With over 1400 islands to visit in the Land of Smiles, we say the Thai’s the limit when it comes to your Thailand vacation!
Thailand offers everything that us gay boys want when we venture out into the world. There are beaches packed to the brim with speedo-clad hotties, cultural ventures lurking around every corner, a terrific gay scene in Bangkok, and most important of all, genuinely kind citizens who greet every visitor with a warm welcome.
And that’s just the mainland! Believe it or not, the Thailand gay islands are somehow even more perfect because each one is incredibly unique. Whether you’re hoping to find a spot to get back in touch with nature, to explore the party animal within you, or to enjoy a romantic getaway with your sweet, sugar love, there is bound to be at least one island that suits your exact needs. Even if you’re looking to stay within a strictly queer environment, we promise that there’s an island out there for you. This is our comprehensive guide to the best Thailand gay islands so that you can achieve your vacay nirvana. Be sure to also read alongside our detailed gay guide to Thailand.
Side note: ‘koh’ means “island” in Thai, so most islands will have Koh or Ko written before its name.
Thailand Gay Islands: Koh Phuket
Ah, Phabulous Phuket… Where to even begin? There are hardly the words for this vast, beautiful destination. Perhaps the best way to describe it is by declaring it the largest and most famous of the Thailand gay islands!
Unlike other islands, Phuket has an officially designated gay area known as the Paradise Complex where gay businesses flood the streets. Whether you’re hopping into Zag Club, which is an energetic club most renowned for its outstanding dance music, or visiting the Boat Bar, which is our personal favorite for its eclectic crowd and classic pop music, it will be easy to see just how much this neighborhood thrives on its nightlife. Honestly, even without setting foot into a single establishment within the Paradise Complex, the gay scene of Phuket spills outside every evening when exotic dancers strut their stuff up and down the pedestrian roads.
The Gay Islands of Laos are amazing!
Si Phan Don, also known as the “Four Thousand Islands”, is an archipelago on the Mekong river where to enjoy a heavenly and relaxing holidays! Are they Gay Islands? Well, if for Gay we mean Happy, Queery, Laid Back, then yes, these are definitely Gay Islands 🙂
There are different ways to get to Si Phan Don: the archipelago is just an hour bus or car ride from the border with Cambodia. I organized my trip from Siem Reap, in Cambodia, after the visit to the astonishing Angkor Wat. I left Siem Reap on board of one of the many minibuses organizing the crossing border.
Crossing the Border Cambodia – Laos
In 5 or 6 hours car ride you arrive into Laos. The border crossing is a a folkloric experience. We had to get off the bus, walk to the custom border, form an orderly queue, pay the fees (legally and illegally due) for the visa to the agents, and then wait. And wait. And wait.
Wait for? Oh what a question! Wait for the time needed to get a visa and a stamp on passport of all the people (no more than 30 of us) eager to enter beautiful Laos. It was a very hot (and long!) afternoon. The whole process (that could potentially take no more than 15 minutes in total, for all of us) took more than 4 hours: as I already knew, the discretionary military power is very strong… But hey we managed it in the end!