Where to stay in the Trang islands: which island to choose?

Koh Mook is home to a Muslim fishing community on its east coast and has the widest spread of accommodation in the group, from simple bungalows to comfortable resorts. Most visitors stay near Charlie Beach (Hat Farang) on the west coast, which has sunsets and a few beach bars, or near the village, which has small restaurants and shops. The island is the base for trips to Tham Morakot, the Emerald Cave, where you swim through a dark tunnel to a hidden beach. It is lively by Trang standards, which still means quiet.

Getting around: Walk or rent a bicycle or scooter on the island's few paths; motorbike taxis with sidecars link the pier and the beaches.

Koh Kradan is widely considered the most beautiful of the Trang islands, with a long white-sand beach on its east side facing the karst peaks of Koh Mook and good snorkelling on reefs just offshore. Much of the island lies within Hat Chao Mai National Park, so development is limited to a small number of resorts and bungalows, and prices are higher than on Koh Mook. There is no village, no road and almost nothing to do in the evening except eat and watch the stars, which is exactly the point.

Getting around: Everything is on foot along the beach and jungle paths; boats are needed to go anywhere else.

Koh Ngai, officially part of Krabi province but reached from Trang's Pak Meng pier, is a small, jungle-covered island whose east coast is lined with a soft sand beach and a handful of resorts. The water is shallow and generally calm in the high season, which is ideal for children, and there is decent snorkelling around the rocks. It is the most comfortable option in the area, but also the most closed-in: there is no village, meals are taken at the resorts, and many properties shut from around May to October, though a few stay open.

Getting around: The island is small and walkable along the beach; resorts arrange boat transfers and island-hopping trips.

Koh Libong is the largest of the Trang islands and one of the least touristy, with Muslim fishing villages, rubber plantations and wide mangrove-fringed shores. Its seagrass beds are home to Thailand's largest remaining population of dugongs, which can sometimes be spotted on guided trips from the island. A handful of simple resorts and bungalows sit on the west coast beaches, which are pleasant but not as dazzling as Kradan's. Stay here for nature, local life and a feeling of being far from the tourist trail.

Getting around: Motorbike taxis with sidecars link the pier with the beaches; renting a scooter is the easiest way to explore the villages.

Trang Town, on the mainland about an hour's drive from Pak Meng and Hat Yao piers, is where the airport, railway station and buses arrive. It is a pleasant, unpretentious provincial city with a strong Chinese heritage, known across Thailand for its long breakfasts of dim sum and coffee, and for roast pork. Hotels here are cheap and practical for a first night after a late flight or train, or a last night before leaving. There is no beach, but many travel agencies sell combined minivan and boat tickets to the islands.

Getting around: Tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis cover the town; minivans and shared taxis go to Pak Meng and Hat Yao piers.