This is a 5 star resort very close to our compound, partly owned by the Royal Family. So if Pimalay complains, action is taken. Roads are fixed, monkeys are being neutered etc. Life on an island sounds idyllic and it pretty much is, provided that you can make it work with just the two of you.
Every month we make a road trip to Krabi to go to Makro. And actually only to buy unsweetened yoghurt and meat. We take our chill boxes with ice packs and go after ‘rush hour’ (the ferry can be busy early mornings), have lunch in Ao Nang, do our shopping and drive back. I love to cook and we usually eat at home in the evenings.
We bought an old Toyota, because the motorbike is wonderful here but the distance to Saladan from our house is too long, about a 45 minutes drive on very bad roads in the blistering sun. The car has a dual function for me: it is a comfy and safe means of transport and if I get overheated, I just go for a drive with the aircon on full blast. It’s hot and humid here… There is no aircon in any of the living areas, only in the bedrooms. So ironing is another favorite pastime for me: I use the guest room for ironing and of course with the cold air flowing! Our house overlooks Kantiang Bay. From our terrace we look at Koh Ha floating around in the Andaman Sea, closed during low season but just reopened again for snorkeling and diving trips. Koh Ha (5) contains 5 small islands around which you have a great variety of fish and rocks, caves and other interesting things to see underwater.
All other stuff you need is available on the island. There is a market every day. Each day of the week on a different, but set location, so that everybody has access. Fruits, veggies, fish, seafood, eggs, food stalls, some non food stalls. I love wandering past all the stalls and buy what we need. They now know that we live on the island and when they see me, someone always starts yelling “no plastic”! I take my little laundry nets for tomatoes, grapes, mushrooms etc. with me, and I have shopping bags for all the rest. It caused quite a few hilarious moments in the beginning, women looking at these bra bags wondering why on earth I put mushrooms in them. But now they all know and they all appreciate you not using any plastic bags. It is a simple life here. Although neither of us ‘work’, we are never bored. The beaches are beautiful, the people easy going, the weather is predictable, the sea is always something to look at as an ever-changing picture.