Koh Lipe Travel Guide| Is This The Best Thai Island?

Koh Lipe is closer to Malaysia than it is to mainland Thailand, and it’s a bit of a trek to get to. Lipe has white sands and crystal clear sea – but is it worth the effort?

Read on to find out, along with tips on what to do, the best places to eat, drink and where to stay!

Koh Lipe Travel Guide Contents

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WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK ON KOH LIPE

On The Rocks

Absolutely idyllic restaurant and bar sitting over the turquoise waters and looking down onto one of the best, most secluded beaches on the island. You pay more of a premium here by Thai standards for the setting and the view but it is totally worth it!

There are lots of Western favourites on the menu including a selection of steaks, but I went Thai and had a gorgeous fried rice lunch with fresh king prawns, washed down with a good cocktail and followed up with an afternoon nap on the beach below.

Whilst the sun sets on the other side of the island, I reckon sundowners here followed by dinner at dusk would be something else. A must whilst on Koh Lipe.

Tonkow

I ate at Tonkow three times during my time on Koh Lipe, which says it all. I tried their pad Thai and pad kraprow which were both great, but if you only go once, get their homemade Massaman Gai. It’s the best massaman curry I’ve ever had and I honestly nearly cried when I found out another table had ordered the last portion on my last night. You won’t regret it!

Thaidurm

Local Thai place with the traditional fresh seafood BBQ you’ll find is popular on the islands. With an extensive menu of Thai food at good prices, Thaidurm always seemed to packed out, but it’s worth waiting a short while for a table.

If you’re dining solo, think twice before ordering a starter and main – the eight massive tempura prawns I had to start could easily have been my whole meal! I tackled a Thai green curry full of flavour afterwards.

Zodiac Bar

Vibey, popular beach bar with lots of seating, cushions on the beach and a fire show each night. Zodiac is at the west end of Sunrise Beach, so you can catch the sunset just around the corner from here.

Zodiac don’t need to do a happy hour to pull the crowd, so you’ll find cocktails for 250 baht a piece here (lots of bars on Sunrise Beach will do 2 for 250 baht, but they are not situated for a sunset view), and 100 baht for a small beer. It’s a good spot for sundowners or to hit after the sun has set in time for the fire show.

Sunset Beach Mojito Bar

I really enjoy a fancy rooftop bar with a view, but there is nothing I love more than a shack on the beach serving up a decent cocktail I can drink as I watch the sun go down.

If you make the walk over to Sunset Beach, there is a Thai lady with a fold up table serving beers, snacks and fresh mojitos to order for 100 baht each. It is everything beach sunsets on a Thai island should be.

Elephant Cafe

Popular spot for lunch on Walking Street serving Western and Thai dishes made with quality ingredients. Fantastic spot for brunch, Elephant serves breakfast dishes all day, and there are plenty of vegan options on the menu, too. The salads, wraps, pizzas and burgers will scratch the itch for something familiar if you’ve over done the pad Thai (if that’s possible!)

Thai Lady Pancake

Opposite the 7/11 at the end of Walking Street, there is a restaurant simply called Thai Lady Pancake on Google Maps. The food is decent enough, but the real pull is the pancakes this wonderful lady makes. Beautiful greasy Nutella roti, the ultimate simple pleasure in Thailand!

The Box

One of the more upmarket restaurants on Koh Lipe, it’s best to make a reservation for The Box, though I did luck out with a spot for one at the bar.

Tuna tataki, ceviche, tacos, burgers – The Box have a fantastic menu of Western favourites for when you need a change from Thai food.

Symbolic Beach Bar

You’ll find Symbolic Beach Bar at the North Point of Sunrise Beach, at the bottom of the hill that Mountain Resort sits on (which is also your tsunami evacuation point, FYI). It’s the perfect place to grab cocktails before joining the mass crowd that gathers to watch the sun set, but it’s a bit quieter during the day and a nice spot for lunch.

Happy hour is mix and match 3 for 2 on the cocktails – a bit more expensive than elsewhere but you’re paying for the sunset location.

Power Beach Bar

One thing Koh Lipe does well is a decent happy hour. Power Beach Bar was very near to where I stayed, and they did a solid 4 hours or so of 2-4-1 happy hour on cocktails each day. An excellent Cuba Libre! 250 baht for two cocktails, and sometimes they had live music playing too – winner!

Jungle Bar

Chilled rustic bar tucked away from the main strip serving great cocktails.

THINGS TO DO ON KOH LIPE

Beach Hop

The beaches of Koh Lipe are the best I have had the privilege to enjoy in Thailand, and you can’t do much better than exploring the different sands during your time on the island.

My favourite beach was the little coves tucked away at the foot of Ten Moons Resort and Serendipity Resort at the opposite end of Sunrise Beach from North Point. They are a little slice of heaven, with swings hanging from the trees, plenty of shade and beautiful water to swim in around smooth rocks that are reminiscent of the Seychelles.

Diving

Diving is well served on Koh Lipe, and I finally got back in the water after a six year long hiatus with the help and experience of the guys at Forra Dive. They were great; French run and speak at least half a dozen languages if not more. Would dive with again!

The visibility isn’t the greatest (I’ve been so spoilt with doing the bulk of my diving in the Gilis) but the waters have incredible corals, plenty of barracuda and if you’re really lucky you may see some rays or a whale shark, though it does sound like the latter is rarer than perhaps it is made out online! Currents can be strong in some dive sites around Koh Lipe.

A refresher course with 2 dives including lunch cost me 3730 baht with Forra.

Snorkelling

Do not fret if you are not a diver, for the snorkelling in the waters around Lipe is fantastic. I did a half day trip for around 500 baht and it was plenty as it took in the best of the snorkelling sites where there was fantastic coral (Jabang and Koh Era).

Most tours include a stop at a nearby Koh Rawi, a picturesque island where you can grab snacks or a cold beer to enjoy whilst enjoying the beautiful beach and clear waters.

Visit Koh Adang

Get a long boat from Sunrise Beach over to neighbouring Koh Adang, the second biggest island in the Tarutao National Park. Here you can enjoy secluded beaches and climb the viewpoint that looks over to Koh Lipe.

The boat charge is 100 baht per person and takes around 10 minutes.

WHERE TO STAY ON KOH LIPE

Sunrise Beach is the best place to stay on Koh Lipe. The beach is long and expansive, with plenty of varied options of differing levels of hotels, yet still quiet enough to feel relatively secluded. And as the name suggests, it’s the perfect place to wake up early and see the sun rise over the Andaman Sea.

HOTELS

Wapi Resort
Sunrise Beach

After much deliberation of all the options on Koh Lipe, I settled on booking Wapi Resort. The hotel is on Sunrise beach and owned by a super helpful, friendly French man who would happily organise onward travel and day trips.

Wapi was a real quiet oasis with excellent rooms. I had the pleasure of a comfortable super king sized bed, solid air con, fridge and my own terrace with sofa on it, tucked away from the other bungalows. They have refillable water bottles for you to use which was great both on cost saving and helping the environment.

Every morning I would walk a couple of minutes from my bungalow to the beach for the sunrise, followed by a breakfast of fresh fruit, juice, pancakes and made to order eggs and crispy bacon. A great stay that I would highly recommend. Book here.

Serendipity Resort
Sunrise Beach

Were I to return to Koh Lipe I would likely stay at Serendipity Resort, which is where On The Rocks restaurant and bar is. It’s tucked further away from the hustle and bustle of other restaurants and Walking Street, but not too far you can’t walk down for a change of scenery, and the beach it’s set on is picture perfect.

There are rooms with their own infinity pools looking out onto the sea, so if you can stretch to those, do it. It’s not crazy expensive but in a totally idyllic setting, if a bit further away from the action. For many people, that’ll be the pull! Book here.

Ten Moons Resort
Sunrise Beach

Next to Serendipity sits Ten Moons, so it’s another hotel that gets the benefit of what I reckon is the best beach/cove on the island! Every room has a sea view at Ten Moons; perfect for getting up early to witness the sun rise only a few steps from your bed. Book here.

Lipe Beach Resort
Sunrise Beach

Prime location on the island on Sunrise Beach, with plenty of sunbeds on the beach and large heart you can sit in for those Insta shots.

There’s a great range of rooms for different budgets, from no hot water and fan only to air con with hammocks and private verandas. Naturally, the closer to the beach you are the fancier the rooms get. Book here.

Bulow Casa Grand View Resort
Sunrise Beach

Beautiful resort on Sunrise beach with stunning villa pools that sit directly on the beach and a fantastic view of the sunset over the Andaman Sea to boot. This place was out of my budget for this trip to Koh Lipe, but with two of you sharing, feels like a no brainer if you’re after some luxury. Book here.

Akira Lipe Resort
Pattaya Beach

Extremely enticed by the beautiful pool at Akira, I very nearly stayed here before deciding I wanted to stay on Sunrise Beach, and that the Andaman Sea was all the pool I’d need.

If you’re keen to stay on Pattaya beach, and if modern rooms, a gym and three pools is the sort of vibe you’re after for your holidays, Akira is a great option. Book here.

HOSTELS

Bloom Cafe and Hostel

Modern yet cosy design, dorm beds have privacy curtains and their own nightlights – always a winner. Shared lounge, bar and bathrooms with hairdryers. Bloom Cafe also does all day breakfast and banging pancakes. Book here.

The Chic Lipe

Popular hostel not far from Walking Street, The Chic is modern with great facilities, privacy curtains and even double beds in the dorms. Private rooms and female only dorms available. Book here.

GETTING TO KOH LIPE

As far as Thai islands go, Koh Lipe is not easy to get to. However, if you’re backpacking up from Malaysia, Langkawi to Koh Lipe is the natural route to go; the journey takes 1 hour 30 mins.

From Bangkok you can take a flight to Hat Yai or Trang (or an overnight train to either of these if you’re feeling adventurous). Despite loving overnight trains, in the end I didn’t want to risk the train being late and missing the connection to the last boat over to Koh Lipe so I opted to fly to Hat Yai instead.

My flight with Thai Airways cost me around £30 booked only a few weeks in advance, and from Hat Yai I was taken by minibus to Pakbara, where the speedboat took us over to Lipe. The easiest way to sort the minibus/speedboat transfer part out is to book in advance online at 12Go.

You can specify pick up from the airport or train station in Hat Yai or Trang on 12Go, so double check what you’re booking. The journey was straightforward and ran surprisingly smoothly – clearly things have improved a bit in the last 12 years since my early backpacking days!

Given it was high season, the speedboat on the way to Koh Lipe stopped at a couple of islands in Tarutao National Park which were absolutely stunning. This did add at least an hour onto the speedboat trip, so in total took around 2.5 hours. From leaving my hotel in Bangkok to getting to my hotel on Koh Lipe, the journey was 10 hours.

Please note there is a 200 baht fee per person to take this journey – it’s a fee for Tarutao National Park and is valid for 5 days. You pay this in cash at Pakbara pier as you get your boat ticket.

You can also use 12Go for the simpler boat journeys between islands, but the cost will be slightly cheaper booking directly with the company or your accommodation on the island you’re leaving from. My 1.5 hour onwards journey to Koh Mook cost me 1350 baht booked with my hotel.

GETTING AROUND KOH LIPE

Koh Lipe is a very small island, and you can reach one side to the other in around 30 minutes on foot. There are no cars, but you can rent bicycles and scooters, and there are taxis which are effectively just scooters with side cars attached to them. Any journey on the island will cost you 50 baht per person.

If you’re staying at a hotel, they usually do free pick ups to and from the pier, so be sure to get in touch with them in advance to organise. I wasn’t aware of this for my arrival and walking 15 minutes in 35 degree heat with my backpack on was not fun. Still worth it when you see those beaches though!

GOOD TO KNOW

ATMs

There are a few ATMs on the island, and from what I could tell they all charged 220 baht per transaction, which at the time of writing is around £5. Some places would take card but some will be cash only.

Sun Protection

I could not sound more British right now, but as someone who has properly burnt about five times in her life only but always in Thailand – WEAR FACTOR FIFTY. The UV index in these parts is often cited as Extreme and I learnt this the hard way.

Suncream is of course available to buy and generally this will be factor 30 or 50; it’s hard to find lower than this and this is for good reason. Genuinely – be careful!

Massages

There seemed to be a pretty standard rate of 400 baht for a full body massage on the beach, and an hour’s foot massage was 250 baht.

Luggage

Having done a lot of island hopping in the past, I thought it would be impossible to do with a suitcase. Whilst it’s definitely easier to carry a backpack over sand, I would say about half the people I saw on the speedboats did actually have suitcases; albeit not huge ones and had likely come from nearer than London. So it’s definitely possible, and the taxis can help you onwards to your accommodation.

Children

I am by no means an authority on travelling with kids, but a few people asked me about if it seemed okay for children. I can only say what I observed, which was that I saw lots of small children and babies – far more than I expected! So I guess it’s totally doable, but do bear in mind this is not an easy or quick island to get to.

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Updated July 2025.

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