Koh Phangan, Thailand

Koh Phangan

Haad Than Sadet Beach

Two weeks on a tropical island paradise in the Gulf of Thailand sounds like heaven right? Correct, it certainly was. After 4 months of travelling (which included packing our bags up and catching hour long bus rides every few days) we decided to have a holiday from our holiday. The two weeks on Koh Phangan felt like we had officially moved to Thailand and settled down to live. Originally we were planning on staying for the entire month of August but my reoccurring ear infections meant that we had to stay in Bangkok for a week so I could be close to an ear nose and throat specialist (in retrospect we probably should have stayed longer, but the beach was calling!). 

How we got there

To get to Koh Phangan it is a 8 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Chumphon, then a 2 hour ferry ride from Chumphon to Koh Phangan. This is one of the roughest ferry rides we have taken. It probably didn't help matters that our first ferry broke down (sorry for not telling you mum, didn't want you to worry!). This turned the travel day into another 12 hour day. There are a few options you can take to get there. The most expensive is to go with Lomprayah. This is the easiest option because the bus departs from near Kao San Road (which is where the majority of tourists in Bangkok stay) and takes you the entire way for 1100 baht pp. We since found out that Songserm company does the same for a portion of the cost (750 baht) so we are planning on going with them on the way back. Neither company has good reviews on Trip Advisor but unless you have a very full bank account and can catch a flight to Koh Samui these are your main two options. Otherwise you can organise to get a taxi or bus to Mo Chit bus station in Bangkok, from there get a bus ticket to chumphon, taxi to chumphon pier and then get a night ferry to Koh Phangan. This would be way more of a hassle and I doubt you will be able to get it any cheaper than Songserm already charges anyway.

Where we stayed

When we arrived in Koh Phangan it was raining. Thankfully for the first two nights we stayed within walking distance to the pier. This came in handy as we didn't have to waste money on a taxi (they range from 150-300 baht pp for one way trips around the island, which can quickly add up). We stayed at Taya’s place which is run by an extremely kind Thai family. The rooms are very basic so I wouldn't recommend staying here for your entire holiday. We rented a scooter through Taya for 200 baht a day, normally it is 250 baht but if you hire a scooter for any length of time most places will give you a discount.

The first day in Koh Phangan we spent the day driving around the island looking for accomodation where we could set up our humble abode for a few weeks. We eventually set on Golden beach resort (which we were extremely happy with even if the owner is a bit of a grump). Here we had a bungalow with air conditioning, fridge, warm water and a deck which was a huge 1m away from the beach (no that wasn't a typo). This cost us 19 AUD a night. If you stay here make sure you have to have a scooter to get you around as it is not close to any of the towns. 

Golden Beach Resort

Luke and all his friends

Quick Tips if going to Koh Phangan

For those of you who think Koh Phangan rings a bell it is probably due to it being popular for it's infamous full moon party’s that happen once a month (obviously) at Haad Rin beach. Luke and I were pretty disappointed that we weren't there over a full moon so we couldn't drink a few buckets and pass out on the beach like all of the other revellers. Instead we got to enjoy calm days either adventuring to waterfalls, or beach hopping whilst spending the late afternoon watching the sunset over the water from our balcony. I know we really missed out…

Sunsets in front of Golden Beach Resort

Koh Phangan has crabs 

If you are planning on going to Koh Phangan you should stay in Haad Than Sadet or Ao Thong Nai Pan Yai. Unlike all of the blogs we read (we read a lot, unemployed life means we have a lot of time on our hands) these are BY FAR the best beaches on the island. The other beaches (at least at the time of the year we visited, August) are all tidal. which means you can only swim on high tide (which can be in the middle of the night as there is only one high tide a day). 

Haad Than Sadet Beach

"Bad Buoy for life" - Luke Trotter (The swing is made from a buoy. It's sad when you have to explain Lukes "jokes", but here we are)

Initially when you first arrive on the island be prepared to be underwhelmed as there is a lot of wasted infrastructure. Many shop fronts and bungalows are completely run down, there is also a moderate amount of plastic waste and unlike Koh Tao island (its next door neighbour) there doesn't seem to be much positive change to help combat this. There are some absolutely beautiful spots on the island but don't expect it to look like paradise everywhere you turn. 

My Birthday

Lets discuss these beautiful spots. I will choose to invite you on a story that is based around myself (I know quite egotistic) and my birthday. For those of you who don’t know I turned 25 on the 13th of August. Which now means that its ok that I quit my job, aren’t focussing on my career or saving to buy a house  because I can blame it all on my quarter life crisis! For my birthday Luke took me on a bit of a treasure hunt around the island. This was somewhat similar to what we did most days, without all the expensive food and Luke sending me clues throughout the day of where we were going (best birthday present ever!) 

My first clue was to complete yoga with an ocean view. We decided to do it on our own balcony as one, we actually had a balcony (for once) that could fit two of us on to do yoga and two, why pay for a class when you can do it for free? - We actually love yoga classes, but couldn't find any within our budget, and like I’ve said previously we prefer to splurge on food (sad but oh so true). Whilst I was zenning out in shavasana (lying on my back doing absolutely nothing) my personal slave, Luke Barry Trotter, made me a delicious overnight oats with banana and an iced coffee. Yep I agree pretty lousy start to the day… 

It was time for coffee round two at Dot’s cafe. In the main town, (where majority of ferry's arrive to) Thong Sala. Here you will find a wide variety of cafes to enjoy. Our other favourite is cat cafe. Beware though these are once a week type places as one coffee costs more than Luke and I would normally pay for a Thai meal. That being said dots is a great place to have a break in a western environment and do some work on your laptop. 

After morning tea and my fourth clue, we were off to one of the many waterfalls found on Koh Phangan. Even though it had been raining off and on over the time we had been on the island, the waterfall was looking pretty sad (a measly trickle of water). But the view point was well and truely worth it. The path isn't crash hot so if you aren't keen on tree roots as your set of stairs then this walk probably isn't for you. 

Upset with how my birthday was turning out

Rubbish view, I was pretty disappointed with it

Yes the fifth clue was one of the best, lunch time! We ate at Eat Co. our favourite “healthy” cafe on the island (granted we didn't go elsewhere, because, well, why change a good thing?). 

A body massage was up next. But with the sun out and blue skies we decided to ditch the massage and head straight for the beach. In the 20 minutes it took to scoot to Haad Rin beach, dump our towels on the sand and enter the water the weather decided to play cheeky buggers on us and start raining, sheets of rain, so much so that we couldn't open our eyes. - This is what I get for messing up Lukes plans and ditching the massage. Haad Rin beach was were we typically hung out. The beach is pretty nice and it was the closest swimmable beach to where we were staying. But our favourites were definitely Haad Than Sadet or Ao Thong Nai Pan Yai (No I have no idea how to pronounce them).

The rest of the day revolved further around food, soda waters and watching the sunset followed by pizza. My perfect day.

Barefoot bandit, promptly followed by slicing my foot open

The rest of the time on the island we spent enjoying Thai food, beaches, sunsets (funnily enough no sunrises), reading and working on our photography (slowly but surely). 

Low tide

Our bungalow is directly behind Luke's head

The sky is attempting to put on a sunset

If you are wanting a tropical island getaway with plenty of places to eat, cheap accomodation and good roads to drive your scooter on then Koh Phangan is your place. It was perfect for what we needed but if you are coming to this area of the world I would recommend Koh Tao, its little sister island instead. Which funnily enough is where we are off to next (again!).

Lots of love,

Claire and Luke (Luke was supporting a migraine as I wrote this so he counts as a co-author too right?) 

Luke and his unwelcome migraine