[Vicious]

This data sheet has been a slow train coming. I’ve been reluctant to post this data because Koh Lanta is a true hidden gem that has barely seen mention on the board. Yet it is one of those few possy paradises that we so often bemoan are becoming all the more elusive in the globalized world. Still I get more enjoyment from spreading the wealth than keeping it to myself in the event that I might possibly, maybe return some day.

All photos in the thread are taken from random Swedish/Norwegian (SweNors) girls blogs who have travelled to the island. Pure amateur pictures and just the type of talent you can expect en locale.



Island Overview:
Koh Lanta (KL) is a small island (actually two, but the southern one is the one were all the action is) just south of the Krabi Region in Southwest Thailand. It lies in close proximity to the more known Koh Phi Phi islands and is usually a popular stop for island hopping backpackers. The western side of the island is dotted with long sandy beaches that in turn are dotted with smaller resorts. No major hotel chain has yet made it to this place which still makes the area fairly genuine. Go to the east side of the island and the main settlement (which is appropriately just called “old town”) has life going on just like it has for the last 70-80 years or so.

There’s trouble on the horizon though. A bridge is in plans to be built from the main land out to the island and once that’s completed you can expect the charter companies and major hotel chains come steam rolling, turning the place to the next Phuket. GO THERE NOW.



Getting There:
Koh Lanta being an island takes some time to get to. The easiest way is to fly to Krabi Airport from Bangkok and from the airport get a private minivan to KL(2500 thb) or use the public minivan service (180thb/person). The ride will take about two hours and includes two car ferry rides. The public minivan service is also fairly popular with just two vehicles running so you might be stuck for two hours waiting for the next one in case it’s packed. You could also take ferry from Krabi City but it only runs early in the day and is a hassle, so nothing I recommend. You could also be coming to KL by taking the ferry from Koh Phi Phi. The crazy party life of the latter is actually well paired with the tranquillity of KL.



Lodging:
There are dozens and dozens of small bungalow style lodging dotted along the islands western beaches. If you’re not dedicated to just relaxing and having game as an afterthought during your stay (which is a perfect plan for KL) your lodging needs to adjust to where you will find talent however. It’s been said that 50% of Koh Lantas population is Swedish/Norwegian . During the months of Dec-Feb that’s not even an exaggeration. Scores of SweNor charter and travel agencies have been pitching the Island as their go-to spot in Thailand. The secluded feel of the place mixed with the many modern conveniences has hit the sweet spot for what SweNors are drawn to for a vacation.

Thus, you will have to go online to SweNor charter agencies and see what places they offer up for the season. You then proceed to book a spot in one of these places that is less geared toward families with a regular OTA such as Expedia or directly with the hotel/resort. This is generally a good strategy for meeting SweNors ANYWHERE in the world. I’m giving away gold for anyone hoping to snag easy Scandi-snatch. Links at the bottom of this sheet.


The concentration of bungalow hotels along the two northern most beaches - Long Beach and Khong Dao

The talent:
Apart from the families visiting the Island there are also a lot of girl groups visiting to soak in the sun and relax. Since there is very little nightlife available and the logistics are choppy (you need a motorbike to get around) daygame is where you need to make your mark.

The girls you find here will be a bit different than the straight-up party types or backpackers going to Phuket or Kho Phi Phi. They will not be any less DTF because they are in vacation mode but you will need a more mellow approach due to the entire tranquillity of the island. Dial down the high energy party attitude and they are generally extra open to all encounters during the daytime. Approaching them with a situational opener asking if they are Scandinavian, and if the island is a Scandinavian colony or something serves the dual purpose of differentiating yourself and giving themselves an opportunity to explain Scandinavian cultures/behaviour. Which is something Scandinavians are absolutely addicted to when meeting outsiders.

You really don’t need a canned line however. As long as you open with something non-sexual and don’t come up in their faces you will do fine. Early touching will kill you. On the beach and in other day setting I would directly advise against coming on strong, just be the chill cool guy. In fact just talking to them for a few minutes first then excuse yourself for whatever reason for a while and reapproach them later is far more effective than a long intense dialogue where you try to pitch for a meet-up later. The reapproach can even be you just going up and asking if they want to join you in whatever you’re doing at the moment. This is surprisingly effective and will at worst net you a polite refusal which you can still gently. This is a Scandinavian quirk, you have to give them that moment to talk among themselves and come to some kind of consensus on what they felt about your initial approach. Make the pitch when they have not gauged internally how they feel about you and they are extremely likely to just snub you even though an individual in the group might be very interested.

To many of you this “considerate” approach might sound blue pill. But within this context this is exactly what you want to be doing. This area does not facilitate the full moon party hook up vibe anywhere near as well as the idea of the tropical island romantic encounter. While in the end the outcome is just the same, you should follow the theme that whatever you’re doing together is an adventure and experience. In general if you’re doing everything right these girls will give you feedback on it. Sure some will shit test you or act coy but in general they are likely to let you know subtly but fast when they want you to escalate. Not saying that you should always wait for their approval but don’t be surprised or feel that your manliness is taken away from you because they are calling the game.

I’m assuming that you’ll be approaching groups as this is the way most girls travel here. Should you come across a girl that’s by herself you should be careful about asking her where her friends are. In Scandinavia being without a social circle is still somewhat of an oddity and in the event that’s she’s actually travelling alone bringing this up might put her on the defensive. Treat it like it’s the world’s most natural thing. Chances are that she came here just hoping to have that storybook chance encounter that became something more.





Activities
When you don’t feel like chasing tail there’s lots to do on the island that still conjures bliss.

The Scuba diving is world class with many of the reefs not as devastated as the ones around Koh Phi Phi.

The nature on the island and its surrounding islands is truly amazing. You’ll be encountering lots of nosy monkeys that can be a pest or great entertainment provided that you can keep them away from your loose valuables. Trying to take a picture of them with your mobile is NOT the smart way to go about it.

There are a bunch of Muay Thai schools around and I can't imagine a better setting to do serious Muay Thai since the partying is fairly low key.

Cooking classes. No really, thai cuisine is delicious and quite easy to replicate the general tastes of back home if you just know how the basic produce and preparation used. There are a number of cooking school in latitude with Long and Khong Dao Beach.





Bars
The island is truly littered with small bars, many nothing more than a small bartop and a half-sized fridge for keeping bottled beer. Just as many are mostly dead however so here’s a small collection of the ones where you will actually be finding people.

• The Why not? Bar
  Located on Kantiang Bay Beach this area is actually the only one where you’ll encounter less SweNors than other nationalities. This cool place plays chill reggae and has a DJ from the afternoons and into the evenings. By Lanta standards the bar is quite large along and gives you good logistics since it’s located right on the beach you can easily transition any talent you’ve picked up into sitting down and drinking or get any drinking companions down into the water.
• Hammock Bar
  Another Bar located right by the beach and thus having the same good logistics as in the above example. The bar gets its name from all the hammocks placed inside and outside on the veranda. Very chill, almost to the degree that it can be a bit too chill especially as the place serves you with hookahs for a negligible cost. I didn’t try it myself but by the smell I have no doubt the staff will supply you with some hashish in your tobacco should you request it. The place also has a real espresso machine which is a rarity for Koh Lanta.
• Cheeky Monkey Bar
  The largest bar on the island with two floors and plenty of pool tables. Both floors are missing a wall which makes it feel very open and chill (starting to see a pattern here). Located in latitude with Long Beach the place is the only real bar that’s popping in the high season akin to what you’d find in Phuket for example. It is most likely very dead in the low season though as it felt almost a tad empty in the weekdays of the high season. Everyone arrives here on scooters or taxi which gives you a good upper hand should you stay close when it’s time to seal the deal.
• Mong Bar
  Only including this for the novelty. This bar lies in the middle of the island a good deal away from the beach and other establishments. It actually looks somewhat odd sitting by the roadside in the middle of nowhere. This weird location is very fitting given the place’s specialities, which they call “extrasensory experiences”. This is where you want to go of you if you want a shroom daiquiri, something they advertise openly. There’s no doubt in my mind you can get even heavier stuff should you desire it. Koh Lanta doesn’t seem to have a standing police force, or locals that care what farangs choose to smoke or drink. Make sure you pre-arrange a taxi to pick you up before coming here though.
  
  Word of caution, SweNors are generally very suspicious of drugs, even marijuana. Keep this in mind when talking about any drug experiences.
  

Swedish charter companies:
http://www.ving.se
http://www.apollo.se
http://www.solresor.se

Their Norwegian versions:
http://www.ving.no
http://www.apollo.no
http://www.solresor.no

[Vicious]

Some extra blog pics I couldn't fit in the original post.

[Rah]

Damn nice data man, appreciate it.

[Teddykgb]

fuck I had feeling I should have went there. I talked to a guy on Koh Phi Phi and told him I was heading to Krabi and he told me to head straight to Koh Lanta but I ignored it and now Im about to leave Krabi tomorrow! oh well good data sheet and interesting stuff! so many swedes I have ran into

[babababalot]

i went to koh lanta with my then gf in dec 2012-jan 2013.

beautiful island but i wouldn't recommend it for game. there's no real nightlife, targets are few. just because you found some pics of swedish girls on a blog doesn't mean you will see these girls all over the place.

i stayed on khlong nin but checked out the other beaches to the north, incl that one with marijuana shacks everywhere. not much to report.

go there but not for the girls.

[Vicious]

(02-07-2013 10:16 PM)babababalot Wrote:  

beautiful island but i wouldn't recommend it for game. there's no real nightlife, targets are few. just because you found some pics of swedish girls on a blog doesn't mean you will see these girls all over the place.

You will find them were I'm telling you in this data sheet. That's the entire point. Did you even read it? You don't seem to have picked up on my own nationality.

[LowerCaseG]

Just me, but personally thought ko lanta was the worst destination I've been to in Thailand. Didn't see that many single scandinavian chicks as has been displayed. Also, thought the beaches were much worse than advertised, and the island is predominantly muslim. This island is advertised as having some of the best beaches and/or snorkling in the country. Beaches were disappointing and the waters were infested with jellyfish on my snorkling excursion, thus this was disappointing as well. Things could have changed for the better, was there in Nov of 2010. However I did get a great deal on lodging, 2 bed/2 bath apt for 1000 baht/night. I forget the name, but I was basically all the way south on the inland main road about 200 yards past the last 7-11. If you go there I would recommend bringing one of your ho's from the mainland to keep you company.You can buy weak joints from the hotel bar with 80% tobacco for 150 baht.

[Vicious]

(02-07-2013 11:20 PM)LowerCaseG Wrote:  

Just me, but personally thought ko lanta was the worst destination I've been to in Thailand. Didn't see that many single scandinavian chicks as has been displayed. Also, thought the beaches were much worse than advertised, and the island is predominantly muslim. This island is advertised as having some of the best beaches and/or snorkling in the country. Beaches were disappointing and the waters were infested with jellyfish on my snorkling excursion, thus this was disappointing as well. Things could have changed for the better, was there in Nov of 2010. However I did get a great deal on lodging, 2 bed/2 bath apt for 1000 baht/night. I forget the name, but I was basically all the way south on the inland main road about 200 yards past the last 7-11.

As mentioned in the data sheet the very southern part of the island is not as visited by SweNors. A big reason why is because the beaches are worse the farther south you get. The northern beaches have much finer grained sand.

The population being mostly muslim is not correct, the majority are sea gipsies (not to be confused with Romani).

Of the half dozen people I've heard personally from (incl. myself) who has been scuba diving on the island there never was any issue with jellyfish (I did get stung in Malaysia in 2010 but that's 200 miles further south). Jellyfish presence is wholly dependant on tide and sea temperature.

[scotian]

Nice data sheet, +1 for me. Combining scuba diving and Muay Thai are my main concerns for any future return trips to Thailand, looks like Koh Lanta could be a good destination for me.

[VincentVinturi]

On Lanta now for the second time...it's truly beautiful here. Sucks to hear that a bridge is in the works. That's an omen of inevitable doom for this slice of paradise.

On Lanta, you have a great opportunity to train muay thai, smoke some doob, get that book you've been working on written (you know...that..BOOK...you've been working on), and just relax.

Muay Thai

There are 2 Muay Thai gyms on Lanta (AFIK), a 5 minute motorbike ride apart from each other. They're around the middle of the island on Khlong Khong beach. Which also happens to be away from the main tourist area, so it's quietier here.

One is called YingYai, run and taught by a former Lumphini champion --- predictably named YingYai (roughly "more big") --- with over 350 fights. I've been taking privates with him in the mornings. He's very nice, relaxed and a good instructor. Privates run 500 baht per lesson (1 hour).

The other gym is called Lanta Gym and seems to have a bit more guys training there. I really can't compare the two, but I've been told they're both quite good. Compared to Phuket, there are relatively few people training here.

They have on-site apartments at Lanta Gym, and there are also some various hotels and bungalows around the area.


"Recreation"

Pretty much any beach bar will have joints on sale and bags of bud if you prefer to roll your own. You can also get mushroom shakes. I've been told by a 7 year resident of the island that if you want the best mushroom shake, go to "Galaxy" --- a 5 minute motorbike ride from YingYai gym. Will verify this tomorrow night. :-)

Like Vicious said, you don't really have to worry about the po'-leece. I'd keep it to your hotel area, the beach, and the bar you're at. I wouldn't stroll down the main street smoking a jay.


Motorbike

Definitely rent a motorbike and explore the island! You can rent a motorbike for about 200 baht a day. Unless you're a veteran motorbiker, go with an automatic transmission. This place is hilly!

Zipping around the lush, verdant, breezy island is absolutely liberating. The views are out of this world. Watch out for potholes. Seriously. If you aren't paying attention and hit one of these things, you'll probably eat shit.

Every kilometer or so, there's a little stall by the side of the road where you can buy a liter of gasoline for 40 baht and bullshit with the old timer who's been here his whole life.


Where To Stay

I'd recommend getting here in the morning or early afternoon and immediately renting a motorbike and then physically finding a place to rent. Otherwise you'll wind up at some "resort" supposedly owned by the tuk-tuk driver's family and overpay.

I'd stay away from the beachside bungalows. They're really not that cheap (about 400 baht a night). You may as well pay a little bit more and stay in a proper room. The bungalows are quaint right up until the point where you have to go sleep under a mosquito net that doesn't quite work and try to connect to WiFi that doesn't work at all.

There are a few hotel style places but you'll have to look around a bit and inquire. Always bargain. Even in the high season you can knock a good chunk off the price if you just ask!

That's all I got for now...back to basking in the sun!

[Akula]

Great data sheet thanks man. +1 from me. Thailand is hopefully in my immediate future - thinking of combining a week or two of MMA training and then hitting a place like this afterwards.

[Need]

@vicious great info. I'm in thailand now. You seem to hsve a lot of know how on how to get with swedish girls. I want them. But I find them so annoying, boring, uptight unless they are sloshed drunk. I try to pick many up and they flirt but I've never known how to close them. Even in sweden, I found yhem super easy when they drink. But if sober, its pure frustration. Can you drop some game tactics for swedish girls that are sober to fuck them asap? Because it's much needed now. Oh yeah. Rep +1 from me.

[Vicious]

They are by default quite hard to flirt. When you meet them partying in Thailand they are in vacation mode.

[Need]

Seems like swedish girls just need to be approached when drinking. They don't act so lame and childish then. But are dtf. Do you game them with fast success like one would with a western girl who spread their legs sometimes less than 1 hour upon meeting sober... when they are sober?

[VincentVinturi]

Update - 2 Suggestions...

***Daygame***

+1 - German girl; daygame.

Like Vicious said, Daygame is where it's at here. Not least of all because the island is quite spread out and logistics might sabotage an otherwise in-the-bag lay.

Check out some of the more popular cafes/restaurants around late morning/early afternoon. There's a nice little French place called Faim de Loup that actually has decent coffee and all the Europeans come there for croissants and what not.

Post up at a table by the entrance, look for eye contact, say hi, and you know the rest.


***If You've Never Driven A Motorbike Before...***

If you don't know how to ride a motorbike yet or have only been doing it a few days, drive slow.

I asked the guy at the motorbike rental place to show me how to ride and he said "sit here. This gas. Go." No surprise when, 2 days later, I wipe out trying to take a corner too fast. Truck came out of nowhere and I didn't have the other side of the road to complete the turn.

I braked and slid on the side of the bike, almost hitting the front of the truck. Worst part? Had the Fraulein sitting behind me and we were 2 minutes away from my bungalow, both of us very ready to go.

There were some nice Muslim folks on the corner who did first aid and patched us up. The young guys poked fun of me a bit in front of my girl.

"You drive fast!" (smirk)
"Yes, I drive fast."

"You crash, haha." (smirk)
"Yes, I crash."

[VincentVinturi]

Galaxy Bar

Nice little bar/restaurant on Khlong Khong beach. Great food, and it's elevated from the main road so you get a nice overview of the street. Run by a Dutch guy who sells 200 baht joints (pretty decent weed). They also sell happy shakes (magic mushroom shakes), but only when they've got mushrooms available.

[allthethings]

Vicious, thanks so much for the data sheet! I've been so inspired by it I've decided to go adventuring in Koh Lanta from 12/3/14 - 12/21/14. If anyone would like to join me down there to meet some lovely Scandi ladies, let me know!

I researched the OTA sites you mentioned, and here is a list of the resorts that are currently being promoted. The # refers to the ranking that resort has in tripadvisor for all hotels in koh lanta. I've also included which beach each resort is on. Most of these resorts are running at about $50 a night.

lanta villa resort #36, middle of klong dao
crown lanta resort #9, northernmost section of klong dao
lanta sand resort #38, southernmost of klong dao
southern lanta #35, klong dao
lanta pura beach resort #42, near ferry (tourist market area…blah)
rawi warin #50, between klong klong & klong non
lanta ii mare beach #44, klong nin
lanta palace #61, klong nin

A few questions:
1) Has anyone been to Koh Lanta recently? Which beach tends to average the highest number of hotties?
2) Is it recommended to book online (or via email) before arriving if going in the high season?
3) Do families or groups of girls tend to end up at the resorts promoted by those OTA links?
4) Are there any updates on recommended bars? This could possibly influence my choice of a resort.

Any and all information is welcome.

Cheers!

[bluejun]

What months of the year do SweNors ususally go to Thailand for vacation?

[allthethings]

It's my understanding that they go in December and January...if anyone has more precise info I'd love to hear it.

[Vicious]

Glad you liked the data sheet but I'm sorry I can't offer anything additional as its now been almost 3 years since I went. I personally stayed at Klong dao. I would definitely recommending booking in advance.

[Satoshi]

(09-20-2014 02:01 AM)allthethings Wrote:  

It's my understanding that they go in December and January...if anyone has more precise info I'd love to hear it.

The tourist starts to come in December, peaks over Christmas and New year and continues until maybe March or even April. No one goes in the Summer months as South Europe is better and no one goes in September - November as the weather is bad.

[?Kick]

+1 for a great Koh Lanta Datasheet. After spending 2 horrible nights on Phi Phi, Lanta was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palette.

Here are some additional notes after spending the last week and a half here, hope this helps anyone planning to visit:

The Shanty Town
If you are having a hard time tracking down the elusive SweNors talent or groups of girls for that matter, theres a spot on the Northern part of Long Beach with guaranteed women and opportunities to game. From what I saw, it was the most lively spot on Long Beach during the day. There's a little shanty town of hostels, huts and cheap accommodations (Funky Fish Hostel, Crazy House, Chill Out), if you can find it, the beachfront area has loads of girls hanging out. If you play beach volleyball, that's your moment to shine, as a lot of the girls just hang out and watch the games while they tan. In my opinion, this would be the best spot to day game on Long Beach. There are some nice bars in the area with 100 baht happy hour cocktails. Not the best spot to spend the night though as the accommodations are of the budget variety, mosquito netting + fan + cold public shower/bathroom type spots. There are some much better options about a five minute walk south of there. Oh, if you happen to be around the shanty town during dinner time, get the pad thai from the guy in front of the mini mart, he's legit.

The Four Island Swoop

Ah, The Four Islands Tour. Great memories. And a prime opportunity to swoop if you time it right. This is the standard activity that almost everyone on Lanta does at some point. It's a longtail boat tour of the surrounding islands with snorkelling, swimming through a cave, more snorkelling and lunch on a picturesque beach. It's a full day, 830 am to about 4 pm. I'd recommend it. The going price is 1000 baht, don't pay any more than that. There's a travel guy across Faim de Loup cafe (Josa travel) who I'd recommend for any activities you may plan while you're on Koh Lanta (tours, trekking, caving). He's a straight up guy, speaks english well, and has fair prices. If you package a couple things he'll cut an even better deal. When I compared prices with other people on the activities I did, I paid anywhere from 200 to 700 baht less by going through Josa. Anyway, on to the Four Island Swoop.
As I mentioned, this is the most popular activity on Lanta. There's anywhere from 60 to 100 people a day (probably more) doing this tour. Needless to say, it is a gong show when you arrive to the Lanta Old Town Pier. Once you get off the shuttle, all the people who paid for the basic long tail tour (the 1000 baht one) are herded to the dock for transport. The sheer volume of people means that multiple longtail boats are necessary to accomodate everyone who paid for the tour. Now, most people stick to the shuttle group they arrived with on the pier, this can be problematic if you have no prospects in the group. So, start using your peripherals! Scope out any and all hot , bangable girls , preferably ones rolling solo or in groups and hop onto the same longtail boat as them. Voila! You just bought yourself 8 hrs of game time with some hotties on a longtail in the middle of the ocean. Put in work son!

Misc

Klong Dao was dead. Lots of older couples staying at the resorts along the beach. Not much talent around at the time of writing. The 4 km stretch of beach is great for getting away from the crowds , not so conducive to game as you can go a coupe hours without spotting any talent.

There's a full moon party on Klong Khong that seemed to be popular. I didn't attend but I saw loads of tuk tuks and taxis shuttling people to it - loads of SweNors heading that way.

Kantiang Bay is the nicest beach I went to on Koh Lanta. Well worth the scooter ride down for a beach day. The Drunken Sailor has a great breakfast/espresso and hammocks.

Some places were charging 450 baht per day for a scooter rental, at most it should cost 280 per day. Better deals can be cut based on length of rentals. Bombing around the island on a scooter is good fun and easy as all the main roads are paved and maintained, minus a few pot holes here and there.

I hated taking taxis/tuk tuks, all of them pretty much try to rip you off right from the get go. For example, taking a 1 km tuk tuk ride from my hotel to 7-11 on Long Beach should only cost 25-50 baht one way. Motherfucker tried charging me 170 for 1 way. After walking away he dropped his price to 50 but out of spite I offered 25 and he agreed.

There was a few more things I wanted to include but my internet cut out for a few hours while writing this and I've lost my train of thought. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to throw it up.

Thanks again to Vicious for dropping the Datasheet, everything pretty much still holds up since 2013 when you visited. Glad I was able to check it out before it turns into another Phi Phi - fingers crossed it doesn't though.

[peloozoid]

Is anybody in Ko Lanta at the moment?
I will arrive tomorrow and stay for around 2 weeks

[zatara]

(02-10-2015 05:14 AM)?Kick Wrote:  

+1 for a great Koh Lanta Datasheet. After spending 2 horrible nights on Phi Phi, Lanta was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palette.

[snip]

Might be a bit pointless replying to a post from 8 months ago, but on the off chance you see this (or anyone else reading this has had a similar experience) - I'm curious, what did you hate about Phi Phi? It generally gets a lot of positive reports compared to the South-Eastern islands (Samui, Phangan).

[mau man]

KPP, though I haven't yet been, is a party island that is generally just good for 20 year olds getting hammered into oblivion. I'd suspect that it just wasn't his scene
Nor, as a 31 year old, would it be mine either.