Of the Thai islands and beaches, this was our favorite (so far). We were here for three days.

• Temple between Paradise Waterfall and Slip ‘N Fly: This temple looked interesting from the road, so we stopped in. It had some fun features, like a ‘No Sex’ sign on a tree, and an open square-like area with statues and some explanations. I’m not sure if that means it’s touristy, or if it’s just a different style. It also had the more familiar hallmarks: a stupa (memorial building with a spire), a golden Buddha statue, a building that resembled a main temple area, and some surrounding grounds. A nice visit, though nothing to go out of your way for, in my opinion.
• Phaeng Waterfall (or Ramanora, Thaan Prapaad, Wangsai, Thaan Sadet, Paradise, Thaan Prawes): It’s generally a positive that it is not currently the rainy season, since downpours are not my idea of fun. However, it also means that waterfalls are pretty much dry: don’t count on seeing more than a trickle. On the plus side, Phaeng has a nice viewpoint, if you hike up.
• Motorbiking: This is definitely fun here – and not just because you need a bike to get around the island. You can see Thong Sala town (where the boat deposits all visitors) or Haad Rin (where the Full and Half Moon parties of craziness occur) or motor around or head to a quieter beach like Coconut Beach.

What We Skipped:

• Muay Thai Boxing Match: From the ads, this is more performance than athletic event, and it seemed gory. We avoided it because of that and because the truck driving around town telling people to come to the show over a loudspeaker was annoying. It sounded a bit like Vince McMahon, actually.
• Archery: It was deserted each time we passed by, and we can shoot things elsewhere.
• Mini Golf: We kept passing it at night.
• Slip ‘N Fly: This looked like a giant slide which could be fun, but it seems to be closed except during the Full Moon Party.
• Elephant Trekking: I saw an elephant as we drove by it on our motorbike. I know it’s silly to say this, but it looked pretty sad. Add to that what I read about the mistreatment of elephants for tourism, and I could not get interested in sitting on one’s back and making it sadder.
• Zip Lining: This seemed expensive for Thailand, so we opted to skip it.
• Kite Surfing/Scuba Diving: We decided to do this on another island.
• Yoga: We were too busy motorbiking to stop and smell the incense.