the boats don't operate, and its possible to get stuck and theres no ATM's on the island, so make sure they have plenty of cash, and credit cards.

There is phone signal.

A wild 'bore'? Must have escaped from Pattaya.

They can take a minivan to Chumphon and then another one to Ranong. If they get carsick at all they may want to take something for the Chumphon to Ranong portion as it's a windy road. As mentioned above - bring cash to the island - no atm. They should try to book a place for at least the first night as sometimes the island is full at that time of year.

I really like Aow Yai as there are beach bungalows all along the bay and really great food available.

Most people rent motorbikes but if they are fit I recommend renting bicycles. I think it's safer and the island is tiny so it's easy to get around.