Archive for reviews

| September 6, 2012
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Hostel Style Accommodation in Koh Phangan

The traditional type of accommodation on the island of Phangan for many years has been the wooden bungalow on stilts. Until the late 1990s the vast majority of visitors to the island stayed in a simple bungalow structure made of local wood and thatched with coconut fronds. This has changed and now there is a full range of accommodation options in Koh Phangan from backpacker cheapies to hostels to hotel rooms with private pools.

The first alteration to the basic wooden bungalow was to build concrete bathrooms on the back of the bungalows. As bungalow operators gathered more money with increased occupancy levels many put their profits back into their business by upgrading their accommodation. This meant knocking down the wooden bungalows and putting up concrete units with air-con, hot water and satellite TV. By doing so a landlord could increase rent from $3 a night to $30 a night and more.

The next stage is naturally putting in a swimming pool and then building a hotel with rooms rather than villas or bungalows.

Naturally not all beaches in Koh Phangan have developed in the same way. Thong Nai Pan Noi has gone very much up market, but beaches like Haad Sadet and Haad Khom have stayed with the simple bungalow format. In Haad Yuan Centara Pariya has gone for round eco bungalows. On Haad Yao there is a good combination of backpacker bungalows, boutique accommodation and hotel rooms. This mixture of accommodation is best exemplified by Haad Rin.

There is the Dancing Elephant in Haad Rin. It has air-con dorms with optional double beds for couples. I am not sure if that is an invitation to exhibitionism but it shows how Koh Phangan has adapted the hostel format.

Same Same Lodge Dorm

The other notable hostel in Haad Rin is Same Same Lodge. It has 1 dorm for 10 people and 2 dorms for 16 people. This is very much a party hostel. During the Full Moon Party week they throw buffets and live music parties. This is a hostel unlike in other countries such as Italy or France where nobody is expecting to go to bed early. Haad Rin is the party capital of Koh Phangan, and its hostels reflect this hedonistic attitude.

Moon Paradise Bungalows
The thing about these hostels is that they are not cheap. A bed in a fan dorm in Same Same Lodge costs 550 Thai Baht a night. Moon Paradise Resort is close to the party beach of Haad Rin Nai and has bungalows starting at 550 Thai Baht. If you are a couple hostel accommodation makes no financial sense at all. The party Sunrise Hotel with swimming pool and foam parties has comfortable air-con rooms with TV, hot water and fridge starting at 1,150 Thai Baht.

Best Western Phanganburi
At the top end of the accommodation spectrum at Haad Rin is Best Western Phanganburi Resort. It has rooms and cottages with air-con, hot water, bath tub, and satellite TV set in manicured gardens with a beach front pool and spa. Prices at the Best Western Phanganburi Resort start at 2,000 Thai Baht. That is only 4 times more expensive than a hostel bed.

In terms of profit per square meter it is very likely that hostel beds are a better business model than building expensive 3 and 4 star hotels. If there is demand then it is likely that more lease owners will convert to hostel-style set ups.

This is the big ‘if’ since many visitors to Thailand, especially old Thailand hands still expect to stay in a bungalow near the beach. This traditional Thai accommodation is environmentally friendly and often sociable since people hang out on their balconies and socialize. Time will tell whether hostels spread to other beaches on Koh Phangan.

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| July 26, 2012
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Thong Nai Pan Noi Accommodation Review

Thong Nai Pan Noi beach

Thong Nai Pan Noi is the leading beach for those looking for luxury accommodation on Koh Phangan. The beach has undergone significant change over the last 10 years. It’s gone from one of the best hippy beaches in the world with a great range of bargain and mid-range accommodation to an enclave for ‘5 star guests’. The only constant in this process of change is the beach itself. It remains a perfect stretch of white sand fringed with coconut palms and surrounded by jungle covered mountains. Thong Nai Pan Noi has all year swimming. The sea bed drops off at a perfect angle for swimming – neither at too shallow an angle nor too quickly.

Anantara Rasananda

Anantara Rasananda

Anantara Rasananda

The beach is dominated by Anantara Rasananda Resort. It belongs to the popular Anantara brand that has luxury hotels all over Thailand and Asia. Anantara offers beach front villas that have 2 storeys. Many of them have small plunge pools with salas. The villas are furnished in a contemporary style and feature 32 inch LCD TV, DVD player, iPod dock, rain shower, expresso machine, air-con and IDD telephone.

Rasananda Accommodation

There are 7 villa types to choose from:

1)    Pool Suite – 100 sqm of living space
2)    Garden Pool Suite – 130 sqm of living space
3)    Ocean Pool Suite – 100 sqm of living space with ocean views
4)    Ocean Garden Pool Suite – 200 sqm of living space with ocean view pool, private garden with sala and day bed.
5)    Lagoon Pool Suite – 140 sqm of living space
6)    Thai Pool Villa – 180 sqm of living space with Thai interior styling
7)    Ocean Pool Villa – 260 sqm of living space with open-air bathroom, garden courtyard and beach front pool.

Garden Pool Suite

Garden Pool Suite

Ocean Garden Pool Suite

Ocean Garden Pool Suite

Ocean Pool Villa

Ocean Pool Villa

Pool Suite

Anantara Rasananda has a reception area that features a communal pool with swim up bar. The restaurant offers a Michelin trend menu with a wide range of wines. The resort also has a fitness room and a spa set in a tropical garden. For those who want luxury on the beach in Koh Phangan Rasananda is the best option.

Panviman Resort and Spa

Panviman Resort and Spa is the original 5 star hotel in Koh Phangan. It is located on the headland between Thong Nai Pan Noi and the southern Thong Nai Pan Yai. The headland is a large area and over the years Panviman has expanded to fill the land available. In 2012 Panviman gained ownership of the entire headland and now plans to expand its operation to offer villas with access to both beaches in Thong Nai Pan Bay.

Panviman Pool

Panviman Pool

Panviman has the best located swimming pool possibly on the island; it is on the peak of the headland with an infinity lip that allows guests to hang over the edge and gain a view of the bay. The pool drops through a series of terraces making smaller pools, one of which is also a Jacuzzi. Next to the pool is a decking area and restaurant that serves food during the day.

There are four restaurants in Panviman Resort: the pool bar just mentioned, Pan Sea Restaurant, Stone Beach Restaurant and Cool Sand Pub and Restaurant. Pan Sea Restaurant is a large round building on the hill. Stone Beach Restaurant is on the beach and has a popular BBQ and buffet in the evening. Cool Sand Pub is also on the beach (Thong Nai Pan Noi side) it has live music most nights. The music is easy listening and nobody seems interested in either the music or the high drinks prices.

Panviman Accommodation

Panviman has hotel style rooms as well as individual villas. All rooms have recently been refurbished so the rooms don’t have that ‘tired’ look that many luxury hotels in Thailand seem to develop after a few years in business. All rooms have air-con, LCD satellite TV, private bathroom with bath tub, mini bar, telephone safe, and tea and coffee making facilities.

There are 7 different grades of accommodation to choose from:

1)    Superior Hotel Rooms with 32 sqm of living space
2)    Deluxe Hotel Rooms with 44 sqm of living space
3)    Deluxe Cottages with with 51 sqm of living space
4)    Family Cottages with 2 floors and a total of 80 sqm of living space
5)    Pool Villas with private pool and 109 sqm of living apace
6)    Spa Villas with private outdoor Jacuzzi and 80 sqm of living space
7)    President Suite with private outdoor Jacuzzi and 121 sqm of living space

The high-end villas and suites are built around huge granite boulders that form part of the interior and exterior design. This adds a certain drama to the accommodation and also helps to keep the interiors naturally cool.

Panviman has a small beach at the bottom of the headland on the Thong Nai Pan Noi side. Here there are sun loungers, free towels and drinks service. No doubt they will also try to claim a piece of Thong Nai Pan Yai beach.

Panviman has a spa overlooking the bay called Viman Spa. There is free wifi throughout the resort.

President Suite

President Suite

Spa Villa

Pool Villa

Santhiya Resort and Spa

On the opposite end of the beach to Panviman is Santhiya Resort and Spa. It is on its own small beach. The resort used to be accessible via a walk through Tapan Noi Resort. The Santhiya management has closed this route and now guests have to take a hilly, unpaved jungle road to get to the main beach. Most of the guests staying at Santhiya have booked through travel agents and are unaware until arrival that they have been artificially isolated to make sure they spend most of their money in the bars and restaurants of Santhiya.

Santhiya Resort and Spa

Santhiya Resort and Spa

On the plus side Santhiya is certainly a very imposing resort. There is strong attention to detail with the teak lanna-style architecture. The landscaping is also beautifully done. The swimming pool is massive. It covers several levels and includes a giant waterfall. Since the ‘Santhiya Beach’ has slightly coarse sand the guests seem to spend most of their time around the giant pool.

Chantara Restaurant is perched on the headland and has a great view of both Thong Nai Pan beaches. This is the main eating area in Santhiya. The restaurant specializes in fresh fish, steak and Thai food. It is also possible to organize private beach dining. Mahkok is a small coffee shop in a shady spot with a small shop.

There is a spa called Ayurvana that offers the usual scrubs, wraps, facials and massages. It also has Swedish massage. Somewhat stingily free wifi is only available in the lobby and restaurant area.

Finally, there is a health center with weights, tread mill and other exercise equipment.

Santhiya Accommodation

Santhiya has 99 rooms and villas. All villas have air-con, hot water, satellite TV, DVD/CD player, IDD telephone, mini bar, toiletries and hairdryer. Deluxe rooms are in a low rise building with verandas enjoying a sea view.

There are 11 different types of accommodation on offer:

1)    Santhiya Deluxe Room – 43 sqm of living space
2)    Santhiya Supreme Deluxe – 48 sqm of living space
3)    Santhiya Supreme Deluxe Pool Access – 48 sqm of living space with access to a dramatic swimming pool with a great sea view
4)    Santhiya The Rock – 86 sqm of living space over 2 storeys. There is a large rock downstairs that forms part of the décor.
5)    Santhiya Sea View Villa Suite – villa with 85 sqm of living space.
6)    Santhiya Junior Pool Villa Suite – villa with 115 sqm of living space and a plunge pool.
7)    Santhiya Hideaway Pool Villa Suite – villa with 115 sqm of living space a private swimming pool
8)    Santhiya Sea View Pool Suite – villa with 115 sqm of living space, a private pool with sea view and indoor / outdoor bathtubs.
9)    Santhiya Grand Villa Suite – villa with 150 sqm of living space over 2 floors, a private pool.
10)    Santhiya Sea View Pool Villa Suite Plus – villa with 115 sqm of living space and sea view private pool.
11)    Santhiya Royal Grand Pool Villa Suite – villa with 197 sqm of living space, private sea view pool, living room, 2 bedrooms, open-air bathroom and private garden.

Deluxe Room

Deluxe Room

Pool Villa Suite

Pool Villa Suite

Hideaway Pool Villa Suite

Hideaway Pool Villa Suite

Grand Pool Villa Suite

Grand Pool Villa Suite

Seaview Pool Villa Suite

Seaview Pool Villa Suite

Seaview Villa Suite

Sea view Villa Suite

The Rock

The Rock

Buri Rasa

Buri Rasa is the latest addition to accommodation options in Thong Nai Pan Noi. It is located at the southern end of the beach. The hotel is still under construction. So far the restaurant and a coffee shop are open for business. Buri Rasa is designed to fill the gap between the luxury of Rasananda, Panviman and Santhiya and the more local style of other places.

Buri Rasa

Buri Rasa

Sunrise Villa

Sunrise Villa is located on a hill behind Phuwadee Resort. It is the best value for money private villa for rent in Thong Nai Pan Noi. The villa was completed in 2011 and since then has hosted both families and young couples.

Sunrise Villa

Sunrise Villa

Sunrise Villa has 3 double bedrooms. Two bedrooms downstairs and a master bedroom upstairs. All rooms are en-suite with hot water showers. The rooms have air-con and are fully furnished. The master bedroom has floor to ceiling windows that provide spectacular views of Thong Nai Pan bay.

These views are also available from the wrap-around balcony at the front of the house that is accessed from the living room. Also downstairs is a fully equipped kitchen and dining area.

The villa is set in a large landscaped garden in a quiet area. Sunrise Villa is about 800 meters from the beach. It takes only a few minutes to walk to the beach, but the return takes longer because of a steep hill. It is a good idea to rent a bike or a jeep if staying at Sunrise Villa.

The villa comfortably accommodates 6 people. A flat rate of 5,000 Thai Baht is charged per night, except during the peak season around Christmas / New Year.

To find out more about Sunrise Villa visit their website: www.sunrisevilla.info

Balcony

Balcony

Living room

Living room

Floor to ceiling windows in master bedroom

Floor to ceiling windows in master bedroom

Master bedroom

Master bedroom

Dining room

Dining room

Kitchen

Kitchen

View from living room

View from living room

Phuwadee Resort

This place was previously called Raiwin Resort and then Thong Nai Pan Resort. It is now called Phuwadee Resort. It has a series of concrete bungalows near the beach in a garden. They all have air-con, hot water shower, electronic safe and TV with only a few channels.

Phuwadee Resort

Phuwadee Resort

Phuwadee Resort was the first place to offer concrete bungalows and a pool on the beach. The owners did themselves no favors by painting the bungalows pink. Now there are mostly 5 star prices for beach front accommodation Phuwadee Resort is good value.

The service is not great and the food and drink at the restaurant is average. If you put aside these deficiencies the room rates are competitive, and there is a small swimming pool to enjoy. The location of Phuwadee on the middle of the beach is also great.

Room

room

Bathroom

Bathroom

food at Phuwadee

food at Phuwadee

Thong Tapan

Thong Tapan is a locally owned resort that also owns the budget bungalow Tapan Noi Resort next door. Thong Tapan are a friendly and organized operation run by a family. Most of the bungalows are set in a beautiful tropical garden on a hill just back from the beach. They used to have a great restaurant serving the best Thai food on the beach. Now it is closed and guests use the next door Tapan Noi restaurant.

Thong Tapan Resort

Thong Tapan Resort

Some of the bungalows have been recently refitted and slightly upgraded. Thong Tapan offers both simple single room bungalows and family villas.

Wifi is available for garden suite, superior beach front, 2 bedroom villas and the Thong Tapan suite.

The resort has recently taken over the failed Tropical Dive Club. They now offer dive courses as well as fun dives. Another innovation on Thong Tapan’s part is a Full Moon Package deal.

Thong Tapan Accommodation

There are 30 accommodation units to choose from. They are divided into the following categories:

1)    Standard Wooden Bunglaows – with king or twin beds, fan, small veranda and shower
2)    Superior Garden Bungalows – with king or twin beds, bathroom, veranda and air-con.
3)    Garden suite – king or twin beds, air-con, larger living space, bathroom and 30 meters from beach.
4)    Superior Beach Front Bungalows – with king size bed, dressing table, air-con, bathroom, wall fan and on the beach.
5)    2 Bedroom Villas – 2 bedroom, shared balcony, air-con, dressing table, bathroom and 20 meters from the beach.
6)    Thong Tapan Suite – with king size bed, bathroom and air-con. Up a flight of stairs overlooking the beach.

Wooden bungalow

Wooden bungalow

Superior beach front bungalow

Superior beach front bungalow

Superior garden bungalow

Superior garden bungalow

Thong Tapan suite

Thong Tapan suite

Tapan Noi

People are apt to see the Tapan Noi as an extension of Thong Tapan Resort. It is the same people who own it and the restaurant for the Tapan Noi serves both resorts. The restaurant is on the beach and has a popular BBQ most nights during busy times on the beach.

Tapan Noi

Accommodation at Tapan Noi

Tapan Noi has a number of wooden bungalows on the rocky headland at the northern end of the beach. They vary from simple bungalows without toilets to bungalows with separate living / eating area. The bungalows cost about 300 Thai Baht a night to rent. They cannot be booked in advance or online. It is first come, first served. Some of the bungalows have real character (even if they are a bit shabby) and great views. These are the cheapest bungalows available on Thong Nai Pan Noi beach.

It used to be that you could walk through Tapan Noi onto ‘Santhiya Beach’. This route has now been blocked.

Tapan Noi bungalow

Tapan Noi bungalow

Sandee Bungalow

Sandee Bungalow used to be the favorite place for regular returnees to the beach. They had a range of good value bungalows, some of which were really cheap if rented by the month. These bungalows have been torn down and replaced with more expensive units.

Sandee Bungalow

Sandee Bungalow

Sandee Bungalow still is good value compared to much of the other accommodation options on Thong Nai Pan Noi. They are open to negotiation. You can email Sandee to book a room in advance.

Sandee Bungalow is on the corner as the road leaves the village and turns left and parallel to the beach. It takes about 1 minute to walk to the beach from Sandee bungalow.

The restaurant is closed. The only service they offer is clean sheets once a week. Opposite Sandee Bungalow is an internet place where the management are to be found. They offer the best motorbike rental deals.

To reserve a room email: sandee_bungalow@yahoo.com

Thong Nai Pan Noi Village

Thong Nai Pan Noi has a few good restaurants in the small village leading from the beach to the main road. These are Better Than Sex, Luna Lounge and Jip Shop.

For fast food the place to go is Handsome Sandwich on the corner where the road to Tanaporn starts. They do a great burger. Next door is H20 Scuba School.

The popular Tanaporn Massage House offers massages, facials etc. at much cheaper rates than the spas at the big hotels. Next to Tanaporn Massage House is the Star Hut Restaurant.

Other places to try in the village are Again and Again, Bamboo, Jungle Bar and La Hacienda. There are other places that come and go fairly frequently as rents become due. The village has cheaper food and drinks than the beach resorts. It also provides a chance for tourists to meet Thais who aren’t serving customers. At the end of the village is a big shop with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. It also sells petrol.

We recommend venturing into Thong Nai Pan Noi village and taking the time to explore the immediate surroundings. It is a wonderland.

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| July 19, 2012
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Koh Phangan International School

si-panya-school

 

One of the most obvious omissions in Koh Phangan facilities and amenities has been a decent school. Now we are soon to have Koh Phangan airport, it has been deemed the right time to start the ambitious project of a school. For many who regularly visit Koh Phangan the move has been seen as another example of how the island is becoming like Koh Samui. For most of the ex-pat community on the island the news of a school has been met with indifference. And for all but the wealthiest Thais the school is of little import. Indeed the biggest reaction to the news of an international school in Koh Phangan has been from teachers looking to find a job in paradise.

Si Panya School is located opposite Wat Pho near Ban Tai village. It is just off the road leading to Thong Nai Pan. The school follows the British curriculum and is for children aged 5 to 12 years old. The curriculum covers the following subjects:

Maths
English
Thai
Science
History
Geography
Music
Art
Physical education

The school opened in March 2012, and so far has about 7 children enrolled. The website does not list either the number of teachers or their qualifications. From looking at the gallery pages I estimate there are 3 foreign women involved and probably one Thai teacher.

Is it time for an International School in Koh Phangan?

For an international school to succeed there obviously needs to be a fairly wide catchment area with a suitable amount of demand. Few will argue that the Thai schools in Koh Phangan are of a poor quality. Nationally speaking Thai education is good at basic numeracy and literacy – figures show literacy is well over 90%. In terms of more sophisticated education the system has failed many Thais; and this is especially true in Koh Phangan. The wealthy Thais on the island normally send their kids away to the Catholic school in Suratthani for their education.

It is not just education at stake: Koh Phangan is famous for its parties. Inevitably drugs, organized crime and prostitution follow in the wake of the party scene. These are bad influences for kids growing up on the island.

The majority of foreigners who are staying legally and semi legally on the island are connected to tourism. They run bars etc, teach diving or call themselves DJs. It is a young demographic, most of who don’t have kids. If they did it is unsure how many of them can afford 7000 Thai baht a month for their kid’s education.

The cheaper option is distance learning packs. The Australian government has an excellent distance learning program with free books and online lessons.

In Koh Samui the International Schools have a wider pool of ex-pats to draw on. Until recently the boom in the luxury residential market meant foreign professionals resided on the island.

Ban Tai Center of Learning

Ban Tai is conveniently placed between Haad Rin and Thongsala, the 2 towns with the most facilities. Except for the hill just before Haad Rin it is also a flat area. It is for this reason that the off-shoots to the Full Moon Party are also located along this stretch of land. In Ban Tai and its surroundings are the Jungle Experience, the Half Moon Party, Shiva Moon Party, Ban Sabai After Party, Blue and Green Sramanora Waterfall Party and the Black Moon Party. Moreover, there is live music at The Sound on Fridays and Sundays.

The coastline from Thongsala to Ban Kai is full of cheap and mid-range resorts that cater to a young, party orientated crowd. The parties are outdoors and go on all night. The sound of the bass carries for miles. It is unlikely that they are going to turn it down on school nights.

Living in Paradise

Not thousands but millions of Westerners fed up with high taxes, bad weather and the alienation engendered by urban living dream of living in a place like Koh Phangan. The notion of ‘island life’ where people are laid back and friendly, where no one worries about being late, where everything is cheap, where a gorgeous beach is just a stone’s throw away is almost a Jungian archetype. It is thus no wonder that comment boxes for articles about Si Panya School are already filling up with job requests. Perhaps a better business model would be teacher training on Koh Phangan!

Despite my irony I would like the school to survive. I would also like for its fees to drop and for more Thai kids to have a chance at getting a better education. There have been rumours of oil exploration in the Gulf and this might lead to the success of the school. We will have to wait and see. As with the airport story, Koh Phangan International School is one that is bound to provoke a response, if only from teachers looking for a job.

For those interested the website for the school is: http://www.sipanyaschool.com/

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| May 17, 2012
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5 Best Swimming Beaches

Thong Nai Pan Noi

When discussing the best beaches in Koh Phangan you can enter a minefield of contention. People often visit Koh Phangan for the first time and choose a beach and then continue going back to the same beach year after year. They fall in love with the beach and tend to even get proprietorial about the beach, seeing it as in somewhere theirs.

Thus, you will find plenty of staunch defenders of Haad Rin Nai beach. They come to Haad Rin for the nightlife and parties and enjoy relaxing on the beach. For thousands of people this is a heavenly routine and therefore, Haad Rin is the best beach.

To avoid controversy I’m limiting my scope to just the best beaches in Koh Phangan for swimming. I am not concerned with nightlife, hotels, swimming pools, shops or transport. What counts is the quality of the sand, the cleanness of the water, the tidal difference and the shape of the sea bed.

Generally speaking most of the beaches on the west coast of Koh Phangan have large tidal differences. Places like Srithanu turn into mud flats at low tide. This is great for bird watching, but not ideal for swimming in the sea as the sea is far away and the sea bed can feel muddy underfoot.

Haad Yao (west)

Haad Yao
The great exception on the west coast is Haad Yao. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘perfect beach’. It is a fine white sand beach that stretches for about 1 km. It is wide enough to play beach games on, and not to disappear during the rainy season. The bay of Haad Yao is protected by a coral reef that holds plenty of marine life and is great for shallow dives. Haad Yao offers great year round swimming. It has a small tidal difference and has soft sand underfoot. It gets deep neither too quickly nor too slowly as you walk out into the sea.

Although Haad Yao has recently seen resort development it still retains its natural charm.

Bottle Beach

Bottle Beach
Bottle Beach used to be the place to go to get that remote feeling. It is still remote, but is now connected by road to the rest of the island. The small white sand beach on the north coast draws beach lovers because of its beauty. It is a clean beach with lush mountain covered forests behind.

The sea at Bottle Beach is usually calm and the tidal variation is minimal. Again walking into the sea from the beach is great as it gets gradually deeper. The sea bottom is sand. Both the sea and the beach are clean. At the right time of year you can easily spot small fish in the water at Bottle Beach.

Thong Nai Pan Noi

Thong Nai Pan Noi
In the north-east corner of Koh Phangan is the double bay of Thong Nai Pan. Of the two beaches Thong Nai Pan Noi has the more beautiful beach. It is about 800 meters long and is composed of fine white sand. The tidal change is small and the sea bottom sandy. It is an ideal beach for swimming. In June and July the sea is very still and makes for perfect photos.

For many, Thong Nai Pan Noi is undoubtedly the best swimming beach on Koh Phangan. The scenery is magnificent as the bay is surrounded by mountains. Birds of prey can be seen floating in the thermals, yellow butterflies flutter in the shallows and the area boasts lots of colorful flora and impressive granite boulders.

While many prefer the neighboring Thong Nai Pan Yai because it has cheaper accommodation, more of a Thai feel and a bigger beach, it is hard to argue that Thong Nai Pan Noi isn’t the better beach for swimming and sheer natural beauty.

Than Sadet

Than Sadet
The east coast of Koh Phangan doesn’t have any coral reefs but it is more sheltered and its beaches have very small tidal differences. Most of the east coast beaches are isolated as mountainous terrain makes it hard to access the beaches from land.

One such beach is Haad Sadet. This is a small beach just south of Thong Nai Pan Noi that is famous because 3 kings of Thailand have visited the nearby waterfall of Than Sadet.

The beach at Haad Sadet is great for swimming. The water is clear and the beach clean. It is a very peaceful beach as it is hard to get to and few people stay here. You can also walk to the even more remote beach of Haad Thong Reng that is also great for swimming.

Haad Tian (east)

Haad Tian East
Farther down the east coast is another beach that is inaccessible by land. That is Haad Tian. It is similar to Haad Sadet in size. The sea is fine white and the water great for swimming.

As with the other beaches on the east coast, development has been kept in check in Haad Tian. The beach maintains its friendly hippy vibe and is popular with French people. For taking a dip in the sea and relaxing on the beach it is hard to better Haad Tian (also spelt Haad Thian).

Apologies to those whose beach wasn’t featured in this list of 5 best swimming beaches in Koh Phangan. There are of course several other great swimming beaches in Koh Phangan including Haad Rin Nok.

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| May 4, 2012
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Tours of Koh Phangan

Koh Ma
In Koh Samui there is stiff competition in the day tour market. All the tours have the same principle behind them – take the tourists to half a dozen various places on the island which in themselves might not be very interesting, but collectively add up to a fun day. A good business idea can never be copied too many times. That seems to be the motto when it comes to the tourist business in Thailand, and so it should be no great surprise that Safari Boat offer two very similar tours of Koh Phangan.

The one tour is called ‘One Day Trip in Paradise’. It doesn’t involve taking magic mushrooms. Here is the itinerary:

1)    Start in Thongsala
2)    Chinese Temple
3)    Elephant show and camp (optional extra to ride an elephant)
4)    Snorkeling at Koh Ma or Haad Khom
5)    Lunch in Thong Nai Pan
6)    Visit to Bottle Beach
7)    Visit to Than Sadet waterfall
8)    Drop off

The cost is 1,200 Thai Baht without elephant trek and 1,700 Thai Baht with elephant trek.

The second tour is called ‘Rainforest Adventure’. This has 3 options. The most expensive is as follows:

1)    Meet in Thongsala
2)    Short trek to Phaeng waterfall
3)    Chinese temple
4)    Archery in Chaloklum
5)    Snorkeling at Koh Ma
6)    Lunch
7)    Canopy zip lines near Thong Nai Pan
8)    Elephant camp at Ban Tai
9)    Thai boxing show in Haad Rin
10)    Herbal steam sauna at Wat Pho in Ban Tai

This costs 1,800 Thai Baht a head. I’m not sure if you get a ride on an elephant for this as well.

A few things spring to mind when I look at these itineraries. First is that they do cover some of the highlights of Koh Phangan. Koh Ma is a great place to snorkel. A boat trip to the hidden beach of Haad Sadet is something special. The Chinese Temple on the road to Chaloklum is a curiosity worth a look. Phaeng waterfall is beautiful; but much better combined with a hike to the top of Koh Ra.

The chap running the elephant place in Ban Tai must be happy with the trade the tours bring. The safari boat website claims they are a herd of wild elephants. They are chained up and don’t look that wild to me. When the elephants were bought to Koh Phangan is an interesting question that can probably never be answered with much authority since written history of the island is scarce. Nobody can decide when the first Full Moon Party was.

The paint balling place near Thongsala is not on the tour. Obviously no deal could be struck, or perhaps it is not family orientated enough. There is no fishing aspect to the tour either. In Koh Samui there is an artificial lake to let the tourists feel like champion anglers. There is also no kayaking – the boulders in the sea off Plaay Laem make an obvious choice.

I guess the one day tours are good for parents who have children to entertain. They are also ideal for those who want to ‘do’ the island but can’t be bothered with organizing it themselves, or spending too much time away from the beach or the parties.

In Koh Samui they also have booze tours with VIP entry to clubs, drinks promotions, games and a dazzling hospitality for drunken youths seeking over-indulgence and snogging. If only I could place a bet that this will come to Koh Phangan in a few years. Already one self-inflated chap offers courses on picking up girls at the Full Moon Party.

It’s all good for business, I guess. Although Koh Phangan might be more like paradise for many if there was less of such business.

For those interested the website for the tours is www.safariboat.info

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| May 2, 2012
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The Mason’s Arms


The Mason’s Arms has become something of an institution on Koh Phangan. It was opened in the early 2000s and has established itself as one of the best, if not the best bar on the island. Although the bars in Haad Rin are closer to the techno / trance action at the Full Moon Parties, and although the Mason’s Arms is not on the beach, none of them have the audacity of the Mason’s Arms. It is not just another English pub – it is an exact replica of a mock Tudor pub that was the owner’s favorite watering hole in Southampton prior to moving to the sunny climes of Thailand.

There are Tudor beams in the building’s structure. There are the furnishings that make you think you are back in Blighty. There’s the pool table, the darts board and the table football. The effect is uncanny.

And when you go to the bar you won’t be disappointed. You can buy draught Guinness, Kilkenny, Weston’s Cider and Kronenbourg by the pint. There are also plenty of bottle beers and spirits to choose from. And, of course, if you want to smoke then you will have to step outside into the beer garden that has wooden benches and tables just like in the UK. The good thing is that you won’t be freezing as you hurriedly smoke your cigarette.

There is a full range of pub grub on offer including such classics and burgers and chips, Irish stew and sandwiches.

On Friday nights there is a pool competition, and sometimes a band plays.

Further entertainment is provided by giant projectors that show live sports events. The jukebox is free, and so is the wifi.

You can find the Mason’s Arms on the road out of Thongsala that goes to Srithanu and the other beaches along the west coast. It is near to Grand Sea Resort. It is not really relaxing to walk to the Mason’s Arms from Thongsala. You need a motorbike – taxi hire back and forth gets expensive. For me this is one of the benefits of the Mason’s Arms – it doesn’t get over-run with teeth gnashing folk who have escaped one of the outdoor parties.

To find out more about the Mason’s Arms or to check out if any bands are due to play visit their website: www.themasonsarms.in.th

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| April 28, 2012
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Dive Sites in Koh Phangan

whale shark

whale shark at Sail Rock

Diving around Koh Phangan is rewarding. You can see a variety of marine life. There are some good corals and the sites aren’t over-crowded with dive boats as they tend to be in Koh Tao which is much more famous for its diving. Generally you can expect to learn how to scuba dive in Koh Phangan in small groups of 4 or 5 people if you choose an operator such as Chaloklum Diving or H20 Scuba School.

The downside about diving near Koh Phangan is that for the seasoned diver the chances of spotting new types of sea fauna are small. The dives aren’t that challenging. The only 5 Star PADI rated dive site in the Gulf of Thailand is Sail Rock. The other famous spots are Ang Thong National Park, Chumphon Pinnacles and Southwest Pinnacles. These sites take an hour or so to get to by standard chug-chug dive boats.

What the diving outfits in Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Koh Samui are reluctant to tell their customers is that the diving is much better on the other side. That is the Andaman Coast. The Surin Islands and the Similan Islands near Khao Lak offer world class diving. The Similan Islands dive sites are rated by National Geographic Magazine as in the top 10 in the world. To dive these places you have to sign up for a liveaboard trip usually for 2 or 3 nights.

Anyway back to dive sites in Koh Phangan. Here they are:

Koh Ma

Koh Ma is a small island off the north-west coast of Koh Phangan that is joined to the mainland by a sandbank. It is the Nang Yuan of Koh Phangan – only not as impressive. At Koh Ma there are hard corals, soft corals and whip corals. The maximum depth is 24 meters. Here you can see banner fish, barracuda and grouper. Koh Ma is good for independent snorkeling. Just rent a bike and head over to Mae Haad beach. The corals are a short swim from the beach and the marine park is free to enter.

Haad Salad

This is a beach on the West Coast, known as the Pirate Beach. Hence one of the local diving outfits is called Pirate Divers. The coral at Haad Salad is 150 meters from the coast. There are a range of corals and you can spot some colorful reef fish. Maximum depth is 18 meters. Not a very difficult dive.

Haad Yao

Haad Yao is a great beach. Stretching across the entire bay are corals. There are table corals, brain corals and coral sponges to see. It is possible to see blue spotted sting rays, porcupine fish, parrot fish, squirrel fish and fusiliers. It is possible to dive straight from the beach. The biggest dive shop in Haad Yao is Haad Yao Divers.

Rock Point

Optimistically called ‘Koh Phangan’s Sail Rock’ – Rock Point (Kong Yai) is a chimney rock just off the coast of Chaloklum. It is a seasonal dive. There is a swim through and plenty of fish to see. The maximum depth is 20 meters.

Haad Khom

Haad Khom is a pretty beach next to Chaloklum. There is a coral off the coast that offers good snorkeling. Dive schools in Chaloklum use it for its proximity.

Koh Tae Nok

Koh Tae Nok is the island that is seen by people arriving by boat at Thongsala. It’s quite a big island with a beach which I’ve often thought would make a good spot for a small shed-like bar. There’s a coral reef off the coast and sometimes small reef sharks can be seen. Maximum depth is 19 meters.

Haad Chao Phao

This beach is on the west coast. The coral reef is 100 meters from the beach. There’s a range of hard corals and reef fish.

If you enjoy diving it is worth traveling farther in a boat to go to the better sites in the Gulf of Thailand. The dive schools also prefer this as they can charge more money. However for doing your first couple of dives for an Open Water Course Koh Phangan dive sites are great as they are not too deep and the marine life is not scared off by too many divers.

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| April 26, 2012
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Changing Image of Koh Phangan

Tesco Lotus in Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan is Thailand’s fifth biggest island. It is located in the Gulf of Thailand near the more famous island of Samui. It is an island that has had a steady trickle of tourists go through since the Samui Archipelago opened up in the 1970s. Koh Phangan was always seen as less developed than Koh Samui and a place for hippies and backpackers who didn’t mind slumming it. These perceptions are beginning to change, as well as visitor numbers to Koh Phangan.

The main advantage of Koh Samui over Koh Phangan as a tourist destination has always been amenities and facilities. Since the late 1980s Koh Samui has had an airport, big modern hospitals, international schools, well-stocked supermarkets, luxury hotels and fine dining options. Areas like Chaweng and Lamai also offer entertainment areas teaming with bars and clubs that are famous for offering intoxicating nightlife.

In contrast, Koh Phangan kept development to a minimum. Rainforest protection meant that 90% of the island retained its original tree cover. Building heights were restricted. Road repairs were slow. The hospital was kept basic – capable of only dealing with minor medical problems. There were no supermarkets like Tesco. Most of the accommodation was traditional thatched bungalows on the beach and few places had swimming pools.

Two things have changed the image of Koh Phangan: the Full Moon Party and Thong Nai Pan Noi beach. These two factors are pulling in the opposite directions but have both drastically increased visitor numbers to the island and the revenue of its businesses.

The Full Moon Party started out as a small beach party attended by a few hundred hippies. It was influenced by the Goan trance parties in India. As the party became more notorious so more people started coming to Haad Rin Nai just for the party.

Party numbers grew at an alarming rate and the main beach in Haad Rin changed from being a place full of cheap bungalows to being a strip of bars catering to the full moon hoards.

The people going to the Full Moon Parties are often not cost-conscious backpackers but people with income to spend on better accommodation and lots and lots of alcohol. As a result Haad Rin today is full of mid-range resorts with swimming pools and lots of bars offering pizzas, English breakfasts and drink deals.

I have been to several Full Moon Parties. Official figures say that 20,000 people go to the average party. I’m not sure it is that many but it is certainly thousands.

Thong Nai Pan Noi used to be a travelers’ secret – a perfect beach tucked away from the world surrounded by an amphitheater of mountains. A place for the discerning traveler with cheap prices and an addictively laid back atmosphere. Even the only hotel on Thong Nai Pan Noi, the Panviman, cost just 500 Thai Baht a night ($15) back in 1998.

Developers soon realized the potential of Thong Nai Pan Noi to attract ‘5 star customers’. From 2000 to 2008 two other luxury hotels were built on the beach – Anantara Rasananda and Santhiya. At present another is being built and Panviman is expanding. These places often charge close to $1,000 a night for private pool villas.

The hotel resorts in Thong Nai Pan Noi have high occupancy levels – much higher than their Koh Samui counterparts. It seems the wealthy prefer the unspoiled nature and idyllic beach of Thong Nai Pan Noi over the loud and brash beach culture offered on Koh Samui.

As a result of the Full Moon Party and Thong Nai Pan Noi’s popularity the roads have been improved around the island, a Tesco Lotus has been opened in the main town of Thongsala and several of the other beaches have started upgrading accommodation.

In early 2012 permission was given to start building Koh Phangan airport. The authorities have not offered much more information but it looks like it’s going to be near Chaloklum village and be used by the low cost carrier Kan Air.

Clearly the central and provincial governments have realized the potential of Koh Phangan to become a major travel destination in Thailand. No longer, it seems, is the island deemed as a ‘backwater’ and a ‘little brother to Koh Samui’.

At the moment there are still obscure beaches like Haad Khom, Than Sadet, Haad Yuan and Haad Tian East where the old hippy feel has been maintained but these places are beginning to feel like relics, albeit charming ones, from the past as Koh Phangan becomes more and more the reserve of those who want to party all night and those who want 5 star luxury.

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| April 21, 2012
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Full Moon Party Review

The Full Moon Party on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach strongly divides locals, other Thais and foreign visitors to Koh Phangan. Those Thais whose businesses benefit from the party tend to tolerate the noise as it brings financial reward. The taxi drivers make good money. The bar owners along the beach totally depend on the party to pay the high rents. The locals who don’t benefit either directly or indirectly from the party tend to stay well away. The foreigners either hate it or love it. The haters often refer to those seeking all-night techno, trance and buckets as ‘fool mooners’.

The Full Moon Party started out in 1987 as a small birthday bash on the beach. It was organized by Paradise Bungalows. The bungalow place is still there along with a rock to commemorate the central role Paradise Bungalows had in starting the parties. It seems unlikely that there weren’t any beach parties in Haad Rin prior to the one legendary party that initiated the whole idea. I guess more credit should be given to the person who had the idea to market the idea of the ‘Full Moon Party’ – a monthly night of carnival and mayhem.

The early parties were much smaller affairs than they are today: just a few hundred hippies mostly sitting around smoking weed; something like in Goa where the whole party on the beach and trance music thing really started.

The early parties soon caught the attention of the press both local and foreign. This caused a massive clamping down on the open smoking of weed. It also helped to publicize the party – the notoriety of the party drew in the punters.

With time the commercial importance of the Full Moon Party became apparent. 20,000 tourists spending money couldn’t be ignored. The result was that most of the cheap bungalow places on the beach were pulled down and replaced with bars sporting large sound systems. Haad Rin expanded its room capacity; and of course peak prices were introduced along with a minimum stay requirement.

The latest step in maximizing the profits from the party was in 2011 when they started charging anyone who arrived by land or sea in Haad Rin on the night of the party 100 Thai Baht. The ‘organizers’ (there are no organizers) claim it is for security, cleaning etc. In Thailand these are dubious claims. No doubt the admission price will soon be 150 Thai Baht. Maybe they will blame the price increase on the price of petrol.

On the plus side, the Full Moon Party is quite a spectacle. The beach is packed with young Thais and ‘farangs’ many of whom are covered in fluorescent paint. The bars are packed with people dancing. Many are dancing on the beach, in the sea and on tables. Others are passed out some in the safety zone, others not. The town is heaving with people. Everywhere you turn there is a stall selling bucket sets of gin, vodka or Thai whisky.

Each bar has its own sound. There is psy-trance, house, drum and bass, chart and RnB. To find out which bar plays which music check out this list of bars at the Full Moon Party.

There are always fire dancers, fire limbo competitions and long ropes on fire which the daring attempt to skip over. Many have minor burns that they only discover the following day – hence the recent proliferation of medical clinics in Haad Rin.

People go to the Full Moon Party because they love the music. Others go to pull girls. Others go to pick the pockets of the passed out. Others go just to see the spectacle. Others go, I suspect, because it is one of those ‘must do’ or bucket list things when visiting Thailand.

The Full Moon Party has brought prosperity for a few on the island. It is made Koh Phangan a famous or infamous place. It has also caused a rash of imitators. Around the nearby village of Bantai they have the Jungle Experience, the Black Moon Party, the Shiva Moon Party and the Half Moon Party. The local residents are feed up with the noise that these parties generate.  Despite their protests the police seem reluctant to kill these geese that lay golden eggs. Haad Rin now also has Love:Is a new beach party. In Thailand a good business idea can never be copied too many times.

For those not keen on the party atmosphere, trance music and the concomitant illegality most of the beaches in Koh Phangan are free of the FMP bug. Than Sadet, Haad Khom, Thong Nai Pan Noi, Wok Tum, Srithanu don’t hold ‘warm up’ parties. These beaches attract hippies and those people who used to be hippies but now have money. They want peace, sand, warm seas and that Robinson Crusoe sense of being stranded far from the concerns of the world and the big raves in Haad Rin and Bantai.

To get an idea of what the Full Moon Party is like check out the Youtube clip above. It must be stressed, which the fool in the video didn’t, that the full moon doesn’t happen to fall on the last night of the year. They also have a party at Christmas. It just makes more commercial sense to hold parties at these times – nobody will notice that the moon is far from full.

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| April 18, 2012
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Are Review Sites any Good?

Jip Shop in Thong Nai Pan Noi

Big review sites like Trip Advisor and Agoda are a mixed bag. They are internet businesses first and foremost. They use other people’s content – namely reviews of hotels, restaurants, activities etc. and place these between several columns offering ads and booking services for hotels. Thanks to cookies these sites will monitor your visits and make what they think are appropriate suggestions to you. On the positive side, these sites do give people access to lots of comments that can give them a clue as to the level of amenities and services they can expect to get.

Trip Advisor recently got in trouble for its automated comment system when it was found that hotel owners were being blackmailed into giving discounts under the threat of people writing negative reviews.

This is just one problem with review sites. The other is that owners of hotels, tour companies, restaurants etc. can post glowing reviews of their own business and can say nasty things about their competitors. For hostel booking sites this seems to be the case in the highly competitive hostel market in South America. Comments about hostels vary from saying the bed linen was filthy to saying it’s the best hostel in so and so place. There seems to be no middle ground, and even taking into account that people value different things, it smells of manipulation.

www.phanganaccommmodation.net/information isn’t really a review site in the conventional sense. We don’t encourage people to send us reviews. We don’t collate and give out a star system. Not only does this technology need large bandwidth, but we also think the need for such reviews is indicative of a general problem with tourism in the Twenty-first Century. People are letting their perceptions be guided too much, they view going on holiday like buying a flat screen TV – you read the reviews, look at the prices and listen to the spiel of the shop rep and then hand over your credit card.

All the beaches of Koh Phangan are worth visiting. They all have their charms, and they all have their drawbacks. Thong Nai Pan Noi is lovely but overpriced. Haad Rin is lively but too noisy and crowded. The west coast beaches from Hin Kong to Srithanu are relaxed but have a big tidal difference and aren’t great for swimming.

The businesses in Koh Phangan vary from day to day. Even the promise of international brands such as Anantara (Rasananda on Thong Nai Pan Noi) and Best Western (Phanganburi in Haad Rin) cannot entirely rein in the problems of staff going walk about, the food being sometimes below par, the rooms not being cleaned thoroughly, the accounts being done accurately, the taxi arriving on time, the renovations being carried out on time. Thailand simply is not Europe, and even Koh Samui with its pretensions to high standards isn’t much better. Expectations have to be adjusted for Thailand in general and Koh Phangan in particular. It is a magical place with stunning natural scenery. It is a place where you can eat fresh fish and good Thai food. You can buy overpriced red wine. You can get slow internet. You can rent a motorbike or Jet Ski and have a great time as long as you don’t put a scratch on it.

In short, reviews of Koh Phangan businesses, services and activities should be taken with a pinch of salt. The best reviews are by friends who can give you an honest opinion. Moreover, it is important that when you go on holiday you leave Europe, Australia, Canada, and the States behind and enjoy Thai culture and not expect a ‘home away from home’. The hospitality might be this but most other things will have a strong ‘Thai’ gloss.

Anyway for those interested here are Trip Advisor’s lists for Koh Phangan:

Hotels in Koh Phangan

1 Seaview Bungalows – Than Sadet
2 Anantara Rasananda – Thong Nai Pan Noi
3 Sea Scene Resort – Plaay Laem
4 Sunset Cove Resort – Chao Phao
5 Santhiya Koh Phangan Resort & Spa – Thong Nai Pan Noi

B&Bs in Koh Phangan

1 Blue Ocean Garden Beach Resort – Chao Phao
2 Nice Sea Resort – Srithanu
3 Blue Lotus Resort – Bankai

Restaurants in Koh Phangan

1. Fisherman’s Restaurant & Bar – Ban Tai
2. Again and Again – Thong Nai Pan Noi
3 Beachlounge – Thong Sala

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