Reader question: Which islands in Thailand should you see?

If you want to avoid tourism I wouldn't go south near Pukhet and Krabi.
Busy, expensive and lots of tourists, including of course Russians and Chinese.
A better plan is Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. 2 islands just above Koh Samui (This island is also too touristy) From Bangkok you can take the bus and the boat to Koh Tao. Koh Tao is a small island, but cheap in terms of accommodation and food and you can enjoy fantastic snorkeling. Koh Phangan is still quite unspoilt in the West and North. I would avoid the south.
You can also go to Koh Chang, which is a larger island and still has many quiet beaches. From Koh Chang you can go island hopping to Koh Maak, Koh Koed and others. Very relaxed there, not expensive and definitely worth it.

Koh Lanta is also recommended in addition to Koh Chang. Take into account the monsoon (April to November)

How about Koh kood (also called koh kut, although it is not there at all) and Koh Mak, both sailing a bit further than Koh Chang, but far fewer hotels (the islands are also a lot smaller than Koh Chang, though). Ideal too in terms of travel distance from Bangkok and less sensitive to storms and hurricanes than the islands in the south during the rainy season.

Thailand has a wealth of beautiful islands. Some in the list below are not open to tourism. You are allowed to sail around but not enter. So even before wanting to visit these islands, one should first inform oneself what is allowed and what is not.

The problem with wanting to visit islands is: either there is EVERYTHING and then of course you have many tourists, or there is NOTHING and then you have almost no tourists. It is therefore a matter of looking for a middle ground and you can only do that by visiting the islands and determining this yourself. You like them and are what you were looking for or you don't like them.

A few of these "middle ground" islands are: Koh Kut (Koot), Koh Butang and of course Koh Lipe (a pearl). But you don't stay long on these islands… in a few days you have seen it all and all you will find is nature and very good special seafood restaurants.

The large, most famous islands can also offer what you are looking for, but then you stay away from the tourist hotspots on those islands. Like for example on Koh Samui: if you don't go further than Chaweng, yes then you are in an overwhelm of tourists, but there are plenty of really quiet and beautiful places on this island and you are never very far from "something" different, something more ….. I would not recommend Koh Tao anymore. It is a small island, but beautiful, but completely adapted to people who want to dive or snorkel. It is therefore very busy with this kind of tourists. Koh Phangang, very beautiful, but if you are unlucky enough to be there when there is a full moon party, you can forget about the rest.
The choice of which islands to visit is also often made by the accessibility… is there a ferry service or do you have to try to get there yourself with a local….

Below is a list of the main island groups around Thailand. This list is not exhaustive, there are many other islands:

GULF OF THAILAND NORTH group: Khram, Lan, Pai, Samet, Si Chang
GULF OF THAILAND NORTH EAST group : Chang, Kut, Mak
MALAY PENINSULA EAST group: Pha Luai, Phangan, Samui, Tao
MALAY PENINSULA SOUTH EAST group: Kra, Maeo, Nu
MALAY PENINSULA WEST group : Chan, Chang, Hai, Jum, Lanta Noi, Lanta Yai, Middle, Muk,, Phayam, Phi Phi, Phuket, Ra, Racha Noi, Racha Yai, Sayer,
Similan Isls: namely Bangu, Huyong, Miang, Payan, Payang, Payu, Similan, Yao Noi, Yao Yai
MALAY PENINSULA SOUTH WEST group : Butang Group: Adang, Bitsi, Bulon, Butang, Glang, Gra, Hin Ngam, Jabang, Kai, Lipe, Rawi, Tarutao, Yang

(source list: RSGB Radio Amateur IOTA program : Islands On The Air program where writer is part)

Have fun visiting the islands.
Lung addie