Between Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland: The Best Thing You Can Do Is Leave
By Timo Eckenfels, Veloura Gems
Wonderfruit ends on 7 December. Tomorrowland starts on 11 December. That is four days. Most guides will tell you to stay in Pattaya and explore the coast.
We are going to tell you something different.
Get on a boat to Koh Mak or Koh Kood.
Your Local Ambassador
Timo E.
Timo has attended Wonderfruit three times and knows the four days between the festivals better than most. He stayed at Hideout Resort on Koh Kood, caught fresh fish on a boat trip, and completely fell in love with the island. This guide is his honest recommendation for what to do with the time in between.
Why You Should Leave
Five days at Wonderfruit will do things to your body. Your ears need quiet. Your feet need a beach. Your mind needs to slow down and process what just happened at The Fields before 50,000 people and six stages hit you again.
What you actually need in those four days is the complete opposite of a festival. No music. No crowds. No infrastructure. Just water, a beach, a room, and enough silence to remember who you are before the next wave comes.
Koh Mak and Koh Kood are two of the most untouched islands in Thailand. No Full Moon Party. No Bangla Road. No one trying to sell you a bucket. Koh Mak has been deliberately kept car-free and low-density by its landowners. Koh Kood has some of Thailand's clearest water and least developed coastline. Both are reachable from Pattaya in one day.
This is the move.
Getting There
No flights needed. Both islands are reachable directly from Pattaya by road and boat, which makes this the easiest island escape you can do from the festival area.
The main operator is Boonsiri High Speed Ferries, which runs a van plus catamaran service from Pattaya directly to both islands.
Departs Pattaya around 8.30am daily. Total journey time to Koh Mak is approximately 6 hours, to Koh Kood approximately 6.5 to 7.5 hours depending on connections. The route goes via the Trat province coast, through Laem Sok pier, and across to the islands by catamaran.
Price: approximately 1,000 to 1,500 THB per person one way. Book through 12go.asia or directly with Boonsiri. In December high season, book at least a few days in advance.
Alternatively, book a private taxi or minivan directly to Laem Sok pier in Trat province and take the catamaran from there. This gives you more flexibility on departure time and works well for groups. Book the taxi in advance, the drive from Pattaya to Laem Sok pier takes approximately four to four and a half hours. Check the ferry departure times carefully before booking your taxi. If you arrive too late, there will be no boat that day. For larger groups, you can charter a private boat directly to the islands, but the cost is significantly higher than the regular ferry.
Koh Mak to Koh Kood: 30 minutes by ferry, approximately 500 THB. Worth doing if you want to visit both.
Return to Pattaya for Tomorrowland: same route in reverse. Leave the island on 10 December, arrive back in Pattaya that evening, ready for Tomorrowland gates opening on 11 December.
Koh Mak: Quiet by Design
Koh Mak is small, flat, and deliberately quiet. Private landowners have kept the island low-density for decades. No large hotels, no nightlife strip, no motorbike taxis competing for attention. There are a handful of small resorts, some bungalows on the beach, a few restaurants, and a lot of nothing.
The beaches are beautiful everywhere on the island, particularly for sunsets. Ao Kao and Ao Nid on the west side are the main ones. Clear, calm, gentle. You can swim without fighting waves or currents.
Getting around: rent a bicycle or a golf cart. That is all you need on Koh Mak and it is part of the point.
Eat: Koh Mak Seafood is the go-to for fresh catch on the island. Koh Mak Home Hug Restaurant is a relaxed local favourite. Krua Tonhom is worth a visit for Thai food done simply and well. And for the best ice cream on the island, Island Gelato Koh Mak is not optional.
Day trip to Koh Kham: A short boat ride from Koh Mak, Koh Kham is a small uninhabited island with one of the most striking abandoned hotels in Southeast Asia and a stretch of white sand beach that is genuinely extraordinary. Entry is 100 THB. You can rent a kayak from Koh Mak or hire a small boat. Either way, do not miss it.
Massage: There are several good massage places on the island. After five days at Wonderfruit your body will thank you. Spend an afternoon getting a proper Thai massage before round two.
One more reason to go: Fly to the Moon, the intimate New Year festival Veloura covers in the festival season guide, takes place on Koh Mak over the New Year period. If you fall in love with the island between Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland, you already know where you are coming back to.
Who it is for: People who want to completely switch off between the two festivals. No scene, no FOMO, no decisions. Just a beach, a hammock, and the best ice cream you have had in Thailand.
Weather note: December is one of the best times to visit these islands. The weather has been consistently excellent in recent years, warm, clear and calm.
Koh Kood: Thailand's Best Kept Secret
Koh Kood is Thailand's fourth largest island but one of its least developed. The water around it is some of the clearest in the country. Waterfalls cut through the jungle interior. Fishing villages on the eastern coast still look like they did thirty years ago.
The beaches are beautiful everywhere you go. Sunsets on Koh Kood are extraordinary, and December is one of the best times of year to be there. The weather has been consistently excellent in recent years, warm and clear with calm seas.
Boat trip around the island: This is the thing to do on Koh Kood. Book a private longtail boat for a day and explore the coastline, hidden beaches and secluded bays that you cannot reach any other way. We Ao Jark bay and beach is one of the most beautiful spots on the island, the kind of place that makes you understand why people keep coming back. You can book through your resort, through a local agency on the island, or arrange it online in advance.
Eat: House of Kood and Black Bananas Koh Kood are both worth knowing. Heaven Sense is the island's Italian restaurant and worth seeking out. Sea Thru Cafe and Bistro is a beautiful spot for something more relaxed.
Massage: Like Koh Mak, there are good massage options across the island. Build an afternoon around one after your boat trip.
Koh Kham from Koh Kood: You can also do the Koh Kham day trip from Koh Kood, though the journey takes longer than from Koh Mak. Worth it if Koh Kham is on your list and you are based here.
Accommodation ranges from basic bungalows to boutique resorts. December is high season so prices are not rock bottom, but they are significantly less than Bangkok or Pattaya hotels during festival weekend.
Snorkelling: The water around both islands is exceptional. Koh Kood in particular has clear visibility and healthy coral in several spots around the coastline. Most resorts can point you to the best snorkelling areas or arrange gear rental. The boat trip is also the best way to access the best underwater spots.
Getting around: motorbike rental is the best option since the island is larger than Koh Mak. Expect 200 to 300 THB per day.
Who it is for: People who want exploration alongside the rest. Koh Kood rewards movement. A boat trip, a waterfall, a fishing village and an empty beach in the same day is entirely possible.
If You Want the City Instead: Bangkok
If four days on an island is not for you, Bangkok is the right call. Not Pattaya. Bangkok.
The first week of December is one of the best times to be in the city. The weather is excellent. The restaurant scene is at its most alive. And with so many international artists travelling through Thailand for the festival season, the week between Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland is busy with club nights, pop-up events, and additional shows across the city. Keep an eye on announcements from venues like Sing Sing Theater, Aether, and the Sukhumvit corridor for what is happening that week. We will also be posting a dedicated what is happening in Bangkok in December guide, so stay tuned to the Veloura feed for that.
Bangkok also gives you a proper reset in terms of comfort. Good hotels, great food, a functioning city. Two to three hours from Pattaya, easily reached by car, Grab, or the Ekkamai bus.
One important note: if you go to Bangkok, return to Pattaya on the evening of 10 December at the latest. Tomorrowland opening day on 11 December will bring heavy traffic on all routes from Bangkok to Chonburi. Do not try to commute on the day itself.
For a Koh Larn day trip: if you want a beach without committing to an overnight away, Koh Larn is a 30-minute speedboat from the Pattaya ferry pier. Good for a single recovery day. Nothing more.
Timo's Pick
If I had four days between the two festivals and no fixed commitments, I would be on the first boat to Koh Kood.
I completely fell in love with this island. It is one of the most authentic places I have been to in Thailand. No 7-Eleven. No party zone. No infrastructure trying to make it feel like somewhere else. Just nature, a scooter, and roads that take you somewhere beautiful every time you turn a corner.
We stayed at Hideout Resort, which has its own private beach and is a genuinely special place. The breakfast alone was worth it. We did a boat trip with friends, caught fresh fish along the way, and the guys on the boat made sashimi from it right there. That is the kind of day that stays with you.
Koh Mak holds its own too. It is tiny, even quieter, and the sunsets at dinner on the beach are something else entirely. If you want to do absolutely nothing for four days and feel completely fine about it, Koh Mak is where you go.
Both islands are for people who genuinely want nature over nightlife. Rent a scooter on Koh Kood. Rent a bicycle on Koh Mak. Let the island be the thing.
Back on the boat to Pattaya on 10 December. Tomorrowland on 11 December feeling like a person again.
The festival experience is better when you arrive reset. Four days on an island is how you do that.
Practical Notes
Boat trips: Book your island boat trip in advance through your resort or one of the many agencies on the island. Thai people are flexible and things can be arranged on arrival, but in December the good boats fill up. Book before you go if you can.
Bring cash: Both islands are largely cash-based. There are no ATMs on Koh Mak and very limited options on Koh Kood. Withdraw enough before you leave Pattaya or Bangkok. Budget for accommodation, food, activities, boat trips and transport around the island.
Booking Boonsiri: book through 12go.asia or boonsiriferries.com. In December book at least three to five days in advance.
Accommodation on Koh Mak: By The Sea Hotel and Mira Montra are our favourites on the island. Beyond those, Koh Mak Resort, Lazy Day Koh Mak, and several smaller bungalow operations. Book directly through their websites or Booking.com. December fills up.
Accommodation on Koh Kood: Hideout Koh Kood is our absolute favourite on the island. Beyond that, Koh Kood Beach Resort, Siam Beach Resort, Peter Pan Resort for budget. Soneva Kiri if budget is not a concern. Book early for December.
Getting back for Tomorrowland: the Boonsiri return service from Koh Kood and Koh Mak back to Pattaya departs around 9 to 10am from the islands. You will be back in Pattaya by late afternoon on 10 December.
What to bring to the islands: reef-safe sunscreen, a good book, nothing you need to charge constantly. The point is to be offline.
FAQ
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More to explore before and after the festivals.
The Veloura app covers Bangkok and Koh Phangan with curated venues, member perks, and guides to make the most of your time in Thailand.
For the full Thailand High Season Festival Guide including Wonderfruit, Tomorrowland, EDC and all nine festivals, explore veloura-gems.com/guide.
A dedicated guide on how to get from Bangkok to the December festival venues is coming soon. Stay tuned to veloura-gems.com/guide.
