We are sending hello from next stop on our journey around the world – thailand island Koh Phangan! We spent on the island two weeks by working, discovering beaches and other trips. We also went out for famous Half Moon Party, for which is Koh Phangan best known. Tourists are coming there just because of this party! Crazy right?! 😀 This island is paradise with sand beaches, clear water and tropical jungle. The Best way to explore this island is on motorbike. Its rent is very cheap (about 200 THB/day) and we didn’t meet any police officer in two week so you don’t have to be afraid about your driving license 😀
Koh Pangan is an ideal place for digital nomads. You can find there co-working places, lot of cafes and most places are covered with high-quality wifi network. We worked one week in Secret place hotel that fully met our needs. Good wifi, office chairs, power outlets and sea view, yoga place, what more we could want!? 😀 We had also accommodation in this place so we got 20 % discount in restaurant and we could work there for free 🙂 You can check there website here 🙂
The most beautiful beaches on Koh Phangan
1. Haad Rin beach
The most famous beach on the island and place with famous Half Moon party which is every month. It is also popular for surfers and other water activities thanks to its big waves. It is a beautiful sandy beach with clear water, but its disadvantage is the amount of people and the bustle of the beach. You won’t find peace here but it is worth to visit 🙂
2. Leela beach
There are many private resorts along the beach but it is still accessible by the public. Compared to Haad Rin there is beautiful calm water and you can find there also this popular swing between two palm trees.
3. Secret beach
Secret beach is no longer secret! Beach is nice with calm water, but overcrowded there (even out of season) and we couldn’t find nice place to lie down.
4. Mae Haad beach
We went on this beach mainly because of Ko Ma island that is connected with Koh Phangan by a narrow sand line. This line is visible and you can by passed by dry foot at low tide. We were waiting for this moment over 4 hours and nothing! Around 6 pm was sunset and we gave up.
5. Haad Yuan beach
Hidden beach on the island is also the worst accessible. You can get there by boat from Haad Rin or by jungle path that take 1,5 to 2 hours to complete and starting point is across 7-eleven (next to Planet Hollywood). We decided to get there by jungle path because we thought that the trail will be well marked. But we wore flip flops (bad idea), got lost several times, met big spider (Anet is afraid of spiders) and Anet started to panic so decided to return. So we recommend you to take long boat 😀
6. Chalok Lam beach
Looking for Instagram spot with the amazing swing? Come to Chalok Lam beach where is also crystal clean water and many bars where you can chill during the day 🙂
The most interesting activities on Koh Phangan
1. Driving a Motorbike
One of the best experiences for us was to rent motorbike and discover the beaches on the island. Tomas was excited about the roads on the island that led between the palm trees and were winding. It was also the cheapest and most flexible way of transport.
2. Trip to Koh Tao and Nang yuan
There is only one company that operates and offers this kind of trip. Its name is Lomprayah, we bargained price for one person for 1600 THB. Price included transportation from hotel, light breakfast, lunch, water and snorkeling equipment. First stop was for snorkeling close to Koh Tao island. We jumped to the water and tried to find some colorful fishes or corals but unfortunately coral there are almost extinct and we didn’t see much. Next stop was Nang yuan island, where we took lunch and after we had 3 hours for activities there. We enjoyed beautiful turquoise water and snorkeling. There is also great viewpoint that is worth a visit. Overall, we evaluate this trip positively but snorkeling was disappointing for us.
3. Full Moon party
The most famous party on the island and almost all of the Thailand is Full Moon Party located on Haad Rin beach. Tourists come all over Thailand there because of it and it is one big wild night. In addition to the DJs party there is also fire show, painting with a luminous color and bucket with alcohols that are on every corner. This party was devastating for Anet and she get back to normal after 2 days!
4. Phaeng waterfall
The most famoust and biggest waterfall on the island is Phaeng waterfall. We didn’t go to see it because of contradictory reviews on the Internet. But check google photos and make your own opinion. Anyway according to some it is must-see activity on the island.
5. Watching the sunset
It was raining the first days on the island so we didn’t see any sunset. But when it came, we couldn’t get enough of it and tried to catch it every night! We recommend watching the sunset from the west coat beach or from some viewpoint or bar on top of the hill – for example Secret Mountain
Best restaurants on Koh Phangan
Honestly restaurants and bars on the beach are often overpriced and you pay basically for sand surcharge. That is why the motorbike is ideal with the possibility to go to the markets and food courts located close to ferry. Two best known are Phantip Night Food Market and Koh Phangan Food Court. Koh Phangan Food Court offers variety of tasty breakfast for cheap price. We totally fell in love with the pancakes with Nutella and banana. Phantip Night Food Market is perfect place for dinner. You can find there typical Thai cuisine, fresh juices or desserts.
Rent a motorbike on Koh Phangan
Rent a motorbike there is easy and cheap. Wed paid 200 THB per day and they did not want to see any driving license in the rental. They took a passport as a deposit and everything was without problem. We rented a motorbike at Bigman Bike for rent and the owner met his (really big man) :D. He was a nice guide able to bargain with and he didn’t make any problem when returning bike. He even took Tomas the port on motorbike!
And what about you? Have you ever visited Koh Phangan or another thailand island? What is your the most interesting experience? Please write us in comment!!! 🙂
