Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 08 6444 7543;
www.pawapi.com
; Hat Sivalai; bungalows incl breakfast from 1600B; )
The upscale bam-
boo bungalows here hover on stilts about 1.5m off the ground so that breezes ventilate the
room from all sides and the insanely gorgeous view sits 180 degrees in front of you.
HOTEL
$$$
Sivalai
( 08 9723 3355;
www.komooksivalai.com
; Hat Sivalai; bungalows incl breakfast 4000-8000B; )
Strad-
dling an arrow-shaped peninsula of white sand and surrounded by views of karst islands
and the mainland, this location is mind-bogglingly sublime. Elegant thatched-roof cot-
tages are almost encircled with glass doors so you can let in as much of the view as you
want.
Getting There & Away
Boats to Ko Muk leave from the pier at Kuantungku. There are daily departures at 8am,
9am and 2pm (200-300B, 30 minutes), which make the return trip to the mainland an hour
later; the early morning ferry is the cheapest. Minibuses to/from Trang (350-450B, one
hour) meet the 9am and 3pm boats. Minivans to the Trang airport (550B) meet the 2pm
boat only. You can charter a long-tail from Kuantungku to Ko Muk (800B, 30 minutes)
and to either Pak Meng or Hat Yao (around 1200B, 45 minutes to one hour).
Long-tail charters to Ko Kradan (600B, 30 minutes) and Ko Ngai (1000B, one hour)
are easily arranged on the pier or at the Rubber Tree Bungalow or Ko Yao Restaurant on
Hat Farang.
From November to May, Ko Muk is one of the stops on the speedboats connecting Ko
Lanta and Ko Lipe.
Lanta Garden Hill's
(
www.lantaislandtours.com
;
long-tail/big boat/speedboat 850/900/1500B)
speedboat
makes the Lanta-Ngai-Muk connection leaving Ko Muk daily at 10.30am.
NICE DAY FOR A WET WEDDING
Every Valentine's Day, Ko Kradan is the setting for a rather unusual wedding ceremony. Around 35 brides and
grooms don scuba gear and descend to an underwater altar amid the coral reefs, exchanging their vows in front of
the Trang District Officer. How the couples manage to say, 'I do,' underwater has never been fully explained, but
the ceremony has made it into the
Guinness Book of Records
for the world's largest underwater wedding. Before
and after the scuba ceremony, the couples are paraded along the coast in a flotilla of motorboats. If you think this
might be right for your special day, visit the website
www.trangonline.com/underwaterwedding
.
