Koh Phangan in Photos
On an island most famous for crazy full moon parties, Andy and I found tranquility and one of our best work routines on Koh Phangan. We originally thought we’d go to Koh Tao after our resort stay on Koh Samui, but we couldn’t find any decent guesthouses that looked like they were near restaurants. But then our friend Gillian suggested a beach on Koh Phangan on the opposite side of the island from the full moon parties, and we were sold.
Haad Yao
We stayed on a beach called Haad Yao, which means Long Beach, for nine nights. It was lined with guesthouses and hotels for a variety of budgets, and each one had its own restaurant on the beach, so there wasn’t a shortage of food.
It was a decent beach if you just wanted to lay out but not so great for swimming since the moment we walked into the water, we were stepping on hundreds of tiny pieces of shells and coral. Breakfast time seemed to be high tide, which almost entirely swallowed up the beach. But the view was beautiful and relaxing.
What we really enjoyed was the atmosphere. The whole area seemed laid back and peaceful. Being about as far away from where the full moon parties take place meant it was an older crowd. No loud parties here.
Our adventure day
We had such a good routine going that towards the middle of the week we realized that maybe we were in a rut. We decided we needed to see another part of the island, so we went over to Ao Chaloklum which is on the north side of the island. Adventure day was the name we jokingly gave to the day because just the simple act of hopping on a songthaew and going a few miles away to look around and have lunch was enough to re-energize ourselves.
It was a nice area with a pier and lots more boats than we saw where we were staying. We wandered past several bungalows and a tiny roadside bar that only had three stools. It was also the first time I tried Penang curry and realized it was the curry dish I had been looking for.
We asked about going to see some nearby waterfalls, but we were told they were pretty much dried up and unimpressive since it was dry season. But several waterfalls dot the island, and it sounds like they’re gorgeous during the rainy season.
Gorgeous sunsets
I am a sucker for sunsets. Maybe it’s cliche, but I just love them. I was so happy the beach we were staying on faced west, so I sat out on the beach almost every day to watch the sun go down. The best one was our second night there when Andy and I sat with a drink at a little bar on the beach, and a few minutes after the sun dipped below the horizon, the whole sky turned pink.
If you’re looking for the full moon parties, head for the southeast corner of the island. Otherwise, the northwest is peaceful and relaxing. Though even there, prices go up the closer it gets to the full moon. I’m glad we didn’t let the party reputation scare us away from Koh Phangan because this is an island I’d definitely return to if we ever end up back in southern Thailand.
You might also enjoy:
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Thailand
- How Much We Spent Traveling in Southeast Asia for Two Months
- Discovering Delicious Food in Ao Nang, Thailand
- Krabi 4 Islands Tour
March 20, 2014 @ 1:18 PM
I’m a sucker for sunsets too. This island is clearly Thailand at its best. I’m curious to know what the safety situation was like for you when you were there with all the civil unrest firstly against Yinluck Shinawat the Thai Prime Minister and her government and secondly the islamic insurgency that is supposed to be going on in far south Thailand. Is this island anywhere near all of that? Other than that I think this island is idyllic.
March 22, 2014 @ 11:12 AM
Thanks Matthew! We saw absolutely no signs of the protests. They’re really only going on in Bangkok, and even there I’ve heard of enough other bloggers who have been through and just avoided the areas where people are protesting, and they didn’t run into any problems. As for the south, I never heard anything about that while we were there. We were in mainly touristy areas, which isn’t where things like that generally happen, and even when we were traveling by minivan through the very southern part of the country and across the border into Malaysia, I didn’t see anything. Not that we were there long though. There’s no issue with going to visit the islands right now.
March 22, 2014 @ 11:19 AM
Then I definitely want to go. It beats the pants off the coming Australian winter! 🙂
March 22, 2014 @ 11:27 AM
I don’t blame you!
March 22, 2014 @ 11:30 AM
I’m in ugg boots and dressing gown and it’s only the fourth week of March! It’s going to be a cold winter this year.
March 20, 2014 @ 4:02 PM
Ahhh…this takes me back Ali! Our time on Haad Yao is very special to me – I’m glad it was the medicine you needed too!
March 22, 2014 @ 11:13 AM
Thanks again for recommending it Gillian!
March 20, 2014 @ 9:43 PM
Oh man, those sunset photos are aaaaamazing. I would never want to leave. This place sounds so awesome, especially since it’s far away from the full moon parties! Sign me up. Thanks for sharing, Ali.
Happy travels 🙂
March 22, 2014 @ 11:14 AM
Thanks Lauren! Koh Phangan was a really nice island where we were, away from the full moon parties. I imagine the other end of the island was like a different world.
March 20, 2014 @ 11:26 PM
This looks really nice. We never made it to Koh Phangan mainly due to wanting to avoid the full moon parties but now I feel like we missed out 🙁
March 22, 2014 @ 11:15 AM
Well, if you ever get a chance to go back, check out one of the areas on the northwest corner of the island, and I’d still recommend avoiding the full moon time because prices seem to go up all over the island when it’s full moon. I guess there are enough people who want to go to the parties that they’ll stay on the opposite side of the island if everything is booked near the parties.
March 21, 2014 @ 2:40 AM
You had some fantastic sunsets! We faced east where we stayed on Koh Phangan, so didn’t get sunsets. Glad to hear you enjoyed the island!
March 22, 2014 @ 11:24 AM
Thanks Jennifer! If we were on that side of the island, I might’ve convinced myself to get up early for sunrise once, but that’s about it. It was nice to see the sunset almost every day.
March 21, 2014 @ 11:12 AM
I’m in love! It looks so amazing. Those sunsets, OMG!
March 22, 2014 @ 11:26 AM
Thanks Jen! I really enjoyed the sunsets on Koh Phangan!
April 7, 2014 @ 1:27 PM
Penang Curry has been a long term love of mine, as of course are sunsets. I have never seen one like the pink one though. Truly amazing 🙂
April 7, 2014 @ 6:04 PM
Thanks Jan! The Penang Curry was so good! As for the sunset, I was upset I only had my iPhone that evening because the sky never got quite that shade of amazing pink the rest of the week when I went out to watch the sunset with my camera. But it was an amazing sunset!
April 23, 2014 @ 7:17 AM
Reminds me of Ko Phi Phi! Although, I’m not sure how much it has changed since I was there. I tried to stay away from the full moon party places too. 😉
April 23, 2014 @ 10:53 AM
We didn’t make it to Ko Phi Phi, sounded too crowded and overtouristy for us. Koh Phangan did sound like that too until a friend recommended the opposite side of the island, so we were able to relax far away from the full moon madness!