Phuket & the Andaman Coast - Thailand - page 1375

Drinking & Nightlife

30 Opium Bar D1

31 Same Same But Different C7

Shopping

32 Hammock House C5

33 Malee Malee C5

Sights

Ban Ko Lanta
Halfway down the eastern coast, Ban Ko Lanta (Lanta Old Town) was the original port
and commercial centre for the island, and provided a safe harbour for Arabic and Chinese
trading vessels sailing between Phuket, Penang and Singapore. Some of the gracious and
well-kept wooden stilt houses and shopfronts here are over 100 years old.
Pier restaurants offer a fresh catch and have views over the sea. There's a small after-
noon market on Sundays, and if you're looking for hip, handmade goods, stop by Malee
Malee OFFLINE MAP ( 08 4443 8581; 55/3 Moo 2, Ban Ko Lanta; 9am-9pm) , a bohemian wonder-
land trading in silk scarves, journals, toys, baby clothes, paintings, handbags and silk-
screened and hand-painted T-shirts. Prices are low and it's a fun browse. For quality ham-
mocks don't miss Hammock House OFFLINE MAP ( www.jumbohammock.com ;

TOWN

10am-5pm) .

Ko Lanta Marine

National Park
OFFLINE MAP
( www.dnp.go.th ; adult/child 200/100B) Established in 1990, this marine national park protects 15
islands in the Ko Lanta group, including the southern tip of Ko Lanta Yai. The park is in-
creasingly threatened by the runaway development on the western coast of Ko Lanta Yai.
The other islands in the group have fared slightly better - Ko Rok Nai is still very beautiful,
with a crescent-shaped bay backed by cliffs, fine coral reefs and a sparkling white-sand
beach.

NATIONAL PARK