Coconut Island holidays

Holidays to Coconut Island whisk you to a desert island retreat with footprint-free beaches backed by jungle. And it's just a boat ride away from Phuket.

Phuket’s quieter cousin

It’s just a five-minute boat ride from Phuket, but things move at more of a snail’s pace on Koh Maphrao AKA Coconut Island. Like the name suggests, this place trades neon-lit bars and endless market stalls for coconut-stacked palms, mangroves and golden-tinted beaches. It’s unspoiled country here, so there’s no electricity, bar a few private generators.

Jungle playground

This isle isn’t just about beaches – in fact, a good quarter of it is covered with mangrove forests. Hire a bike or head out on foot to get a taste of local life. It’s hard to get lost, as one road runs through the pint-sized island, starting at the pier and ending at a jungle viewpoint. It’s quite the finale, and you can see all the way over to the Phi Phi Islands on a good day.

Floating feasts

Hop in a longtail boat from the jetty and ask for Phuket’s Floating Restaurants – five minutes’ away. Here, the seafood makes the short journey from underwater enclosures to your plate, via the grill. While you wait, peak into the see-through waters below – they’re teeming with leopard sharks, blowfish and moray eels.