Entries about beach

When I wrote these words, we were in the final week of our trip and were rather less than enthralled by the prospect of shivering our way through the British winter with the rest of you. To take our mind off things, we were lapping up the sun on the gorgeous beaches of Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s far south. It would be too cruel, I thought, to torment you with a selection of photos from our island-hopping adventures. But how else do people make it through January other than by planning their summer holidays, so think of this blog as another travel agent’s catalogue on your coffee table. Besides, I’m having trouble deciding which is my favourite koh.

1. Koh Rong

Our beach bungalow on Koh Rong

Two boys on the pier at the fishing village

Take your seat on the beach

The first contender is also the only non-Thai island on the list, Cambodia's little-known Koh Rong. It sets the bar pretty high straight away. Palm-fringed, white coral beaches? Check. Turquoise blue sea gently lapping the shore? Check. Private beach-front bungalow with personal hammocks? Check. Beach bar serving fresh seafood and cocktails? Check. You don't quite have the place to yourself; backpackers snap up the cheap bungalows and there's a small fishing village at the pier, but go there before it's too late. Big developers have their eye on this place and want to turn it into Cambodia's answer to Koh Samui.

2. Koh Similan

A viewpoint in the Similans

Big rocks, small boat and blue sea

The good ship Duanita

Or rather, the group of islands known as the Similans, a Marine National Park in the Andaman Sea. It's a four-hour boat trip from the mainland, enough to deter the crowds. We spent our time on board rather than on land, for the attractions here are all underwater. Sadly, the reefs have been ravaged by the 2004 tsunami and a series of devastating bleaching events, but there are still plenty of fish. It's possible to camp on one island (if you don't mind monstrous mosquitoes), but most are off-limits. Judging by the size of the private yachts anchored offshore, the Similans attract the super-rich. And they are blessed by royalty too – a Thai princess has a nice little getaway pad here.

3. Koh Lanta

Lighthouse at Koh Lanta National Park

Lanta Old Town

An island of two halves, Koh Lanta attracts the crowds due to its proximity to the mainland and the regular boat services to hotspots like Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. The touristy north – overrun with massage and tattoo parlours, shops selling tat and a thousand and one "same same but different" bar restaurants – did not float our boat. Fight your way through that lot and the wilder south awaits. We stayed at Bamboo Bay, the last public beach before the National Park at the southern tip of Lanta. I've tried not to use the word idyllic thus far, but it really is necessary here.

4. Koh Rok

Washed up coconut

Longtail boat in a turquoise sea

Monitor lizard on Koh Rok

A bona fide Robinson Crusoe island, lying just an hour by speedboat from Lanta (though as anyone who has ever been in a speedboat would surely agree, it will feel like the longest hour of your life). Sadly we only visited on a day trip, long enough to sample the fantastic shallow reefs and witness the bizarre sight of six-foot monitor lizards prowling round the picnic area. For that authentic castaway experience, pitch your tent at the National Park campsite, wait until the day trippers have gone home and you (and your new lizard friends) will have the place to yourselves. One for the reptile lovers.

5. Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe from the Chado Cliff viewpoint

Probably the best school playground in the world

Little Lipe is but a speck on the map but it serves as the main transport hub for exploring the islands of Tarutao National Park. Surrounded by warm, shallow seas teeming with marine life and blessed with picture-postcard beaches (as used by Thailand's tourist board), once upon a time it would have been the perfect island getaway. But the National Park authorities turned a blind eye to developers and sacrificed Lipe at the altar of backpacker tourism. Now they come in droves, all seeking that "get away from it all with everyone else" island experience. But remember you're one of them too, so grab a beer and a brownie at a beachside joint and watch the world come to you.

Koh Adang

Seafront campsite under the pines

Koh Adang sunset

Have we found paradise at last? I think we have. Adang is Koh Lipe's big brother, but other than their proximity to one another, they have little in common. It's a wild island with a dense, jungly interior. The sole accommodation is at the National Park Ranger Station, where, in addition to the usual campsite, you'll find some very nicely appointed bungalows too. We had planned to camp, but where's the incentive when you can have a double ensuite for little more than a tenner? Faced with a lack of shops, markets, bars and internet cafés, we were forced to do as the monkeys do, which is to say very little indeed in the heat of the day. A spot of snorkelling? Maybe later. A walk to the viewpoint? Maybe tomorrow. It was a toss up between Koh Adang and Koh Rong for our favourite island award, but in truth I would quite happily volunteer to be marooned on either.