Koh Phagnan

We left Vietnam on a high of adventure and wonderful experiences, and were looking forward to winding down a bit on the island beaches of the southern gulf of Thailand. We flew into Bangkok from Hanoi and then took a domestic flight into Koh Samui, the largest and most developed of the island chain that includes Koh Phagnan and Koh Tao. We knew that Thailand would be beautiful just by the flower-lined pathways and fancy bathroom aquarium that greeted us at the airport.

The plan was to begin our adventure on Koh Phagnan to explore the beaches and then make our way onwards to Koh Tao. Patricia’s parents Paulo and Lucila were to meet us in Koh Tao, travelling half way across the world for some fun diving and beach adventures, with a final stop in Bangkok for some shopping (!Patricia)(~Ben). We had fifteen days to explore before they arrived, and we did so with pleasure.

Given Koh Samui’s refined edge and large resorts, we opted for the mix of relaxation and party on offer at beautiful Koh Phagnan. Based on a tip from a cool couple we met in Zanzibar, when we arrived from the ferry we hopped on one of the many local “taxis” (basically a truck with benches and sometimes a roof added on the back, a fun experience on its own!!), and headed up north to the beach called Mae Haat.

We checked into a super laid back resort called the Royal Orchid, where for 300 Bahts (9 USD) a night we stayed in a small, basic bungalow with fan and cold shower with a view of the bay and neighbouring Island. The porch had a hammock, and we were sold.




The beach nearby was very pretty with shade from the trees and blue water with reefs for snorkelling. We soon developed a routine where every morning we would go to breakfast at a nearby restaurant on the beach, having a coffee and looking out over the water. Since this place had the best food on offer, we would return for dinner, enjoying the Thai cuisine and slowly developing a taste for the spicy-ness. We visited many beaches on Koh Phagnan but this ended up being one of our favourites.

Some of the days we spent just lounging on the beach, always with a break for a fresh coconut, and Patricia would treat herself to a heavenly Thai massage, six dollars for one hour (yay!). In the evening we would head out for a jog, braving the heat to get a bit of exercise after doing nothing all day. One of our jogs took us to the next harbour town, Chaloklum, and another to the nearby beach, Haad Salad (whose name always made us grin). Both of these beaches had whiter sand and were more developed than Mae Haat, and we were treated to some amazing sunsets.

Despite the exploration, one of our favourite activities was just hanging out on the porch, chatting and relaxing in the shade, surrounded by swaying palm trees.

Koh Phagnan is known for its moon parties – most famously the Full Moon Party - but some entrepreneurial spirits also started the Half Moon and Black Moon parties which have developed a good DJ lineup and a strong following. We decided to embrace the full island experience and left our place in the north to head down to the party zone in the south for a night in order to attend the Black Moon party and check out the Full Moon Party beach of Haad Rin (minus the 10,000 revellers). We stayed in a quiet bungalow near to the rowdy Coral Resort where there was a “warm up” party for Black Moon, giving us a nice chance to meet some people and slap on some glow-in-the-dark body paint. After making our way through the entrance path and down to the beach, we were impressed by the decorations that came alive in the black lighting to create a full neon world.

We danced all night to the music put on by local and international DJ’s, sweating it up with the rest of the crowd until the early hours of the morning. It definitely made us think of and miss all of our fun crew back home, who would have loved the party and danced the night away with us!!

Heading south for two days also gave us a chance to explore Haad Rin Nai and Haad Rin Nok, where there is a small town with some shopping and cheap good local food, and the big white sand beach. We had some delicious Pad Thai at a local eatery where as usual the whole family hangs out, alternately working in the restaurant, taking care of the children or just relaxing. We also got a chance to play some two-on-two beach volleyball, really fun and challenging (even though we were playing against two young Thai kids – they were really good!!).

Altogether we spent ten days on Koh Phagnan, and we took the opportunity to visit many of the beaches on the island with long walks along the concrete and dirt roads. Everyone and their grandmother were using scooters to get around, but on our first day we unfortunately had to assist a guy who had just fallen off his motorbike, and the nasty injuries were enough to turn us off completely from renting scooters. Because of the many steep hills on the island, we got laughed at when we asked whether there were any mountain bikes for rental (the answer was “No! haha” each time). Fortunately, we really enjoy walking as this is the best way to get to know an area, but we definitely got a lot of curious stares along the way as we were passed on all sides.

One day we set out to the neighbouring beach of Haad Yao, which took almost three hours to reach as we missed the direct route. The beach had a nice long stretch of white sand, lots of resorts and restaurants, and we scooped a few loungers to hang out in for the afternoon.

After taking a day to recover from our long walk, the next day we set out to Bottle Beach in the northeast of the island, which at present can only be reached by boat or by foot over what was described as a “dirt trail” in the guidebook, beginning at the end of the concrete road. Most people take the boat from the nearest town, Chaloklum, but we wanted to get a bit of exercise so we decided to hoof it all the way. Picturing an easy walk in the forest, by the time we had arrived at Bottle Beach it had taken us 2.5 hours of hard trekking up and down hills, and the “dirt trail” was more like a steep, never-ending path up roots and rocks to the top of the hill before descending even more steeply down the other side. The path was well marked by plastic bottles so thankfully we didn’t get lost, and we were often rewarded for the hard work with beautiful views of the ocean.

It felt incredibly good to finally arrive at Bottle Beach, and the white stretch of sand with cute little beachside restaurants made it worth the hike. After lounging in the shade for a bit, a storm hit, so we hung out in one of the restaurants to enjoy watching the downpour from a dry spot.

When the sky cleared we took a long-tailed boat back to Chaloklum, and with the sun shining it was a beautiful ride…Ben was giggling all the way because our captain was sporting the latest fashion in helmets – must be good protection against the water and sun, we guess!

We had planned on having dinner in the fishing village of Chaloklum, and beforehand enjoyed some appetizers and a beer looking over the splendid beach when another downpour drove us for shelter.

After more than a week in Koh Phagnan, we decided to head over to Koh Tao to explore some of the less known beaches before meeting up with Patricia’s parents. Pack up again, and onwards!