Coconut Island

When Lissa was making inquiries about what to do on Monday night, the concierge recommended a boat ride to Koh Maphrao also known as Coconut Island.

Lissa had some lowdown on the island but there were still some grey areas as to how to get there and where to get the boats. Seems there are long boats that offer free transport to the island. The cabbie was familiar with where we needed to go and that was to Laem Hin a fishing community. The drive took us on the same route we took earlier for our elephant ride. Then, we took a turn off the main road. That's when things got unfamiliar fast. The road was very twisty and narrow. We were in third world territory.

Homes were lean-tos made of scrap material on plots of land covered in garbage. The concern was how would we get back? What if there were no taxis? Poor Lissa looked terrified and we knew she was thinking that this evening was her idea and if it went to hell, she would feel terrible.

We arrived at the dock. The taxi drop off also had a taxi stand. Taxis ran back and forth all night as did the long boats. Insert “sigh of relief” here. The timing was perfect as the sun would be setting within the hour. We sat at the dock for a 15 minute wait. A quirky little lady started a conversation with Wendy – her voice was so squeaky she sounded like a cartoon character. Wendy was sweet and chatted with her until the boat arrived.

Tropical breezes are just intoxicating. In California, ocean breezes are cold, in Phuket, they are warm and soothing. The boat reminded me of a gondola with a canopy. The three of us didn’t say much; we just stared off, taking a moment for ourselves. The wind was blowing our hair; the sun was setting behind us, and in front of us was Coconut Island.

The boat arrived at a dock that led straight to The Village at Coconut Island. The Village is a gorgeous resort comprised of villas each with their own private pools and spas.

We bee-lined for the resort’s outdoor bar and restaurant – it was Happy Hour! We sat at the bar listening to live music. People started dancing. There was a blind man who looked to be in his 50’s, accompanied by a woman who escorted him to the dance floor and held his hands while he swayed to the beat, face up to the sky with a euphoric smile.

After a couple rounds, we sat at a table for dinner. We recapped our day and talked about tomorrow. Our last day in Phuket would be at the beach – no running around, just more floating and tanning.

Dinner was another party in our mouths. I started with a traditional Thai appetizer Mieng Kham and scallops in coconut curry for my entrée. Even at this swank place, we only spent about $30 each.

We waited at the dock for a 9:15pm boat to take us back to the mainland. We thought we had missed it when we saw the boat coming towards us very slowly. The long boat was having engine problems, so we had to wait for another. There was a businessman who was absolutely livid. He had been waiting an hour for a boat and would not stop pissing and moaning even when we were all seated on a boat headed back.

A taxi back to our hotel was not an issue – I’m sure I slept most of the way. Soon we were all happily snug in bed with plans to get up early for our last beach day.