26th January 2016: Similan Islands, Thailand

Today we opted to take an excursion to the nearby Similan Islands – famous for their marine life.  The Sarojin had its own motor-cruiser and we joined a few other guests for the hour or so ride across the Andaman Sea which was great fun as we sat up front and enjoyed the sun and the waves.

There are about 11 islands in total and they are protected in terms of how many people can go and not having overnight visitors.  We moored in a small bay where we were supplied with snorkels and flippers so that we could have a swim.

The water was quite deep for snorkeling and nearer the shore was mostly large boulders and the currents made it a little tricky.  We saw several turtles as well as many fish and corals and although I had to drive quite deep to get close – a couple of large eels.

After an enjoyable swim, we were served a delicious lunch on the boat which included lots of different salads, shell fish and other very tasty delights!

The boat then changed mooring to head around to a beautiful sheltered bay with a sandy beach and clear shallow waters.  Here we swam the short distance to shore and Rach and I took a walk along the beach and just enjoyed the sea and the sun.  We entertained a group of Japanese tourists by jumping off the rocks into the water to which they all followed suit and then played hide and seek amongst the rocks.

Finally it was time to travel back to the hotel and the boat made its way over slightly choppier waters back to the hotel’s pier.  I’d love to come back to the Similan islands and do some scuba diving since I think with the deeper waters – it would be great to have a proper explore and see even more of the environment, but it was a lovely day out!

The hotel was doing a beach barbecue that evening so we found a table and helped ourselves to the delicious range of food that was on offer.  We had a round sushi to start before enjoying coal-charred steaks and other tasty things for the main course!

For the rest of our time at the Sarojin, we enjoyed the pool and the beach.  It was a beautiful area and the hotel was one of the best we’ve ever stayed in.  I think we will be back!