Home TravelInternational Koh Phangan in Thailand – chill, eat, explore, repeat.

Koh Phangan in Thailand – chill, eat, explore, repeat.

by capetowndiva

Holidays are here and somewhere, a beach is calling your name. If you’re heading to Thailand, here is a teaser about what you can do on Koh Phangan island.

Koh Phangan (Ko Pha-ngan) is in the Gulf in southeast Thailand in Surat Thani Province that forms part of the Samui Archipelago. It’s known as the party island but if you avoid Haad Rin where the full and half moon parties mostly happen, it has a quieter side where you can enjoy your downtime removed from the crowds.

Haad Salad(haad or had means beach by the way) on Koh Phangan island, is 600m of pristine beach with creamy soft sand, crystal clear waters in a shade of green~blue that I’m not even going to attempt to describe, flanked by jungle covered cliffs and hills. It is about 20 minutes out of the centre of town, Thongsala, via scooter or car. Sights close by include Wangsai Waterfall, Laem Som Lake and the Chinese Temple.

This is a gorgeous beach – a  place to drop your towel for a few hours, slide into the cool sea for a wallow, tuck into pad thai and mango smoothies on the beach (try the the fabulous My Way restaurant) and plop back down with a book and a chilled Chang for another round of holiday nothingness. Repeat all, as often as needed. This is vacation life at it’s best, done at a sloth’s pace with no time pressures and no stress…try it, you’ll be back time and again for more. Like us.

On the way there –  keep a keen lookout for the Haad Salad sign as the turnoff isn’t that obvious

Gorgeous water, a perfect temperature and an insanely beautiful colour

Haad Salad is a great place to stay if you prefer to be away from the full moon party revellers. It’s a lot quieter and has great restaurants and accommodation ranging from backpackers to more high end.

Boats in the bay

Perfect for little people too

2 of my 3 guys

Other fabulous things do on KP:

Also visit Bottle Beach (accessed only via longtail from Chaloklum fishing village; have a massage at Milky Bay Resort (we always stay here as well) visit Wat Pho temple; play pool at Bangers and Mash; do a jungle/town bicycle tour; visit the Phantip Saturday market and the day time food market and try the best fruit I’ve ever eaten, the mangosteen; hike up to Phaeng Waterfall and for a day trip off the island, visit Ang Thong Marine Park.

For more about the island and beyond, explore my blog and type ‘Thailand’ in the search bar top right and voila, loads will come up on my adventures in Thailand over the past few years.

A few things to note > look out for sharp coral when going in and out of the shallows; remember the sunblock of course; if scootering, always wear a helmet; approach beach & street dogs with caution, just in case they’re unwell or injured.

Thailand is a great travel option over the festive season- there is something to suit singles, couples, families, partygoers, pretty much everyone.สุขสันต์วันหยุด – happy holidays!

Other fun and useful info:  Amazing Thailand SA   /Weather info / getting to Koh Phangan /

Haad Salad info

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