Being James Bond in Thailand

On a recent trip to Southern Thailand, we were looking for some adventure, but nothing too strenuous – no mountaineering, white water rafting or getting up close to wildlife. We preferred a softer option, with a bit of glamour thrown in.

We decided to hire a speedboat for the day and head out from Krabi to the surrounding islands and coastline of Phang Nga Bay. This has to be amongst the most beautiful coastlines in the world, and as we were visiting in July, when the area was quiet due to it being low season, it felt like we had the whole area to ourselves!

This is an excellent time to travel if you don’t mind some rain, generally in the evenings, and can take advantage of the lower prices and more peaceful beaches.

Our day of glamour and excitement started at breakfast, when there was a call to say that our speedboat had arrived at the jetty for us – not your usual start to the day. Our twin engine speedboat, complete with two crew, was going to take us to wherever we wanted to go – we decided to head towards Koh Yao, and to the small islands of Koh Hong and Koh Phak Bia. As we picked up speed and left our hotel and Krabi behind, the speedboat bounced along the water in the sun, passing headlands and islands – it felt just like being in a Bond movie!

After half an hour or so we came to Koh Hong, so-called because of its internal cave (‘hong’ means ‘room’ in Thai), with its picture-perfect crescent of white sand, topped with towering limestone cliffs at both ends. The water was so clear you could see the fish and coral as the boat came to shore!

We spend a leisurely hour or so snorkelling and chilling out, feeling like we’d moved from ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ to ‘The Beach’. Eventually, a second boat arrived on the island, so it was time for us to move on to somewhere even quieter – we wanted a whole island to ourselves! We zipped along once more, passing towering limestone outcrops and small islands circled by white beaches, before arriving at tiny Koh Phak Bia, our very own deserted island!

Little more than a rocky outcrop and a finger of sand, we spent the afternoon chilling out and taking it all in. We’d come prepared with a picnic – cold fried rice in a polystyrene tray and a bag of chillis to add some heat, together with a bottle of cheap fizzy wine from the local 7-Eleven – more backpacker than Bond, but a perfect way to spend the day!