Quiet, beautiful location on Koh Lanta with good diving

Hi,

We need some advice on where to stay on Koh Lanta, around mid October to early November.

Last year we stayed on the north of Phi Phi for the first week of November, at the Erawan Palms hotel. The beach was beautiful and all but deserted. The dive centre was great, with one instructor to the two of us.

This year we are planning to return to Thailand, once again in mid October / early November. We want to find a similar setting and atmosphere, but in a new location. I have been reading about Koh Tao. The diving sounds great, but the atmosphere does not. We want quiet, peaceful, elegant surroundings. We do not want bars, beach parties and dive boats packed full of hung over partygoers.

Koh Lanta seems the most likely candidate, but we are open to suggestions. My concern though is the distance/time required to reach the dive sites.

Listed below are the factors that would go to make an ideal holiday for us. I would be very grateful if you could suggest some locations/dive centres/hotels that would fit the criteria:-

1. A great beach, nice and quiet, with not too many hotels, and some good snorkelling near by.

2. A quiet hotel, 4/5 star, on the beach, with a reasonable walk to the dive centre. We do not need a large flashy resort, but a bit of luxury would be nice.

3. A small dive centre catering for couples and individuals, 1 instructor to 2 pupils.

4. Good dive sites with unspoilt coral and plenty of fish, maximum depth required 18m. Distance to dive sites no more than 1 1/4 hours cruising, less if possible.

5. Some interesting excursions; to see elephants or other animals maybe, waterfalls, sailing (hobie cats or similar). My girlfriend likes diving, but it is not the main attraction for her, so we need some alternative activities/excursions for the rest of our time.

Is it possible to stay in a good hotel on Koh Lanta and still be near the dive sites? I get the impression that the good resorts are at the north end, and the dive sites/marine park are at the south end. Are there any good resorts with diving available near by at the south end of the island?

I look forward to receiving any help that you can give. Your quick response would be very much appreciated as I need to book somewhere in the next few days.

Many Thanks

Jack