CnC Living Travel Log: Smaller islands of Phuket – Coral Island and Raya Island

November 6, 2012

One of my husband’s favorite vacation spots is Phuket.

Beautiful bright blue skies, stunning rock formations used in classic movies, and sunsets the perfect shades of pink– I suppose I can see why he loves it there!

When we first went to Phuket, we explored Phang Nga Bay and James Bond island.  This time, we opted to venture out a bit more and went to Coral Island and Raya Island.

Coral Island or Koh Hae has a few beaches and supposedly has great diving (hence the name Coral Island).  We didn’t dive, but just stayed on the beach for a few hours.

Coral Island cat and coconuts by Chic n Cheap Living

Despite the prevalence of fresh coconuts and the cute dog under the beach chair (which cost 80 THB to rent!), I wouldn’t go back or recommend the beach on Coral Island.  It was overcrowded and a dozen or more tour groups descended on the beach. It is a place definitely geared to maximize tourist dollars.  No, thanks!
Coral Island dog by Chic n Cheap Living
Coral Island crowd by Chic n Cheap Living

 

In contrast, I really enjoyed Raya or Racha Island. It was much quieter and the snorkeling was excellent. We snorkeled and saw blue tangs, trigger fish, and these cool striped fish (err my knowledge of tropical fish only goes so far!)  The beach at Ao Siam was picture perfect.  White sand encircled crystal blue waters.
Raya Island palm trees by Chic n Cheap Living
There were fewer tourists and though we still had to pay for beach chairs (100 THB this time!), it was completely worth it.
Raya Island people on beach by Chic n Cheap Living
I dozed off on a lightly windy day while my husband cooled off in the ocean.

Raya Island beach umbrellas view by Chic n Cheap Living

I would definitely recommend Raya Island and will try to get a water taxi to take me out there next time.  Serene beaches and blue waters  – yes please!

Travel Tour Note:

I used JC Tours which is a huge tourist group coordinator (they don’t perform the tours themselves but link up to operators).  They themselves were professional and great at communication.  But Raya Princess Tours crammed so many people (50 or so) on a speedboat that people were left sitting on a cooler.  Not cool!  I’d have hesitations about using JC Tours again because of their partnership with Raya Princess tours.

So please try to check how many other people will be on your boat.  Will the number be near or over capacity of how many people it should hold?  A less crowded boat will make for a much better experience!

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  • Sam November 6, 2012 at 05:20

    Your photos of Phuket are heavenly, its so beautiful and a massive favorite for SA tourists too. Would you believe I was there for a week once and never went to the beach! The night life was something out of the ordinary too!

  • The Dainty Dolls House November 6, 2012 at 06:15

    I could do with this island, beautiful xx

  • Cafe Fashionista November 6, 2012 at 07:44

    Such beautiful sights; and I LOVE that cat statuette. 🙂

  • Phioxee November 6, 2012 at 08:33

    i love those white sand beaches.have a friend in Thailand, and she’s inviting me to visit this summer. im dyin to see these beaches soon

    http://www.phioxee.com

  • Kim November 6, 2012 at 09:24

    More great travel tips! Love the photos of the water, and the cute dog underneath the chair. Too bad the first beach was crowded – nothing is wore than a beautiful, pristine beach overrun by tourists. Glad you found some peace and quiet at the second location 🙂

  • Johanna November 6, 2012 at 10:15

    Ahhhhh…great photos. Their beaches are just nuts.

  • Krysten November 6, 2012 at 10:55

    Absolutely STUNNING. Now I want to go on vacation!

  • lisa November 6, 2012 at 11:22

    seriously gorgeous and breathtaking photos! i could really use an island get away right about now muhahahaha!

    aww so lucky you’re going to taiwan.. especially now when the weather is so nice and not sticky and gross hehe.. well i don’t know about you but whenever i’m in taiwan.. i always make a point of eating pai gou fan (pork chop rice) and lu rou fan (stewed for hours minced pork and soy sauce egg) it’s like heaven in a bowl.. i’ve never been but there’s a place called formosa chang that is suppose to be the best in taiwan!! 🙂

  • Grazziella November 6, 2012 at 13:05

    I love your photos, looks like its such a nice spot to be !

    Nice blog

    Bisous

  • ELLE.sees November 6, 2012 at 14:20

    have just officially added this to my bucket list for traveling! These pictures are making me feel my warm on a cold day

  • phiphisblog November 6, 2012 at 16:27

    what gorgeous photos! the beaches look amazing, and seriously a wonderful paradise. thank you for this post, cncl! i have now added phuket to my bucket list!!

    phiphisblog.com

  • Akaleistar November 6, 2012 at 19:42

    What a beautiful place!

  • honeymyheart November 6, 2012 at 22:27

    this place looks like a dream. i hope to experience it some day.

  • Elly @ Caribbean Living November 7, 2012 at 03:37

    Wow, these islands so fantastic, thanks for the review! So so looking forward to checking out places like this once we join you in SG!!

  • LadyG November 7, 2012 at 05:02

    I’m so jelly, a relaxing vacay on the beach is a dream of mine.

    From the Pen of Lady G

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    xx
    LadyG

  • Diana Mieczan November 7, 2012 at 08:00

    Oh boy, Raya Island looks amazing:) I so need a vacation like that. Swoon! Kisses, sweetie

  • Kim November 7, 2012 at 11:11

    It is GORGEOUS girl! I can see why he likes to go back. A couple of my readers have been and they love it as well. Thanks for showing us these pics.
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

  • Jana November 7, 2012 at 15:53

    This look like a total paradise!!!
    Your blog is amazing, dear and it is so nice coincidence, that we discovered each other thanks to the fab Phiphi!
    Thank you for leaving such a nice comment on my blog!
    Expats need to stick together.
    I am sure I will come back here soon:)
    Hugs from Sicily!J.

    CHIC SICILY

  • Lyddiegal November 7, 2012 at 23:46

    wow, that just looks gorgeous – but huge crowds are always a downer. sometimes it’s a trade off for some time in paradise you have to accept.

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