My brother and his girlfriend are visiting in December for Christmas but plan to go to one of the islands for five or six days together. This would be in the middle of December and they are looking for a bit of everything really - romance, a couple of nights of partying and some stuff to do during the day - kayaking, snorkeling, climbing maybe?

My brother had suggested going down to Krabi and then on to Phi Phi but to be perfectly honest I don't do much traveling at all these days due to family and work and I would like to steer him in the right direction so I don't want to be telling him yes that will be great or that will be shit when frankly I don't have much of a clue about the islands these days. He has been here a few times in the past but it will be the first time for his girlfriend.

Some suggestions on places for him to go would be much appreciated!

Fly to Trang then any of the islands off there.

Koh Chang would fit the bill.

A couple of nights on samet and then continue south to Chang for the rest of their stay. Whitesands area is the most lively on koh Chang

Surely there is no better island for them than Koh Phangan

Whatever the island it won't be cheap Samui and Phangan are rumoured to be the most expensive islands in the Kingdom and having lived on both and still living on Samui I have to agree that they are not that cheap when you look at mainland prices . Medication I take costs me 120 baht more than what it costs me on the mainland they use the excuse of " TRANSPORTATION " to hike up the prices ! A French stick at Macro in Samui is 4 baht less than the same at Macro on Koh Phangan !!!!!

with 5 or 6 days they dont want to be wasting 2 of them travelling so go on down to koh chang. you can do everything on that island and i think less tourists get murdered there than on the others, i know ive not been murdered there........yet.

Samet has some nice quiet beaches and snorkeling and such Not sure about night life

Hello,

Koh Tao is one of the best islands for diving / snorkeling, and

from there you can move to Koh Pha-Ngan for partying.

Samet has some nice quiet beaches and snorkeling and such Not sure about night life

Samet can be bouncing, see the new year in on Sae Kaew beach at Ploy resort. Silver Sands has a good night club but don't go there during full moon if you're homophobic and it also has the best burger bar in Rayong.

Samui will fulfill your brother's wishes, however the weather can be a bit tricky in December due to the monsoon; kayaking and snorkeling may become a problem due waves/wind/rain...

Xmas is peak-season, so if you choose Samui/Phangan expect quite high rates for accommodation and book in advance, as some years everything has been full.
Wish you a good Xmas holiday...

Koh Lanta, easy to get from Krabi.

Random poll from the internet

Hello,

Koh Tao is one of the best islands for diving / snorkeling, and

from there you can move to Koh Pha-Ngan for partying.

Now KT is somewhere I would stay far away from . I hope no one ever thinks that is a good holiday destination.

Surely there is no better island for them than Koh Phangan

Except middle December is still monsoon season for the gulf islands.

Stick with the Andaman islands, as the east coast will still be having the monsoon season. Lanta may be a good option and is easy to get to from Krabi.

Hello,

Koh Tao is one of the best islands for diving / snorkeling, and

from there you can move to Koh Pha-Ngan for partying.

Now KT is somewhere I would stay far away from . I hope no one ever thinks that is a good holiday destination.

I've never spent a night on Koh Tao but only a few hours waiting for

a connection boat to Koh Pa-Ngan on my way from Chumphon. I

might of spent at least several days there if I were a diver. I wonder

how the island is now.

Edited November 13, 201510 yr by Too

End of December should be fine anywhere in Thailand. Here's Samui:

http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/thailand/ko-samui.php

Here's Phi Phi:

http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/thailand/phi-phi.php

Perhaps a bit better on the Andaman side, but I've spent a lot of time in and around Samui then, and it's fine.

This is a great site for info:

http://tezzasthaiinfo.blogspot.com/

There are sooooo many options. Samet is OK, but IMHO, not much to do during the day. Same with Chang. Chang is bigger, but after a day, you've seen it all! LOL Both have great beaches and some party options at night. But need to pick the right beach.

KPN is a very interesting island. There are several different places to choose from around the island depending on what you want to do. Get away, party all night, etc. Right off the coast from Samui, so transport is easy for those with limited time. Tao is a bit harder, but not too much...and is a wonderful island also with many different beaches/options. Same can be said for Samui.

Samui has the most activities of all, but is also the most crowded. The main beach has lots of party options. You can rent a car and cruise around (avoid scooters as it's the #1 destination in Thailand for scooter accidents). There's kayaking options, even overnight trips to off shore islands. And easy transport.

Krabi is actually 3 different options. Railey, Ton Sai and Ao Nang. Ao Nang is OK. I don't like Railey as one side is a mangrove swamp and the other has small beaches that disappear at high tide. But, has lots of activities and LOTS of backpackers.

Phi Phi is OK, but packed. Unless you escape to a resort away from the madness. Too many people in a very small area. For me anyway. But it is beautiful.

What is their #1 desire? Party? Kayak? Romance? That would help narrow things down a bit.

Best book soon as that is the high season.