Phangan made an amazing impression on me, I did not expect that so happens. Thought – this is an ordinary island, like Samui , Phuket or Koh Chang, but it turned out not. It’s all about the atmosphere and contingent. Someone even brings a mystic here and talks about some kind of pink quartz that is supposedly present in the rocks Phangan and works like a huge love magnet. And in my opinion, all it is in the people who live here or who come to short term. I have never seen such an abundance of informals anywhere else. different trends: yogis, syroedov, spiritual practitioners, shamans, meditators, grassroots, mushroom hunters, freelancers, various coaches etc.
The content of the article
- 1 Preparing for the trip
- 1.1 Description of the resort and why go to Phangan
- 1.2 Which beach to choose
- 1.3 How to choose a hotel or home
- 1.4 How to get to Phangan
- 1.5 Climate and weather in Phangan
- 2 Upon arrival on the island
- 2.1 How to get to your hotel
- 2.2 What to see from the sights
- 2.3 Where to eat, in which cafes
- 2.4 On-site transport
- 3 Map of Phangan
Preparing for the trip
Description of the resort and why go to Phangan
Here once a month (at the full moon) the famous is held The Full Moon Party, where young people come from all over the world, to hard pohuhat. And then families with children quietly spend the winter, and even come for a couple of weeks package tourists for a beach holiday. How do they all get along together? For me, this is a mystery. Introvert it’s hard enough to make new acquaintances and look for friends, especially when you’re over 30. But for me, Phangan has become the exception. Enough to get into one of the parties, and then you you will spontaneously meet different people flowing from companies in the company.
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You can easily regulate the degree of involvement in a particular tusu, starting with a complete immersion in the rhythm of the party life, ending with not hearing anything about it at all. Can today drink beer looking at the sunset in the bar Amsterdam, and the next Morning yoga in one of the centers or with friends, acquaintances. I had a feeling that everyone here in general knows each other, although it is not. Simply, many people are open to communication and for them. no problem just sit at the table with strangers in some cafe and start a conversation.
I have not had such amount of thematic communication for a long time. Not I will say that I belong to one of the currents, but nevertheless I interesting to talk about yoga and meditation, about blogging and remote business, life experiences and travel. Phangan is relaxing. I laid a whole week on his visit, stayed two and still this It turned out very little. Understand pangan for so short term difficult. Although you can completely and not to mystify this otster and treats it as a normal youth resort.
Phangan is an amazing island. I perfectly understand those who came here for a while, and stuck for several years. I don’t know if I managed understand him for a couple of weeks, but as they say, everyone will have their own Phangan My Phangan are friends, techno parties, not at all Thai food, sport, wind in the face and some special atmosphere. For 6 years I here for the first time relaxed and rested. Phangan me can say, just made it do it. And it’s great, because I do not know how to work without days off. Now this island will be stand alone in my personal rating of resorts where to go not so much for the beaches, but because of nature, the atmosphere and people.
Which beach to choose
Implied – which beach on Phangan should you prefer the rest, to stay. Unlike Samui, where I recommend first decide on whether you will have a rental vehicle or not, on Phangan it is important to initially understand something else – why are you coming here. Will you have a family-beach holiday, or are you by nature tramp-party people without children and anchors, or – you are driving away from civilization. Just beaches of Phangan, in my opinion, are divided into three main parts: east, south and west.
Imagine a Mercedes badge? Overlap it mentally to Phangan card and get three pieces. Left (west and northwest) is considered the most resort oriented a classic tourist, with children, suitcases, cameras and money. From Tong Sala to Chaloclah lie beautiful, easily accessible beaches with good infrastructure, roads and the choice of housing on the beach. This is an option for those traveling to rest. according to the classics. Main beaches: Shritan, Haad Son, Haad Yao, Haad Salad, Mae Had and Malibu.
The lower part of Phangan (south) is no longer so beautiful, but very long beaches, also from Thong Salah, right up to Haad Rin. Here there are a lot of resorts and cheap housing, not bad infrastructure, many large stores and quite dense traffic. In this part of the island is concentrated the bulk parties, and therefore the south attracts young people and those who came to Full Moon Party This is an option for those traveling away or not willing to spend money for hotels, since the plans are only exploring the island and no commitments. The main beaches are Thong Sala, Ban Tai and Haad Rin.
Overview of all the beaches in Phangan →
The right side of Phangan (east and northeast) is a wild region, where there is a large road in the center of the island, but from there to the coast are difficult and confusing primer, which will not be ride every day. To the four main beaches of the east you can drive relatively quiet, but all the rest – it’s lost Paradise, where people leave specifically to forget about other people. This option is for hermits who do not need expensive hotels. (although there are such there), nor a rented scooter. Beaches: Bottle Beach, Tong Nai Pan Yai and Tong Nai Pan Noi and Haad Yuan.
These are the pictures you can see on Phangan
How to choose a hotel or house
With housing on Phangan, if we are talking about hotels in their classic understanding is pretty bad. Most of the housing is bungalows. complexes with used species houses. I have stayed in many hotels and faced with the fact that really a lot of old buildings although the photos in the booking system everything looks great (most likely pictures of a hundred years ago). At the same price for stale rooms remains the same, do not give discounts. Brought for such a formula – you need about 1500-2000 baht per day to the hotel was more or less normal. If you pay a little more, then this does not actually affect the quality of housing. Well maybe The territory will be better, or the location of the hotel. Yes speech of course same about the season and peak season, in the summer prices fall by 2 times.
By the way, yes, the location is pretty strong on pricing. affects. If the bungalow is a beachfront, then behind the straw with slots in the walls You can give about 1500 baht. In general, if it is necessary directly to absolutely was a class “luxury”, then it is a completely different prices, somewhere closer to 5000 baht. For example, on Samui the choice is much wider and in general housing is better, and there are a lot of hotels, not bungalows. At the very I’m really not against bungalows, it’s good to live in a separate house, but, as a rule, their condition is worse than if it were one hotel building. Probably because it’s easier to follow large building.
All hotels in Koh Phangan →
Winterers and longsters who want to rent at home monthly are usually moving to or near Shritana (west of the island), and on the way out Tong Sala in Chaloklam and in Chaloklam itself (north of the island). As for me so these 2 rayns are best suited for longer stays and there are more houses for rent. And I would personally choose Shritan. Just in case, you can not search for apartments on Phangan, they are not there.
You have only 2 options, how to rent a house / apartment in Thailand: through a realtor or independently on the spot. Last thing very much to the amateur. Believe, combing the streets for several days in a row in 30-degree heat, not for everyone, you can rest are driving.
I recommend to book accommodation in advance through a realtor. You avoid unnecessary trouble in an unfamiliar country. Than before refer, the better option will get. Send me a request, I have her I will send to a proven person whom I trust myself. And then in The last time scam has become a lot.
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How to get to Phangan
Phangan is 700 km from Bangkok and 350 km from Phuket. There are no direct flights from Russia to Koh Phangan, since there are no flights on it. airport. To get to Phangan is possible only by sea. Closest to Phanganu airport is located on the neighboring island – Koh Samui. SamuiAirport is private and it only takes certain aircraft. companies that double up – triple price, compared with prices loukosterov.
My opinion: try to immediately buy a single ticket Moscow-Samui, it will be with a transplant, but usually it’s totally cheaper than purchase of several individual tickets. And certainly everything will be faster and more comfortable, especially true with children (more about such flights). Search for such flights is better traditionally on Aviasales, look immediately to Samui!
If you first buy a ticket to Bangkok or Phuket, then then take a second ticket from Bangkok Airways (about 3,500 baht), then in an hour you will be on Samui. From the airport on Samui you for five minutes will take to the catamaran at the pier in Bang Rae, and after another half an hour you will be on the Pangan Haad Rin.
The average option for money and comfort – flight from Bangkok to low cost airport to the mainland airports nearest to the island (Surat Thani and Nakhonsitammarat), transfer to the bus, then transfer to the ferry, which goes to Samui and Phangan. When buying such tickets (about 1500 baht) you need to immediately take a ticket to the end point – Phangan, which includes a bus ticket and a ferry ticket. Everywhere they will take the hand, they will take it to the company minibus, then they will plant it on the ferry, do not get lost.
If you are traveling in economy mode, then your option is “bus + ferry” or “train + bus + ferry”.
My detailed instructions read here: How to get to Phangan from Bangkok and How to get from Phuket to Koh Samui (not Phangan, but the meaning is the same).
Climate and weather in Phangan
The weather on Phangan is very similar to the weather of Samui and, in general, significantly different from weather reports for the mainland Suratthani province. Common occurrence when for a joyful tourist it turns out to be completely unexpected excessive rainyness in November and December People come to be in the sun on New Year’s holidays, and get rain showers and flooding. Keep in mind that because global warming has shifted the weather not only in Russia, but also by worldwide, so it may well be that the following Signs will not fall on any item at all.
At the peak of winter rains, the air temperature drops to 23 degrees, and in the heat there may be 34 in the shade – all figures are averaged. The hottest months on Phangan are from February to April, the most rainy – from November to January. In the summer throughout Thailand go monsoon rains (which reach Phangan only in autumn), and the weather on the island is a clear sky and short mushroom rains along several times a day. In late September and in October, Phangan is not particularly happy with good weather, November is the peak of showers, December is gradual weather improvement.
In the winter months, almost all the beaches of Phangan (even western, with all their shallowness) have unpleasant waves and mud every morning all over the beach. Livni is washed away from the islands of all kinds of floating stuff and after the storm all this garbage is on the sand. Have a nice so few, but even such conditions are better than the Russian winter. AND after me – my advice: fly in March or summer. March is golden month on Phangan, and in the summer the season falls to zero, people go to learn Turkey and Egypt, and Thai beaches are empty. Prices are falling, sellers and landlords are becoming more compliant – beauty.
Upon arrival on the island
How to get to your hotel
If you do not plan to rent a bike immediately upon arrival (please careful with divorces), then taxis and boats on Phangan they rule. TO Unfortunately, everything is generally bad with route transport, so I I highly recommend thinking about a bike or a rented car if you don’t want to mess with bikes. Cars can be taken on the mainland in any of the airports, for example, on Samui and then go to Panaghan. Even in Bangkok, you can take a car upon arrival and get on her own to the island, seeing the sights on the way, then navigate along the Phangan and then return to Bangkok (or hand over at the airport on Samui, on the mainland in Suratkhani or in Nakhon Simmarta, flying further by plane). Instruction how rent a car.
Discounted car rent →
Public songteos run mostly along the southern part of the island from Tong Sala to Haad Rin (you can stop right on the road), to the west from time to time they go to Shritan and Haad Salad, in the north they are generally almost invisible, but in the wild off-road east they are basically do not go. Usually they always stand around the two main pangs of Phangan: Tong Saly and Haad Rina. When you sail, you will see how in them immediately stuffed people. In this case, the price will be about 50 baht.
If you freeze an empty songteo, it can turn into taxi and take you anywhere, but the price will be appropriate. For example, from Tong Saly to Haad Rin there will be about 400 baht, from Tong Salas to Amsterdam bar 200 baht. Plus a minus, how will you bargain, although they are not very inclined to cut prices. But at night of other transport just not, but that’s such an expensive carriage.
As an option, if you go to a normal hotel, it will be offer transfer service, you can take. And so back. Price depends on the hotel, but I don’t think it will be very different from taxi cost. Also taxi transfers may be from local illegal expats. This or that beach can be reached by boat. taxi boath, but it is quite expensive.
What to see from the sights
As I wrote at the beginning of the article – attractions on Phangan one-two and obchelsya. Big tree, old temple, big waterfall and national park with a viewpoint – that’s all the main sights Well, there are all sorts of religious bars and places. To me it seems that I have more or less managed to understand the tourist part and rave. The only thing I could not persuade myself to go to Full Mun Party, since there is pretty crappy everything happens, although it is necessary would. But he visited other parties, such as Sansara and Geys the bar.
Phangan took my slates, sunglasses, I almost took phone (fell out while riding a bike), the dog nibbled mine at all New trekking sandals, but gave much more in return. Despite to work, managed to finally relax, for the first time, probably for 6 years, I just rested just a few days. If you want to know about All this is a little more detailed, then read my post with a list attractions where I brought the main places of interest islands. Temples, waterfalls, viewing platforms, entertainment rides and parties – all in one place, only the most the best.
All hotels in Koh Phangan →
Where to eat, in which cafe
Phangan – the island of cafes for all tastes. Party Lighthose, Eden and Guys Bar on the border of civilization, rasta Rafam Koh Raham, Top Rock and AmstArdam Bar. Purely relaxed Bar Three Sixty, cafe Orion Wellness Center and The Dome Sauna, Vegan Akashi and Israeli Taboon. In addition to thematic institutions there are ordinary cafeterias where it is cozy, tasty and inexpensive you can get a good one coffee and dessert: Doppia, Dots, Nira Bakery, Sweet Shell Caffee.
In many cafes and bars playing dynamic music. You get used to this and then it is already beginning to be missed. Who would not say, but even if you do not consider the island tusov, it will still be a feeling that the party is somewhere here, it’s hard not to notice. More in detail about all the listed institutions and some more, not caught in this post, read the article.
Bars and cafes on Phangan →
On-site transport
Came to Koh Samui after Phangan – what a terrible movement here, you can’t leave the yard right away, you have to wait, the bikes ride in a continuous stream and cars. But the roads are better, the ring road is so generally even this without joints and potholes. On Phangan there is much more that This is an island, this is a tropics, nature more. District Chaweng-Lamai – generally like a city. Something like Phangan is only Thong Sala and then, it is several times smaller. On Phangan the distance is less between points and no traffic jams.
The people mainly move on rented bikes, because a songteo and a taxi are just not enough money. There is a problem with divorce repair (when you put up an inflated price for repair damage, and sometimes they are not yours), but you can always solve this question renting a scooter on Samui on more adequate conditions and without a passport security. On Phangan you still have to run and look for a rental that does not want to keep your passport. World famous car rentals, in which and condition there is excellent technology and there is insurance – I did not find it on Phangan.
Rent a bike on Phangan and divorce →
Map of Phangan
Life hacking 1 – how to buy a good insurance
Choosing insurance is now unrealistically difficult, therefore, to help everyone travelers, I make a rating. To do this, constantly monitor forums, I study insurance contracts and use insurance by myself.
Insurance Rating
Life hacking 2 – how to find a hotel 20% cheaper
First, choose a hotel on Booking. They have a good base offers, but the prices are NOT the best! The same hotel is often possible find 20% cheaper in other systems through the RoomGuru service.
Discount hotels
