Hi folks,
We're planning on leaving Ko Tao tomorrow and getting a boat/bus to the west coast of Thailand. Our problem is we don't know where to start.

What we want to do is slowly make our way up North to Bangkok over a 3 week period. We have, so far, put in our itenary: Ko Lanta, PiPi, Krabi (ReiLei) and Phuket.

We just don't know where to start. Looking at a map, it makes sense to start as far South as possible, which would mean a bus to Krabi, then see Ko Lanta, PiPi and Phuket.

But should we go further South? Are there any 'must sees' South of Ko Lanta/Krabi? Even if we know this it would be a good place to start our research.... we just don't want to be crossing over ourselves multiple times while travelling as we only have 3 weeks of our trip left.

We're looking for a mix of nice beaches/chilling-out/diving but also would like a bit of lively nightlife the odd time.

We are budgeting about 1,000 baht per night (double bed) for 5 nights of the week, and can 'splash out' 2 nights of the week by going up to about 2,000 baht


We'd much appreciate any advise you can offer!

I would agree with this (although I am not well versed with the area) - do some island hopping... start in Ao Nang/Railay/Krabi and then take a public ferry to Ko Lanta for some chilled out white sand beach relaxation, then a public ferry to Ko Phi Phi for a bit more nightlife into the mix, then the ferry up to Phuket. That will give you a good cross-section of the (touristed) areas of south western Thailand.

__________________
Owner, travelforum.org
My latest travels: Shikoku Pilgrimage