Of the dozens of stellar tropical islands that dot the coastline of Thailand, Koh Lanta is considered one of the most tranquil and laid-back. Situated in the beautiful Andaman Sea along the country’s west coast, Koh Lanta is actually a protected group of around 50 small islets with Koh Lanta Yai at the heart of everything. All of the development is on Lanta Yai, while the other islands are basically deserted slices of paradise. Since it’s a national marine park, the island has been spared the gross overdevelopment which has blighted some of Thailand’s other islands. People don’t come to Koh Lanta to party, they come here to relax and envelope themselves in a quiet realm of lapping waves and whispering palm fronds.

Unless your children are afraid of the water, they should have a great time playing along the beaches, swimming in the warm Andaman Sea and exploring the jungle parks of Koh Lanta. This quiet, low-key island doesn’t offer anything else in the way of entertainment, so be sure to bring plenty of things to keep the kids occupied. It’s precisely this peaceful, unhurried environment which makes it very safe for children to play and enjoy the trip.

New Year’s Day: although Thais traditionally celebrate the Buddhist New Year (Songkran) in April, they still take the opportunity to party with the rest of the world on New Year’s Eve.

Like nearly every island in Thailand, Koh Lanta enjoys beautiful sandy beaches, clear water and balmy weather all year long. As one of the lesser-populated and lightly developed islands in the south, Koh Lanta is a quiet, laid-back place where most of the activities are self-generated. Apart from the main port town of Sala Dan, the rest of the action on the island revolves around each beach and individual resort. There is a lovely national park at the southern tip of the island, near the intriguing village of Sea Gypsies, as well as the original port town of Lanta Old Town, with its 100-year old wooden buildings. You can trek up to the impressive Tham Khao Maikaeo cave and explore its subterranean depths or take a boat out to a deserted island for a secluded day trip. Most visitors come to Koh Lanta precisely for its lack of boisterous activities, so bring some good books and plan to get into chill-out mode.

The nearest airport to Koh Lanta is in Krabi, although many visitors fly into Phuket or Bangkok since they offer a much broader flight schedule. Krabi’s airport is very small and is only serviced by Thai Airlines from Bangkok and Tiger Airways from Singapore. The ferry to Koh Lanta is 40kms south of the airport and the only transportation available from Krabi’s terminal is by private taxi.