Raya Island, a little piece of paradise 15km south of Phuket

In February 2012, I went to Thailand with a friend for 3 weeks. We had long hesitated with one of the trip to the Dominican Republic and also a trip to Argentina, but everyone finally advised us to go to Thailand: That was our baptism… The very first time… And it’s definitely not the last…
Before leaving, I didn’t understand why every traveler who had been there had only one desire: to go back every year… You have to have been there to realize that… And that’s what I was told!

Well, writing an article about Thailand would be very, very long; there’s so much to say! I’ll have plenty of opportunities to go into detail about this trip that was simply extraordinary and unforgettable…

Today, I take you to Raya Island, a small paradise island located about ten kilometers south of Phuket.
We went there for the first time as part of a day trip and I must admit that we were completely smitten by this island. The only drawback: an impressive number of tourists (cameras, selfie sticks, flowery shirts, sun loungers…)
After following the advice of the locals, we decided to go back again, this time for 2 days!
In fact, the speed boats arrive on the island at 11 a.m. and leave at 3 p.m. … After that, it’s all quiet; the island is all yours!
For the equivalent of 30 euros, we had round-trip travel and a night in a small wooden bungalow (Raya Resort) overlooking the main bay of the island.
In addition to the diving activities (mask and snorkel) included in the 2-day program, we discovered all the hidden corners of the island.. We ventured into the countryside in the afternoon, crossed the island to reach a more wild beach where there was a small restaurant with a magnificent view. The menu included marinated fish, coconut, mango for dessert, and to top it all off, a breathtaking sunset.

This is the part of the island that really caught our attention!

This is followed by a real journey to find our way back in the middle of the night through the jungle of the island. Unfamiliar noises, branches in the head; along the way we encounter several frogs… And after an hour of walking we see the light of a small bar, «Bamboo bar», and we hear Stir It Up by Bob Marley… It’s good that we’ve arrived at the main bay almost deserted… This was followed by a nice and long discussion with the waiter (Tom) who told us the story and anecdotes of the island. A few locals joined us; there were 5 of us and we all enjoyed a good Singha (Thai beer).
All of us were lying on the sand, in front of the beach; we could hear the pleasant sound of the waves; the sky was magnificent, so clear... The moon and the stars faintly illuminated one of the faces of the main mountain of the island... Simply magical...
4 a.m., return to the bungalow… When we woke up, a lizard was wandering alone in front of our bungalow!
We immediately went back to the other side of the island, where we had dined the day before, to enjoy a good breakfast.
It’s 11am, the tourists who came for the day are landing in dozens... It’s over... The atmosphere changes completely... We head back in the afternoon with memories filling our heads...

The sequel coming soon…

Thibault.