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Island in the Andaman Sea
Photo: Philipp Schäufele - User: (WT-shared) Flip666 at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ko Lipe (Thai: เกาะหลีเป๊ะ) (sometimes spelled Koh Lipe) is an island in Satun Province, off the Andaman Coast of Southern Thailand. It is 50km northwest of Langkawi, Malaysia, 67km west of Pak Bara, and 200km southeast of Phuket. It is part of a cluster of islands called the Butang / Adang Archipelago.
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info@adangseadivers.com
Professional, multilingual, and experienced instructors and dive masters. 1 to 3 dives a day from speedboat. The only dive centre on Ko Lipe offering speedboat dives. SSI and Nitrox courses. Small intimate groups. Specialised in underwater photography.
Multilingual, experienced instructors. Offers night diving, PADI, SDI and freediving courses. Snorkeling trips are run separately from the dive boats daily. Specialises in small intimate groups. Also offers free-diving, where you spend time in the underwater world while holding your breath.
Experienced instructors teaching all PADI courses from beginner to divemaster level. Daily trips for certified divers to all the best dive sites around Ko Lipe. Free accommodation for divers and students available when you book online.
Multilingual, experienced instructors. Offers night diving, PADI courses, and liveaboard diving trips. Snorkellers are welcome to tag along on day trips for only 500 baht (including lunch & equipment).
Ko Lipe Diving is a SSI Diamond Dive Center and Instructor Training Facility. They offer daily fun dive day trips for certified divers, a full range of SSI courses from beginner to pro, introductory dives (you can try Scuba Diving) and a wide range of SSI specialties. PADI courses available as well. Non-divers are welcome to join daily trips for snorkeling or a cruise around the islands. Biggest dive boat on the island, 25 meters long, 3 decks, 2 toilets. They can also arrange private trips for couples, friends and families combining diving, snorkeling and island exploration. You can expect professional diving instruction and services in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Well organised. Experienced, multilingual instructors speak English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, German, Dutch, Malay and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese).
PADI dive centre and Ko Lipe's First PADI TecRec Center, Poseidon ECCR Rebreather rentals. Canadian owner. The first authorized Padi TecRec Dive Center at Koh Lipe 20m boat, the M.V. Chalalai. Snorkeling offered.
Excellent diving and snorkelling guides. All PADI courses available.
Serves average food, but drink prices are good and they project movies every night on a big screen.
Thai food.
Koh Lipe's only plant-based restaurant. Free WiFi. Occasional theme parties and discounted drinks.
An East-meets-West American-style coffee house with owners from San Francisco and Thailand. Coffee, homemade baked goods, breakfasts including homemade toasted muesli and lots of crispy bacon. Other menu items include proper American burgers with imported Australian beef, sandwiches, a large selection of fresh salads, on-toast breakfast menu including avocado and ricotta options and many more. There is also full bar built into an actual 10-meter longtail boat. Every night starting at about 20:30, the Banana Band serves up Thai and English music in a relaxed setting.
There is a brilliant banana cake in small aluminium box shapes. The seats are somewhat hidden behind the house. Western breakfasts and sandwiches are served with their hearty whole-grain bread.
Seafood.
Burgers and pasta. Also has exotic cocktails and drink specials.
Thai food. Seafood. Live music.
Choose from fillings like coconut, banana, and chocolate. Delicious smoothies sold in plastic cups.
Mr. Nor, the owner, is a real Rasta and is very friendly. Mostly plays reggae music. If you ask Mr. Nor to see his nunchucks collection, he will proudly show it to you. On 6 February, they celebrate Bob Marley's birthday with a 3-day music and culture festival.
There are pool tables and TVs for watching big sports events, and there are usually a few local divers hanging out there. They also serve some delicious bar food and bar snacks. Open late. Also sells Swedish snus.
A bar on the beach where customers sit on large bean bags.
An outdoor bar in the forest with a thatch hut theme.
A stand that sells cannabis edibles and cannabis mojitos.
Dorm beds and private rooms above a cafe. Claims to have the best coffee on the island at the cafe. Guests are generally under age 30.
A luxurious hostel that also offers private rooms. However, it is more popular with couples than with backpackers and does not have the traditional hostel atmosphere.
Very basic dorms and private rooms with balconies. Affiliated with a travel agent for booking diving trips. Opened in 2017.
Budget hotel.
A hostel with dorm beds and private rooms.
A clean and comfortable hostel with dorm beds and private rooms. No dedicated common area; guests hang out on the front porch.
Extremely clean basic dormitories and private rooms with fans and a good atmosphere for meeting other travelers. Several cats hang out at the hostel; not for those that are allergic.
Rooms are small but comfortable. Shared bathrooms. WiFi is weak.
Mixed dorms of 4, 6, or 8 beds, including queen sized bunk beds.
Open all year. Eco-friendly. Bungalows: 5 small cosy double fan rooms. Private fully equipped bathroom with hot/cold shower, kettle for tea and coffee in the room, terrace on the garden side. Bungalows are cleaned and towels are provided. The resort recycles its grey water and most of its wastes. Discounted lodging for divers
Beachfront location, includes hotel rooms and bungalows in traditional Thai decors.
Open Nov-May. Cheap bungalows in middle of the island. There are about 20 fan bungalows and 3 family rooms set among the garden-like jungle. Balcony, mosquito nets, bed, bathroom inside. Electricity 24/7.
9 rooms. Eco-friendly resort made from converted shipping containers. Also has a tapas bar. Rooms are rarely available.
Open all year. 80 bungalows. Fan rooms are in the back of the site and are grotty. Resort services include: snorkel and dive trips, mini mart, Internet, and laundry. There is a large open air restaurant and bar with a fantastic view of the beach. Breakfast is included. Decent exchange rates for major currencies.
Well constructed hotel with beachfront views.
AC rooms with large white decks right on the beach.
Open all year. It has 43 wooden stilt bungalows with large decks with hammocks, some directly on the beach. Hmong blankets drape over the roomy beds, and fabric lanterns hang in the corner of the rooms. Cold water showers only. The bar and restaurant serves BBQ, Thai, and Western food. It's a nice place to chill out day or night with a cocktail. Daily 1-hour yoga classes in the morning and afternoon for ฿400.
Will arrange a shuttle from the boat drop off location.
Basic bungalows with AC, WiFi, refrigerators, and balconies.
Open November to May. Several fan bungalows close to the beach. Exteriors are painted in bright, sunny colours and have verandas looking out onto lovely gardens. Bathrooms have cold water only. There is a very popular seafood restaurant. It's run by a local family, the Chao Ley fishermen who bring their daily catch up the beach and serve it in the evenings. More than 20 bungalows. The family live at the top and bottom entrances so there is some security including the guard dogs. From this resort, you can walk into the next one run by an Italian and have a great breakfast and pizza for lunch. One of the staff is called Bing, and he is a very helpful.
Open all year. 18 well-designed, spacious bungalows, built from natural materials. Every bungalow has one four-poster bamboo double bed or two platform-raised bunk beds with mosquito net and a large terrace and sea view. Some bungalows have a mezzanine floor with an upper window for a good view. and the option of a second bed. Each bungalow has a fan (electricity 08:00-10:30 and 17:30-24:00). Bungalows to sleep 1-4 people available. Advance reservations only accepted from divers. Restaurant serves home-made pizzas and drinks.
Open November to May. Incredible views. The concrete bungalows are particularly unattractive, musty and damp, with splotches of mould on the walls. The bamboo huts are quite a bit brighter and tidier. To get to your room, you'll have to clamber over a maze of steps, stairs, and muddy paths.
In the forest.
Open November to May. Two rows of thatched huts running off of the beach. Rooms are compact but attractive, with bamboo walls, big beds draped in mosquito netting, sunny open-air bathrooms. Can be a little difficult to find the managers.
Bungalows are made with all eco-material: bamboo, wood, leaves, earthen tiles, and granite. Waste is recycled.
Simple rooms but not for fussy travelers.
Open all year. Contemporary resort. Health spa, Wi-Fi, restaurant and bar.
Nice rooms with AC and free rental of kayaks and snorkels.
41 stand-alone bungalows in a tropical setting. Accommodations range from bamboo and wooden bungalows to rooms. Majority of the bungalows offer sea view.
Most rooms feature hot water, satellite TV, a private deck, and spectacular views of the bay. 24 hour electricity. Breakfast included. Mountain Beach Bar offers drinks & massages on the beach. Discounted rates available for on-line reservations. Credit cards accepted.
Open Nov-May. 15 spacious bamboo bungalows with private bathroom, some on the beach.
A family run business with basic but renovated spacious rooms and a plentiful breakfast.
Owned by Pooh and Soi. Live jazz and blues music. Food can be overpriced.
Chao Ley-owned and operated. On the hillside of Sanom Beach, with panoramic views of Pattaya Beach and the Andaman Sea. Open year round. Credit cards and PayPal accepted.
Basic rooms by the beach.
This resort does not live up to its name—rooms near the bar are noisy—but the prices are good.
Open all year. Many luxurious bungalows around a pool and more going up the hillside.
Open 1 Nov-15 May. 12 modern rooms are set around a garden courtyard and have access to a terrace overlooking the mountains of Ko Adang, the Chao Ley village and Sunrise Beach. All rooms have air-con and hot showers. Bicycle rental: ฿150 per day.
Open all year. 100 bungalows in many different sizes. 24-hour electricity, private terraces. The beds are reasonably comfortable and the pillows are divine. Longhouse rooms are the cheapest, but there's no soundproofing. The air conditioned villa has fridge and a TV with satellite channels. Massage salon as well as a bar and restaurant are on-site. Breakfast is fried rice, eggs, fried noodles, fruit. Villas have hot showers.
Set in a mature pine tree garden, that provides shade.
Spacious and comfortable bungalows with fans (no air conditioning) and private baths (cold water only). The friendly local owners also run a restaurant there that is only open in high season (mid-Nov to mid-May). They serve breakfast, coffee, drinks, seafood, and Thai-style fried fish. A few plastic tables are set up on the sand.
One of the nicest places to stay on the island.
67 rooms.
Luxurious and romantic bunglows with floor-to-ceiling windows, beach views, and private terraces with pools and jacuzzis.
16 villas with floor-to-ceiling windows and beach views. Custom designed long-tail boat excursions and all-day dining options.
Luxury rooms, suites, and villas in Balinese style with vaulted ceilings and private gardens.
Luxury suites and villas in Balinese style with vaulted ceilings and private gardens.
On a private beach, with rooms of 50-55 square meters and villas as big as 200 square meters.
Open all year. Bungalows are built at the beachfront and on a hill with views of the sea and the surrounding islands, set on its own private beach. Bungalows are outfitted with king sized beds with aircon and fan, flat screen TV, free Wi-Fi, fridge, mosquito screened windows and sliding doors, and have Western baths with hot water. Bar and restaurant on the premises.
Beachfront rooms with AC.
By plane
The nearest airports are in Trang and Hat Yai, which is accessible by ferry then bus, or in Langkawi, accessible by ferry.
By boat
5 hours), Ko Lanta (3 hours), and Phuket (5 hours).
All of Ko Lipe can be covered on foot. A walk between the two furthest walkable points on the island, Serendipity Resort and Patai Galah Beach, takes about 45 minutes for the 3 km journey, using the roads.
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Langkawi · International · LGK
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