Koh Tao or Koh Pangan?

[TPDH]

Hi

 

Me and my wife are going to either Koh Tao or Koh Pangan around Christmas for a week. Which one of those two islands would you recommend going to? Partly considering the COVID situation which I assume affects the islands in various ways. We've been to Samui before and liked it but now we wanna try another island. 

 

We like the beach, some nature adventures, good food and just relaxing. Party and scuba diving is not important. 

 

Thanks. 

[scubascuba3]

As you aren't scuba diving no point going to Koh Tao

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, TPDH said:

We like the beach, some nature adventures, good food and just relaxing.

Thong Nap Pan Beach on Pahangan might be a possibility, there are both a noi (small) and yai (big), and both bays are excellent. Mainly local food, but there is a many star hotel available. Probably few visitors now due to Covid-19, check with potential resorts if they are open...????

[steelerian]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

Thong Nap Pan Beach on Pahangan might be a possibility, there are both a noi (small) and yai (big), and both bays are excellent. Mainly local food, but there is a many star hotel available. Probably few visitors now due to Covid-19, check with potential resorts if they are open...????

Thong Nai Pan is a beautiful area. Very chilled.

 

[Tagged]

Koh Phangan if only Choose one place, but why not visit both places? Take ferry or fly to Koh Samui?If ferry you will be able to do a nice roundtrip.

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

As you aren't scuba diving no point going to Koh Tao

As scubascuba3 says - forget Koh Tao.

There is more to do on KPN.

Any bad weather will be coming from the NE or E so look at the beaches on the W or SW side. (Also sunsets on that side.)

My wife's personal favourite was on the W by Koh Maa.

Edited December 15, 2020 by Tropicalevo

[thcosh]

To eat out a lot and party in bar / clubs, its Samui !

To stay on a beach and smoke weed all day/night long it's KPG, but not KTAO which is infested by rats in uniform checking people to get a lot of cash !

 

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by thcosh

[corkman]

Last time was in Koh Toa (3-4yr ago) the village around Sairee was quite nice. 2 or 3 streets linked by the main road at one end and the beach road at the other end. These streets were light traffic, walking streets, with a good selection of boutique restaurants and cafes serving everything from burgers to Indian food to pizza to sea food.

 

To me, KPN feels a bit jaded. So if I was going to spend a week chilling out, I'd do KT. Early afternoon beers on the beach, a nice meal in the evening with a bottle of wine, then an early night and repeat next day.

 

That said, both islands are probably a ghost town with COVID in effect. So maybe try and find out how many places are actually open.

 

Note aside. If you go to KPN and prefer to avoid the crazy party thing, then stay away from Haad Rin for a day or two before and after the full moon party. Google the dates. The place is simply awful at that time.

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, corkman said:

Note aside. If you go to KPN and prefer to avoid the crazy party thing, then stay away from Haad Rin for a day or two before and after the full moon party. Google the dates. The place is simply awful at that time.

There is a pandemic going on at the moment, Full Moon Parties has been cancelled since March 2020 until further notice, probably not reopening before tourism is up running again.

 

Sunrise Beach is available uncrowded full time for relaxing guests, but many resorts and restaurants etc. might be closed, as the business is normally based on tourism. The good old Haad Rin Queen-ferry is said to be doing one trip a day between Haad Rin and Bang Rak on Samui...

[philthebook]

20 hours ago, khunPer said:

Thong Nap Pan Beach on Pahangan might be a possibility, there are both a noi (small) and yai (big), and both bays are excellent. Mainly local food, but there is a many star hotel available. Probably few visitors now due to Covid-19, check with potential resorts if they are open...????

 

TNP beaches were dead a few weeks ago when I was there, there wasn't one restaurant open on TNP Yai Beach, even the 7/11 is closed. Haad Yao (west) and Haad Salad had a couple of places on the beach open, Zen beach had a few dozen people at Sunset. 

Sri Thanu, Thong Sala and Ban Tai areas had the most people. 

[Birdman]

Koh Phangan undoubtably. Very tropical. Extremely beautiful. And this unique wonderful smooth mood, the atmosphere over there, can´t be found at any other place in Thailand. Including the islands in the Andaman. Koh Phangan and Koh Kood are my favorite places in Thailand.    

[4737 Carlin]

I can't believe people still consider going to Koh Tao. A place where the spoiled, inadequate sons of the local 'businessmen'(whose pockets you'd be lining) are allowed to get away with murder.

[salsajapan]

On 12/15/2020 at 2:46 PM, khunPer said:

Thong Nap Pan Beach on Pahangan might be a possibility, there are both a noi (small) and yai (big), and both bays are excellent. Mainly local food, but there is a many star hotel available. Probably few visitors now due to Covid-19, check with potential resorts if they are open...????

 

few visitors all year long except during full moon time.

 

 

[salsajapan]

1 hour ago, 4737 Carlin said:

I can't believe people still consider going to Koh Tao. A place where the spoiled, inadequate sons of the local 'businessmen'(whose pockets you'd be lining) are allowed to get away with murder.

 

 

so true ! 

and a place where cops keep you jailed for weed even after you paid 50000 thb cash...

 

 

[salsajapan]

On 12/17/2020 at 8:03 PM, Birdman said:

Koh Phangan undoubtably. Very tropical. Extremely beautiful. And this unique wonderful smooth mood, the atmosphere over there, can´t be found at any other place in Thailand. Including the islands in the Andaman. Koh Phangan and Koh Kood are my favorite places in Thailand.    

 

 

First time tat I meet someone who knows what he is talking about !

Agree, KPG and KOHKOOD are the best islands in Thailand to chill, but luckily most idiots still don't know it !

 

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, salsajapan said:

 

 

so true ! 

and a place where cops keep you jailed for weed even after you paid 50000 thb cash...

 

 

Quite right too.

Drugs AND attempted bribery???

[Birdman]

7 hours ago, salsajapan said:

 

 

First time tat I meet someone who knows what he is talking about !

Agree, KPG and KOHKOOD are the best islands in Thailand to chill, but luckily most idiots still don't know it !

 

Not only best islands, but best places in Thailand. Didn't come for crowded BKK, smoky Chiang Mai, once upon a time in the west Isaan. How can someone live in Thailand and not at the sea?

[Tagged]

8 hours ago, salsajapan said:

 

 

First time tat I meet someone who knows what he is talking about !

Agree, KPG and KOHKOOD are the best islands in Thailand to chill, but luckily most idiots still don't know it !

 

One more Island missing on your list, but most people still do not know yet ????????

 

 

[Birdman]

41 minutes ago, Tagged said:

One more Island missing on your list, but most people still do not know yet ????????

 

 

If Sal would know you posted that, cleaning all dishes the next 3 months will be the job

[Tagged]

9 hours ago, Birdman said:

If Sal would know you posted that, cleaning all dishes the next 3 months will be the job

It is not that secret, but most people do not bother to go, since there is alot more in the same erea. No cars on the island, and when I was there last time there was one proper bar only, and some not to many resorts yet. Beautiful island small island for a time out from the rest of the world. But most people think that is boring, so, 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

On 12/15/2020 at 5:53 AM, TPDH said:

Hi

 

Me and my wife are going to either Koh Tao or Koh Pangan around Christmas for a week. Which one of those two islands would you recommend going to? Partly considering the COVID situation which I assume affects the islands in various ways. We've been to Samui before and liked it but now we wanna try another island. 

 

We like the beach, some nature adventures, good food and just relaxing. Party and scuba diving is not important. 

 

Thanks. 

koa tao is called by thai peopleTHE LONGUE ISLAND, which means the suicide island (the tongue is hanging long after hanging).

and koh pangan is called by thai THE TING TONG ISLAND , which means the crazy people island, because

many people there get crazy from drugs.

so i think you better go to koh samui.

[khunPer]

23 hours ago, salsajapan said:

 

few visitors all year long except during full moon time.

The two Thong Nai Pan beaches are not FMP destinations.

[Birdman]

On 12/25/2020 at 7:54 AM, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

koa tao is called by thai peopleTHE LONGUE ISLAND, which means the suicide island (the tongue is hanging long after hanging).

and koh pangan is called by thai THE TING TONG ISLAND , which means the crazy people island, because

many people there get crazy from drugs.

so i think you better go to koh samui.

No, it is not called by Thai people, if you consider Thai people as t h e Thai people, like that. However maybe it could be called by a few Thais like that. Maybe not. Never heard that in 34 years in Thailand. 

Would rather say, that, if you ask all Thai people about those Islands, more than 50% don't know them. More than 85% can`t find them on a Thailand map. And more than 95% are not interested at all about KPG and KT. 

 

[salsajapan]

On 12/25/2020 at 7:31 AM, Tagged said:

It is not that secret, but most people do not bother to go, since there is alot more in the same erea. No cars on the island, and when I was there last time there was one proper bar only, and some not to many resorts yet. Beautiful island small island for a time out from the rest of the world. But most people think that is boring, so, 

 

nowhere is boring with a lot of weed !

 

 

[salsajapan]

On 12/25/2020 at 12:11 PM, khunPer said:

The two Thong Nai Pan beaches are not FMP destinations.

 

They are anyway when it's full moon party because all other beaches and rooms are fool.

Why talking if you know nothing ?

❤️

 

 

[pikao]

No full moon party at the moment, so nothing to worry about

[khunPer]

25 minutes ago, salsajapan said:

 

They are anyway when it's full moon party because all other beaches and rooms are fool.

Why talking if you know nothing ?❤️

Because I unfortunately know...????
The Thong Nai Pan-beaches are still not FMP destinations; but yes, occasionally some FMP-guests might stay there, when everything else affordable is taken during the few times a year when FMP is extremely crowded in high- and peak-season...????

[Tagged]

9 hours ago, salsajapan said:

 

nowhere is boring with a lot of weed !

 

 

Weed is everywhere, so nowhere is no boring

[Nout]

On 12/16/2020 at 12:15 AM, corkman said:

Last time was in Koh Toa (3-4yr ago) the village around Sairee was quite nice. 2 or 3 streets linked by the main road at one end and the beach road at the other end. These streets were light traffic, walking streets, with a good selection of boutique restaurants and cafes serving everything from burgers to Indian food to pizza to sea food.

 

To me, KPN feels a bit jaded. So if I was going to spend a week chilling out, I'd do KT. Early afternoon beers on the beach, a nice meal in the evening with a bottle of wine, then an early night and repeat next day.

 

That said, both islands are probably a ghost town with COVID in effect. So maybe try and find out how many places are actually open.

 

Note aside. If you go to KPN and prefer to avoid the crazy party thing, then stay away from Haad Rin for a day or two before and after the full moon party. Google the dates. The place is simply awful at that time.

Awful...too true

[thcosh]

On 12/24/2020 at 8:49 PM, Birdman said:

Not only best islands, but best places in Thailand. Didn't come for crowded BKK, smoky Chiang Mai, once upon a time in the west Isaan. How can someone live in Thailand and not at the sea?

 

wow ! we should be friends !

it's like people living around Pattaya but who see the sea once a year at most because they live in the <deleted>ty darkside hahahaha, so funny !

if it was to live far from the sea I would live in mountains !