Comments on: Ko Lipe: The Greatest Month in All My Travels

By: Jesica Monica

Jesica Monica — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 10:25:42 +0000

The first time I went, the weather was great and the sea water was crystal clear. I was able to go snorkelling around the marine park. But it was peak season so it was pretty crowded.

When I went at the end of May, the low season had already started so most of the tourists had left. And because of that some of the shops and F&B outlets on the island had closed, though most were still open. The monsoon had also just begun, resulting in not so clear sea water and the closure of the marine park.

By: Kal Reece

Kal Reece — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 22:18:22 +0000

Gr8 story. Almost like you were leaving Gilligan’s Island! I was just in Thailand and kept hearing that I shud never even think of taking, buying or smoking a joint there. Your trip wasn’t that long ago, so were the restrictions looser then or were you guys taking chances?

By: Ana

Ana — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 19:11:51 +0000

In reply to Veronika. I had this exact thought.... an eco hotel in New Zealand would be amazing. What happened to that idea?

By: Alexander Roberts

Alexander Roberts — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 19:09:35 +0000

Ko Lipe is absolutely beautiful. You’re a great storyteller too. You describe it all so vividly.

By: Reza

Reza — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 06:43:12 +0000

I went to Koh Lipe twice in 2016. First in Jan/Feb, then in May.

The first time I went, the weather was great and the sea water was crystal clear. I was able to go snorkelling around the marine park. But it was peak season so it was pretty crowded.

FYI, the peak season in Koh Lipe is in December/January. This is when Lipe is the most crowded and the most expensive. If you want to go when there are less tourists but still decent weather you should go during the shoulder period which is from the middle of April till the middle of May. After that, establishments start closing and so does the marine park.

In my opinion I had a great time the first time I went despite the crowd. It is true that there has been over-development on the island (I found about 100 accommodation listings in Koh Lipe for an island that’s not more than 2-3 kilometers at its widest). Even before I first set foot in Koh Lipe I had read about the waste management problems it was having from said over-development. Some parts of the island can be dirty.

It still is somewhat of a paradise, though a sightly faded paradise. I would have loved to have been there about the time Matt was there. It must have been phenomenal.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:46:42 +0000

Sound lovely but why bother when we already live in “paradise” right here. Some of the best unspoilt, unpolluted, white sandy beaches in the world with hardly a person as far as the eye can see in either direction. This is an unbiased (ha ha) opinion from an Ozzie.

By: depobola

depobola — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 10:53:20 +0000

Hey Matt, Thankyou for sharing… I go travelling in a couple of weeks time for a year around Asia and Australia and I have been debating starting a blog for a while – this post has encouraged me to definitely start one, thank you.

One question I do have though, is what device do you use to blog on? I’m not taking a MacBook or laptop and was wondering if it is even possible me to run a successful blog from just an iPhone?

By: Jenny Sayer

Jenny Sayer — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 22:49:54 +0000

Wow Matt those amazing memories will stay with you forever & yes it will never be the same if you go back. Sadly our special places disappear when extreme capitalism finds out about them.
I have exactly the same memories of Bali & Crete way back in the 70’s. Few to no resorts, no bitumen, curbs or channelling just beach shacks. Sleeping on beaches as no accommodation & buying freshly caught seafood from local fisherman daily & cooking it on your beach fire. I to will never return to those places as my memories are too precious to distroy. If only we could find all those “Happy Places” in the world before they were destroyed! Love your blogs Happy travelling!? Jenny

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 14:02:05 +0000

I thought your story was great, I understand that you don’t want to go back but like everything else you should give it a chance. Cant wait to read your book.

By: Chloe

Chloe — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 09:50:34 +0000

Awesome!
No way we stayed at hostel called the greenhouse in Argentina in Bariloche, great place BTW