Phangan

[mattias33]

After living here for a while it is getting time for me to visit Koh phangan for the FIRST!! time. Im gonna do a few days trip to relax and celebrate my marriage. Ive never been there and i would like to go to a nice and quit beach. Any good tips on the following questions is appriciated:

1. Good accomondation for 3-4 days for me and my wife. Good in this case is beachfront, close to resturants, 600-1000 baht/night.

2. How is the transportation on the island? Is taxis usable or is it the same maffia-nutcases as in samui? Do they have like songtaews or anything similar?

3. Anything else!! I never been there and im happy for tips and tricks!!

Thanks

[sbk]

What kind of nightlife are you looking for? do you want to go around the island or are you happy to stay in one place? Thong Nai Pan is a nice beach, good swimming this time of year, has some restaurants and nightlife but the road can be intense so if you go there, stay there.

Alternatively, stay somewhere in Ban Tai or Ban Kai (with a swimming pool as its low tide season) and you can travel to most places on the island easily. Taxis can be iffy, depending on the time of day and who you get, just like everywhere else in Thailand However, generally, if you don't go late at night, its not too bad. Kinda scarce in between full moons tho.

[mattias33]

What kind of nightlife are you looking for? do you want to go around the island or are you happy to stay in one place? Thong Nai Pan is a nice beach, good swimming this time of year, has some restaurants and nightlife but the road can be intense so if you go there, stay there.

Alternatively, stay somewhere in Ban Tai or Ban Kai (with a swimming pool as its low tide season) and you can travel to most places on the island easily. Taxis can be iffy, depending on the time of day and who you get, just like everywhere else in Thailand However, generally, if you don't go late at night, its not too bad. Kinda scarce in between full moons tho.

Thanks for that. Im not looking for any nightlife, its basicly a honeymoon for me and my 6 months pregnant wife, so a good nice quiet hotell with a few good resturants around would be good for us. Like i said i would realy like it with a nice beach. W

What beaches are best this time a year with the low tide? And would it be an idea to bring the car there or is it possible to rent a car for descent price a few days?

[girlx]

I would stay in Thong Nai Pan Yai if I were you- try Candle Huts, Dolphin Bungalows, or Havana Beach Resort.

Best way to get around is to rent a Jeep.

[Samuian]

Haad Yao - Long Beach on the west coast....beautiful sunsets - very calm and relaxed! Sorry, no actual recommendation for accommodation.

[mattias33]

Thanks for the guys. How much will the jeep cost me per day, and can i get it at the pier or is that much more expensive than to go a bit inland?

[mattias33]

That should be thanks for the help guys not thanks for the guys!!! Hahaha, sorry.

[toptuan]

I would stay in Thong Nai Pan Yai if I were you- try Candle Huts, Dolphin Bungalows, or Havana Beach Resort.

...and DON'T stay at "Cottage Resort." Insolent staff from the manager to the cleaning lady. Yeech!

[sbk]

Thanks for the guys. How much will the jeep cost me per day, and can i get it at the pier or is that much more expensive than to go a bit inland?

So far, mainly girls

Jeeps are pretty much the same everywhere, but in a larger supply and more choice at the pier in Thong Sala. Somewhere between 800-1200 a day depending on the vehicle and whether or not you get insurance.

[t.s]

I would stay in Thong Nai Pan Yai if I were you- try Candle Huts, Dolphin Bungalows, or Havana Beach Resort.

Best way to get around is to rent a Jeep.

dolphin sounds right up your alley

[girlx]

i agree, don't stay at central cottage. big freaking attitude problems there.

i always rent the red jeep from the guy near the pier, where the toilets are. it's about 700 baht for me but i am a local with a thai boyfriend so it is probably about 900 baht for others. it is the best jeep, good power and breaks. sea mew's are ok too.

[JimmyCA]

Have been all over KP on 125cc motorbike. The stretch to the left comming from the pier is a bit tricky, otherwise ok to get around. Kind of quiet when I was there.

[girlx]

huh? you must not have been to thong nai pan! it's a horrific road!

[sbk]

huh? you must not have been to thong nai pan! it's a horrific road!

Hubby and I went there last month, I was amazed at how improved it was, too

(and yes, even improved, its still a pretty horrific road)

[mattias33]

Thanks for the advises, now i have some different choises to check-up. Its only a 3-4 day trip so cant check to much. But if we get that 800 baht red jeep we might take one of the days only to look around.

Im planning to go sometime in the middle of next week so just keep on sending all advise you can, very imformative so far.

Thanks

[easternfunk]

I stayed at Candle Huts two weeks ago and it was great!!! I would highly suggest it...Super chill beach....and the lady that runs it is over the top nice. You will love her.

[goldfinger]

easternfunk,

mattias33 is on honeymoon, so he will get probs when there are too much other nice ladies around.....

[mattias33]

easternfunk,

mattias33 is on honeymoon, so he will get probs when there are too much other nice ladies around.....

Yeah, honeymoon coming up this week. Hahaha, think i do best if i stay out of the ladybars, at least on this trip.

[mattias33]

Ok, back from honeymoon, thanks for the help!!

I rented the red jeep from the pier (he suggested 800 but i got it for five, im not a local like girlx but im a hel_l of a bargainer!) and took the drive (halfway offroad!) to ton nai pan and dolphin.

Sbk, seriously, i asked for a beach, i did mention i am from samui, hahaha.

I guess we are a bit spoiled but i did not approve of either the place or the beach. Neither did my wife so we had to go the whole crappy road back. I think there would have been another alternative, from looking on the map, but we didnt want to chance since darkness was 2 hours away.

Anyway, we ended up in had salad, a hotel called salad beach resort. Big swimmingpool and a "beach" hahaha, nice restaurant on the hotel and good rooms with a nice garden and balcony, peace and quiet. Even romantic according to my wife, hahaha. 1100 baht was a cheap price for this lyxury. In chaweng i would be doubble. But ok, big minus for the crappy beach, but i live with a nice pool for some days.

From there we did some daytime driving around to different things and different beaches. We chilled alot in the nice hotel, they also had outside jaccusi with waterfalls!! Very nice.

Overall, i liked koh pagnan as a 4 day holiday trip and i will go back again. I would never want to live there, sorry guys, but it was a nice holiday. Beaches i saw (had salad on north west, had chaloklum in the north, had rin in the south and ton nai pan on the east) was realy nothing at all in comparision to our beaches in samui. I go on a weekly basis to chong moen and i live on ban rak so for me, once again sorry guys i know this will get you going, the beaches on koh pagnan got a -10!! But that did not matter. I have a beach in home and so do my wife, we got a perfect relaxing, fun holiday and honeymoon and i might even bring family there for a few days when they are visiting me from europe.

[sbk]

True, Chaweng and Lamai are much bigger but then look at what you have to put up with TNP is nice and quiet in comparison. Than Sadet is another small bay with a nice beach. No phone signal tho, so you dont' get any Thai tourists staying there

[mattias33]

With you on that Sbk. Chaweng and Lamai is becoming real toilets. But ok, Chaweng beach is still very good swimming.

Have some pics from the hotel i wanted to ad to this thread but i cant get it working.