I was in Thailand last December for a month and wanted to spend Christmas somewhere serene and beautiful – so I read up on the islands in the Andaman Ocean and settled on Koh Lanta in the Krabi province.

Despite the popularity of Thailand’s paradise islands, Koh Lanta is still relatively unspoiled, with the southern tip of the island still retaining true, rural simplicity. To get to the deserted beach that I was looking for a 4×4 truck was needed! And it was a combination of trust and ignorance that got me through the hour truck ride from the busy port to my destination - I had been told that it would only take twenty minutes!

After a few days acclimatising (it wasn’t difficult), I decided to mark Christmas day with an activity that I would remember. So I booked a boat trip to see the Emerald Cave of Koh Muk in the neighbouring Trang Province. On early Christmas morning I took to the open seas on a long boat, guided by some friendly locals. They showed us where to snorkel around the many rock islands jutting out of the blue sea. I opted out at times to watch the hundreds of sleeping fruit bats that hung from the cliffs in the midday sun. It was very strange!

But nothing could have prepared me for the stranger and unbelievable experience of swimming into the Emerald Cave. The entrance is submerged by the sea and in order to get to the cave I had to swim into the dark, black tunnel and grapple through until a green light appeared –I swam out of sheer fright and when I saw the green glow of daylight I was very, very relieved! It’s not a pleasant experience. But at the sight of the cave it was worth it. Inside the cave was a beach of perfect white sand and crystal green water. The cave walls were a hive of bird song and foliage, and up, far above my head was the blue, blue sky.

It didn’t feel like Christmas – but it did feel very magical.