Review of Thai Island Hopper – Best NYE Party Ever!

My 2017/2018 New Year’s trip will go down for the ages in my memory. I remember I wanted to go on another Busabout tour and I chose Thai Island Hopper Flexi West. This time around I didn’t exactly have a plan – I felt like “hopping around islands” would be a great idea. I had no idea just how much fun my New Years celebration would be in Thailand. Come with me and discover Thailand and its party scene!

After reading the itinerary for the Thai Island Flexi Hopper West, I had a good feeling about this trip especially exploring the islands. I remember not wanting to visit Bangkok, for me at least it seemed like everyone goes to Bangkok for a wild time. I felt southern Thailand would fit more in my taste…little did I realize this is a total party town.

For whatever reason I took very few pictures which is not at all like me, I guess I was having too much fun. Just like the year before I didn’t bother taking travel notes or renaming my pictures so I’ll do my best to reconstruct my trip.

Thai Island Hopper Flexi West Overview:

Highlights: Koh Phi Phi, 4 Islands boat trip, Railay beach, Krabi and NYE Full Moon Party!

Destinations: Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, Krabi (Ao Nang)

Travelers: This time around the group was small, it was only 11 of us with 8 being from Australia, myself and two other Americans. Everyone was in their 20s except for myself….I was 41 at the time. I was surprised at just how small the group was, I was expecting at least 20. Even though I was the oldest I didn’t feel too out of place.

Guide: Ryan Tarascas was our tour guide and he went above and beyond for the whole group…especially with me.

Transportation: It was mainly a private minivan and the ferry for the islands. The rest we did all on foot. I remember on Koh Phi Phi I didn’t see many cars which was a plus.

Accommodations: From what I remember it was all hostels (6 bed dorms) and three nights were hotels. They were all simple but comfortable and I felt safe every night I was there.

Tour & Group vibe: As you already know Busabout is very much focused on nightlife so every night we partied. I was a year older and this one absolutely gave me an ass whooping! I was tapping out early every night.

Special shout-out to Ryan Tarascas: When I arrived in Phuket to meet the group at the Lub D Hostel, I didn’t realize this tour didn’t include the accommodations. When I booked the tour I didn’t bother reading the part that I needed to book the accommodations separately. I literally showed up with my backpack in Thailand with nowhere to stay!

Ryan and I sat down and he helped me score accommodations. This was all last minute so I would up paying more had I done this earlier but I needed a place to stay. Ryan, if you ever read this….THANK YOU!

Busabout – Thai Island Hopper Flexi West Itinerary & Review:

The Thai Island Hopper started and ended in Phuket with island hopping in between and partying almost every night. The best way I can describe Southern Thailand is chill and laid back with a fun atmosphere. During the day we did do our best to immerse ourselves into Thai culture with the food, visiting temples and of course admiring the beauty that surrounded us. 

Day 1 & 2: Phuket – The day I arrived I didn’t do that much other then get my accommodations squared away with Ryan. However, we did do a walk around Pkuket for a shorty walking tour ending up in Bangla Road for the night to grab a drink and talk to one another. I have to say Bangla Road is definitely the place to be, the nightlife is amazing.

The one thing I missed was visiting The Big Buddha which is crazy now that I think about it. I flew in late the afternoon and I had to get my accommodations squared away. The itinerary suggested you visit this Buddhist temple if you had some free time. The main problem was that the Lub D Hostel is nearly 30 minutes away via tuk-tuk so the location wasn’t that great.

After the fun night on Bangla Road we set out to #instaworthy pics of Phang Nga Bay the following day…which was an absolute highlight of the trip.

What makes Phang Nga Bay special is the clear emerald waters dotted with limestone karst islands and caves. Our day tour took us to explore some of those caves. The island we entered was Koh Panak…that day was low tide so we were able to walk through a dark tunnel and we entered a hidden lagoon. I never thought that I’d get to visit a mini-island let alone discover a hidden lagoon with a beach in the center.

I think the tour wanted to take us to an island that was overlooked. Unlike the other islands, Koh Panak didn’t have many visitors at all…so glad we visited this hidden gem.

After getting back to the hostel we as a group headed back out to the buzzing Bangla Road. Frankly I don’t remember much from that night expect for the hangover.

Day 3 & 4: Ko Phi Phi – Here’s where the trip began to cook, we took an early ferry ride to Ko Phi Phi. We arrived on Ko Phi Phi on Dec 30^th so it was FESTIVE! There were several ferries arriving on the island with tourists all soaking in the sun and fun. The vibe was just awesome and I remember feeding off the energy from everyone. I remember some of my fellow travelers stayed at the Blanco Beach Party Hostel – the very definition of a party hostel. They play loud music until 2 am every night so be prepared if you stay here.  I won’t lie…I was glad I didn’t stay there the endless alcohol and loud music would have laid me out.

We headed up to Phi Phi Viewpoint 1 & 2 for an incredible view of the island.

We hung out here for a while and I was struggling to capture some photos for the simple fact there were so many people here doing the same. We were also reminded of the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and how nearly 70% of the island’s infrastructure was destroyed. It took some time to recover but Thai people are resilient and rebuilt the island in many ways better than what it was while some may say it’s a little too much.

We got the chance to visit Maya Bay where the film “The Beach” was made starring DiCaprio. Honestly the sheer beauty of the island was jay dropping with its pristine beaches. Although it was absolutely beautiful when we visited it was jam packed with tourists, frankly there were too many people I couldn’t even take decent photos.

It got so bad that The Department of National Parks closed the bay in April of 2018 to allow the reefs and marine ecology to recover. Maya Bay drew so many visitors worldwide the government had to step in to protect it – rightfully so.

When we got back it was time for the New Year’s celebration…yep it was going to be a big night considering it was NYE and it seemed the whole island was getting ready for the Full Moon Party. Technically the Full Moon Party takes place on another island – Ko Pha-Ngan (where it originated). To be up front it didn’t matter – it was New Year’s Eve and everyone was celebrating.

I have to admit the energy from the crowd was incredible, everyone was on the same page, no bad behavior (from what I saw) all positive vibes.

I cannot tell you how much fun I had in Koh Phi Phi celebrating the New Year, everyone was having a blast, neon body paint, fire dancers and of course Full Moon Buckets (it’s a bucket of booze) so yeah I was pretty hammered by the end of the night.

Now on Jan 1^st, I took it easy – during the day I headed to the beach to soak in some sun and eventually came across a couple of people from my group and ate at Breakers Bar…everyone was ordering the “English Brekkie”.

Later that night I remember we attended a nighttime fire show right on the beach which was cool. We then wound up at Reggae Bar and watched a live Muy Thai fight….it was insane watching a knock-out.

Day 5: Koh Lanta – At the time this was the least developed of the Thai islands we visited, it allowed us to take it down a notch from the night before and recharge our batteries. When checked in at Paulee’S House Hostel relaxing with a cocktail at the bar and took a stroll to the Lanta Animal Welfare Visitor Centre – in case one of us wanted to adopt a cat or dog…no kidding the handlers there offered us to adopt a pet.

From what I remember we didn’t do much just kicked it at Phra Ae Beach and enjoyed a sunset picnic dinner. I pretty sure it was some sort of banana & mango pancake roti that Ryan treated us to. Again Ryan our guide knew exactly where to go for some great local food. While the rest of the group went for drinks on a beach side bar I went back to my room and tried to get some sleep…what can I say…the NYE party kicked my ass and I was still jet-lagged.

Day 6 & 7: Krabi (Ao Nang) – At this point of the trip I wasn’t expecting much, especially with that epic New Years’ party but Ao Nang absolutely was an awesome surprise. The day tour took us to Railay Beach and the Phra Nang cave. We spent the afternoon soaking in the sun but as our attention went to the cave because it was a bit of a head scratcher. The entrance has dozens and dozens of phalluses, penises ding-dongs call them what you want.

Also known as Princess Cave, the shrine is dedicated to the spirit of the drowned princess goddess, Phra Nang. Over the centuries local fishermen have been leaving offerings for protection and at the same time the cave was tied to fertility. Hence the reason for all the phalluses left behind at the entrance of the cave.

We got back to our hostels and got ready for a nigh out that took us to Left Side Bar. I remember not wanting to make it a big night but clearly that didn’t happen. I did wind up eating some food at 1 am with Ryan.

Day 8: Krabi (Ao Nang)  – This day was AWESOME! The day tour included a climb up to Tiger Cave Temple with its 1,237 steps…the climb was steep and is grueling. It didn’t matter the views were well worth the climb…a must do for anyone in Krabi. After the seemingly long climb down and with my legs feeling like a pair of wet noodles, we visited the Emerald Pool and Hot Stream.

For anyone visiting Krabi I can’t recommend enough Tiger Cave Temple, Emerald Pool and Hot Stream. Just do it!

Just when I thought we were done with partying my last night would up being a banger. Most of my fellow travelers were staying at the Slumber Party Hostel and this night was their legendary Pub Crawl. The started out with beer pong, slap cup and other drinking games and of course all of us guzzling on bucket cocktails.

Frankly I don’t remember much of this night, but we did party our asses off going to one bar to the next to the next and to the next. At that time local beer was about 100 BAT or $3 USD….that’s dirt cheap!

Day 9: Phuket – unfortunately this was the last day of my Thai Island Hopper trip. The tour ended with a breakfast and I had to say goodbye to my fellow travelers. I have to admit I wish I had more time to explore more of Thailand and I was bummed that it was over. I will say

Final Thoughts on Thai Island Hopper Flexi West with Busabout:

I’m going to come right and say this trip gave me the BEST new year’s celebration ever. I felt I joined the world’s best and biggest beach party. Sure, I was older than everyone else but this had to be the most fun trip I’ve ever had in any country. Frankly the group made it fun – I can’t recommend this trip more to any 18- to 35-year-old. You get to experience Southern Thailand along with its rich culture and dive right into the party scene.

Safety tips for visiting Thailand:

Thailand is incredibly safe, what I’m going to cover is mainly health and common sense:

• Keep up to date with any travel advisories or visa requirements.
• Check any vaccination requirements and recommendations (dengue and malaria).
• Always pack mosquito spray and sunblock.
• Don’t drink tap water! Use bottled water when brushing your teeth.
• Get yourself some sort of travel insurance.
• Don’t dabble with “substances” and don’t be that falling down drunk.

Busabout alternatives for Thail Island Hopper?

No need to worry I have you covered, here are some of the best tours exploring southern Thailand’s islands + a full moon party. When looking at the tours below and you want to experience the official full moon party remember that it takes place in Ko Pha-Ngan.

Thai Island Hopper West (Standard)	Thailand Experience
Thai Island Hopper East	Thailand Island Hopper
Thai Island Hopper West (Plus)	Full Moon Island Hopper
Best of Thailand – Feel Free Travel	Full Moon Experience
Thailand Island Hopper – Feel Free Travel	Thailand 11 Day/10 Night Group Tour | ULTIMATE