KOH LANTA RESORTS | Activities, Night Life, Restaurants & Bars
So many things so little time: Koh Lanta offers travelers a very varied itiniary of bars, restaurants, places to go and things to do. Please find a few ideas for your itiniary below.

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Recommendations from fellow travelers

Squid Fishing at Dusk
While hanging out and spending time with the guys from Bamboo Tattoo, they asked if I would like to go fishing. I had never fished for squid before so I was very excited to try this out. This was still early in the afternoon, so we sat back and waited until the "right " time, and had a few drinks. At about 5:00pm we all went down to the beach and within minutes, I had my first ever squid. It was quite a small specimen, but I was happy because I was the first to catch one. We ended up catching 20 that day and when the sun went down, had a big BBQ back at the tattoo shop. I went out fishing with these guys a number of times after this, and had a great experience, learning and watching them fish. I learned very fast that they can attach to your hand in a hurry, and they are a good shot with the ink. Oh well, this was all part of the fun, and trying something new.

Any of the gear can be purchased locally, and really not too much is needed. A casting rod, minnow lures, and a plastic bag are all a person needs. If you are like me, beer, sunglasses and smokes were also a requirement...hehe.

Getting a Tatoo
After talking with my brother and cousin for the first three weeks about getting tattoos, we finally broke down and all got one in Koh Lanta. The process that lead up to the actual tattoo involved quite a few Chang(beer) and then deciding where to get it on our bodies. The tattoos were done at a place called Bamboo Tattoo, which was located next to the Lanta Sunny House. The tattoo shop is run by four brothers, who also own the bar which its located on. My cousin was the first one to go after deciding on a wizard/moon design. He was in for about 11/2-2 hoursand his tattoo cost 3500bht. It was my turn next and after choosing what I wanted, it was time for the start of 3 hours of tattooing. The good part about it was that the needle started to dull about halfway, this gave me a chance to enjoy another Chang and then get back to business. By the time it was done my arm was asleep from the position I had to hold it, and I was 4500bht poorer. During the same time that I was in the shop, my brother snuck in and got his small tattoo done within an hour. His choice was the symbol of the Year of the Dragon, and he got it on his wrist(1500bht). I would highly recommend this place to anyone that is interested in getting a tattoo done while they are in Thailand. There are a number of reasons for this, first they are very skilled and dedicated to doing a good job. The next day the brother that did my cousins tattoo, was getting a new one done by the guy that did mine. Second reason is that they do tattoos the traditional way, with a bamboo stick/needle, no machines. There is little pain and no bleeding and a person is able to swim again a day later. If you do get one keep it out of the sun (sunburn) and keep it lubed up with vasoline for about 10 days. This will keep it from fading and help heal it up. I will go back to these guys again as they were very careful and excellent artists. My cousin even got a free touchup done to his the next day, no problem.*

Earth Bar on Long Beach
like everything on lanta, earth bar is a relaxed chilled out bar/club, where anything goes. we lazed around on soft mats and cushions, drinking shooters and other tropical delights. they have a pool table, some tables & chairs, and some sofas as well.

anything goes on lanta... i wore jeans with flip flops, which i would never wear back home in a nightclub! it was quite liberating to be able to wear anything!

Opium Bar
in the young hours of the evening, opium serves up beautiful dishes. by the later night, opium is the island's hotspot to dance the night away! they play quite commercial music, top hits and that type of stuff. on new years the place was packed, and it was super hot in there! there was an outside area to chill and drink some cool cocktails, to recover for another round of dancing!

once again, casual rules the day. flipflops, sneakers, bikini tops, shorts etc

Bamboo Tatoo Bar - Main Street Koh Lanta
This bar is owned by brothers that are all a totally great group of guys. As soon as we entered the bar we were made to feel at home. The service is excellent and the food is very good. During the day the place is pretty laid back but at night the bar picks up a liitle bit. Don't get me wrong the bar is not that big, and therefore there isn't swarms of people all around. It is a calm, friendly environment, and a couple of the brothers put on some fire shows later on at night once it gets dark. Inside the bar there are many hanging decorations that look quite nice, They are made from the shells and driftwood that wash up on the nearby beach. This is also where we all got great tattoos from the brothers. The shop (Bamboo Tattoo) is located just off to the side of the main bar area and it stays open late. ****UPDATE****The restaurant/bar were not open yet on my last visit, due to the terrible tragedy, a few weeks before I arrived. We would stay there during the day and go to other places at night that were not too far away.

IBAR
Every Tuesdays and Saturdays. I went every week - and its a great club because unlike Pee Pee, the majority of people are Thai. Check out a rather unique way of dancing from some 18y/o thai boys who have had one too many buckets :-) Ask at your resort (TOP VIEW) how to get there, they will usually take the car if there are enough people, or they will call for a free I BAR cab...

Miami Bar
We did not do very much while on Ko lanta, this was mostly a chill out location for us and we did just that. we did enjoy the bar area of our bungalow operation. If you are staying at or are near Miami bungalows, have a bang lassie.... they are *good*

Reggae Bar
During my extended stay on Koh Lanta this time, I partied at night mainy between these two bars. The guys from Bamboo Tattoo introduced me to both of these bars and this turned out to be a blast. The Reggae Bar was located fairly close to my room so it was nice and close. This was a very small bar with a stage and dance area all cramed into this space. The first time I was here there was a live band playing, this was good for the most part. At the end it turned into a jam and in my opinion, this was a good time. By far the Why Not Bar was my favorite spot to visit on this trip for sure. It was about a 20-30 minute scooter ride from my room (on the nasty roads), but once we got here, it was all forgotten. This bar was also small and very laid back. It was very easy to relax in this place and enjoy the music, and at the end of the night have fun in a jam. I do want to go back and enjoy the same, if not better experience, at both of these bars on my next trip to this island.

The code for both of these places would be to dress comfortable, and wear what you like.



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