Bangkok has its legendary points of interest, and locations like Chiang Mai supply guests a laid-back vibe. But if you happen to’re a hard-core social gathering animal who’s on the lookout for motion, head straight to Koh Phangan. Close to 30,000 worldwide backpackers flock to the island every month for Koh Phangan’s epic full moon festivities. From its humble starting as a birthday celebration on the seashore, Thailand’s most well-known full moon occasion has grown right into a no-holds-barred spring break-style social gathering.
Visitors who’re on the lookout for a extra relaxed social gathering expertise might wish to go to the island’s Half Moon Festivals which occur twice a month. Held in the future earlier than the Full Moon Party, The Jungle Experience makes a incredible warm-up for the primary occasion.
Even although Koh Panghan’s fame comes from its legendary events, guests can simply discover a relaxed island vibe. The western coast of the island attracts the health-conscious and spiritually-oriented set. Yoga studios, therapeutic facilities, and spas abound round Srithanu. Vegetarians will discover loads of scrumptious and meatless meal choices. Locals collect each night at Zen Beach to play acoustic music and watch the sundown.
Despite Koh Phangan’s reputation as a celebration mecca, the island nonetheless provides guests loads of pure wonders to discover. Watersports lovers can head to the proper coral-lined bays of the western coast for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. National parks lined with jungles and mountain peaks make up the central portion of the island. Animal lovers will discover loads of probabilities to rise up shut and private with elephants, monkeys, and buffaloes.
Koh Phangan has been a preferred backpacker vacation spot for the reason that Seventies. For a long time, native guesthouses and hostels have been competing to offer essentially the most comfy lodging and social environment for visiting party-goers. We’ve compiled a listing of a few of our favourite hostels on the island.
Any time of the day or night time, it’s all the time social gathering time on the Phangan Arena. This hostel is internationally well-known for rowdy beer-pong tournaments and nightly DJs. The restaurant and bar keep open 24/7. If you get in late and are ready to go arduous, that is your home.
Backpackers will discover facilities galore at Phangan Arena. The film room features a big-screen projection TV with Netflix and PlayStation. The excellent place to nurse a hangover, the chill-out zone comes full with comfy bean bag chairs. Backpackers can choose up a great e-book from the onsite library and lounge by the pool earlier than the night’s festivities.
For your comfort, Phangan Arena provides laundry service and towel and padlock leases. Guests can work off the additional beers in Phangan Arena’s outside health club or detox with each day yoga lessons. Sports aficionados can use the soccer pitch and take part in soccer, ping-pong, and different tournaments. Phangan Arena is the perfect hostel for athletic varieties who like to social gathering.
You can discover this continuous social gathering hostel in Ban Thai, only a quick drive from Haad Rin. Besides being a incredible social gathering hub, Slumber Party additionally books organized pub crawls, watersports excursions, and cooking lessons. Guests at Slumber Party won’t ever get uninterested in the sheer variety of actions provided by the hostel. Slumber Party hosts common exhibits that includes touring musicians and worldwide DJs.
The pleasant employees at Slumber Party are joyful that will help you with all your transportation wants throughout your keep. For backpackers who’re prepared for a break from the social gathering scene, Slumber Party provides a number of beachside non-public bungalows. If you take pleasure in your keep at Slumber Party, you may go to the branches of this in style hostel chain in Bangkok and on Thailand’s different islands.
For vacationers who desire a combination of social gathering and leisure, Bodega Beach Party Koh Phangan (previously often known as Good Time Beach Backpackers) provides an abundance of each. The restaurant, bar, and pool stay open for twenty-four hours. Visitors trying to relax after touring can e-book the comfortable treehouse room or non-public seashore bungalows. Both the non-public rooms and the dorms open on to the seashore.
It strives to offer the facilities of an all-inclusive resort with the social environment and affordability of a hostel. The in-house restaurant serves up conventional Thai dishes and comfort-style snacks that persistently obtain glorious evaluations for high quality and affordability. It’s simple to achieve close by points of interest from Bodega. The hostel is simply a brief stroll from Koh Phangan’s seashore bars and markets.
If you favor one thing a bit extra chilled, we suggest Shiralea Backpackers Resort – a tranquil piece of paradise simply two minutes away from Haad Yao Beach.
Depending in your finances, there are three various kinds of lodging – air-conditioned bungalows, ceiling fan bungalows, and air-conditioned dorms. Each dorm has 8 non-public pods that embody spacious and lockable closets, studying lights, sockets, and privateness curtains.
What’s extra, Shiralea boasts loads of wonderful amenities. There is a health club, swimming pool, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a big backyard to hang around. You may also seize one thing to drink or eat on the on-site restaurant.
Why else do vacationers love Shiralea? If you’re feeling like wellnessing and the pool is simply not sufficient, you may e-book a therapeutic massage there.
Echo Beach Backpacker’s hostel boasts its personal non-public seashore with hammocks, loungers, and a volleyball web. For your comfort, the hostel sells full and half moon social gathering tickets on the regular entry worth. Echo Beach provides a bonus free taxi service to the social gathering and one free drink upon arrival.
The employees at Echo Beach all the time makes positive that backpackers really feel at house throughout their keep on Koh Phangan. Echo Beach’s restaurant serves a hearty buffet breakfast and scrumptious specials akin to their Thai Dish of the Day. The employees will fortunately put together particular weight loss plan menus upon request.
Echo Beach takes delight in providing backpackers quite a lot of entertaining actions. Daily occasions embody yoga lessons, organized video games, reside music, and nightly bonfires. Fun-loving bartenders will usually brighten up occasions with drink specials and free photographs.
You can discover Wet! (previously often known as Lazy House Shenanigans) proper smack in the midst of Haad Rin. Surprisingly well-executed murals adorn the dorm rooms. Backpackers may even discover themed lodging such because the John Lennon room. All of the rooms within the hostel come geared up with air-conditioning and free wifi.
The film room exhibits guests’ favorites across the clock. Your dorm price contains free entry to the hostel’s close by water park. The pleasant employees will help you prepare transportation to and from the island’s events.
Wet! hosts legendary full moon warm-up events that includes famend worldwide DJs and buffet-style barbeques. If you e-book a five-night keep, you may attend the warm-up social gathering and get three BBQ dinners freed from cost. To improve the shenanigans, Wet! regularly provides away free vodka jello photographs in the course of the vacation season. After the large social gathering, company can work out within the hostel’s health club amenities or vegetate in entrance of their big projector display.
Mad Monkey Hostel
PERMANENTLY CLOSED
Highlights of the hostel
Free neon physique paint
24-hour cancellation coverage
Comfortable beds
Close to the Thong Sala Pier
Pool desk
Backpackers flock to Mad Monkey Hostels in mainland Thai cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The Koh Phangan department of the favored hostel chain hosts backpackers inside minutes of the Full Moon Party, Half Moon Festival, and the Jungle Experience. Among the numerous excursions out there from the hostel, Mad Monkey provides each day journeys to Slip N Fly waterpark and standup paddleboarding excursions.
Mad Monkey Hostel throws energetic warm-up events earlier than all three of the island’s main occasions. Featuring celebrated EDM DJs, the hostel’s warm-up events embody an all-you-can-eat buffet. Additionally, Mad Monkey hosts weekly particular occasions akin to karaoke, trivia nights, and beer pong tournaments. If unexpected circumstances trigger a change of plans, the hostel doesn’t cost a price for cancellations with a 24-hour discover.
More about Koh Phangan
Once the crowds depart after the total moon festivities, Koh Phangan’s hostels proceed to offer top-notch service. You can take pleasure in a relaxed social environment with much more area on the swimming pools and bars.
When you’re able to wind down after the large events and see what else Koh Phangan has to supply, one can find loads of choices. The eating places at Haad Rin put together a wide array of worldwide delicacies. Visitors can select from Italian, Eastern European, Thai, Burmese, and plenty of extra scrumptious dishes from everywhere in the world. Sipping a tropical cocktail whereas viewing the sundown from Haad Rin Nai is the proper approach to finish a lazy day in paradise.
Nature lovers will discover glorious mountaineering alternatives throughout Koh Phangan. Drop by Leela seashore, a brief hike from Haad Rin, and take the compulsory Instagram picture on the enormous rope swing. A morning hike to Bottle Beach is the proper probability to detox the day after the all-night social gathering. Bottle seashore provides backpackers the perfect location to unplug from the hectic pace of contemporary life. Wifi indicators don’t attain the seashore, and electrical energy is simply out there after darkish. Perhaps the most effective hike in Koh Phangan, the journey to Khao Ra takes about three hours spherical journey from the start line within the north of the island.
Koh Phangan provides guests loads of alternatives for swimming and watersports. In Ang Thong National Park, journey lovers can lease kayaks or swim by means of the caves. A visit to the National Marine Park and snorkeling at Mae Haad Beach tops the checklist of many vacationers to the island. Sea turtles, reef sharks and a plethora of tropical fish make their houses within the surrounding coral reef. Several of the hostels we’ve talked about supply snorkel gear for lease.
If you wish to get some first-hand accounts of what Koh Phangan was like, go to the expats at Chaloklum Bay. Boats depart from the fishing village at Chaloklum to take divers to Sail Rock and different in style Koh Phangan diving websites. The sparsely populated seashore at Chaloklum Bay makes an ideal spot to get away from the crowds after the large events.
We hope that you just’ve loved our tour by means of the most effective hostels on Koh Phangan. Whether you’re equipped for the social gathering of your life or able to calm down after an extended journey, these hostels have gotten you lined.
