We’d previously kayaked Phang Nga Bay a year ago, and when it came to looking at a short weekend getaway this December, I originally considered Ha Long Bay. It’s the more well known of the two groups of karsts islands, with Ha Long approximately four times the size of Phang Nga.

But I couldn’t find any kayak-focused operators in Ha Long. They were mostly cruisers with side kayaking trips. In the end, we went back to Phuket. Give us a quiet bay away from the crowds anytime.

And that was again what we found. Honestly, I found it quite remarkable that Phang Nga bay is as serene as it is, being a short boat ride from the provinces of Phuket or Krabi. Apart from the occasional fishing boat, we had the entire bay to ourselves in our two days paddling around the different karst formations.

It was another glorious two days on the water. As before, it was just Jeff and myself with a guide, and a long tail boat that acted as our safety boat, got us to our start point and to our bungalow at the end of the day, and also carried our lunch spread. Unlike last year where we had a lot of wind and chop, Saturday was a hot and calm day. When we made the 4km crossing to the Xx island, the water was smooth as glass.

Sunday was more of a mangrove day, and it was pretty special to wind our way between the mangroves, steeping ourselves in the cacophony of cicadas, chirping of birds, cracking of oysters and howl of monkeys.

In between the weekend, we had a few extended days in the bustle of Phuket itself – where I was lucky enough to be able to work remotely, and enjoy the gentle sea breeze and delicious Thai food in the evenings.