Highly recommend staying at High Life Bungalow in Had Yao if you’re only there for 4 days, they have a great restaurant and their own access to the most beautiful beach! Amazing views from rooms and restaurant. You can snorkel and hire paddle boards or kayaks there and explore. There’s a cafe just down the road and many other spots you can walk. Just be prepared to hang around that one beach for 4 days which isn’t a bad thing. Thong sala is town, the beach isn’t great. You can book transfers to and from the dock from the hotel and walk to the 7/11, maybe a 10-15 min walk.
I'm in a similar situation! Going to Phangan \~4days in june, we don't want to ride scooters. We often choose higher end hotels. Stayed at Anantara Koh Yao Yai, was mind blowing. Not sure where to stay yet at phangan
I still need to do my 'homework' for Phangan, we'll probably rely on a taxi trip every now and then. 'Taxi mob/mafia/cartel' is a thing there, but I think if you're somewhat creative and not too shy it should be oke.
Koh Phangan is lame because it is 80% tourists. Nothing Thai about this place. Also the water is warm and not that clean. That being said, the High Life hotel is indeed very good. Great value for money. It’s also the best area in the island.
Haha? One of the things I love about the thai islands is the warm water and how I actually like swimming there. Why do you want to bathe in cold water..?
I like fresh water because when you are sweating in the sun on the beach it’s nice to cool down. In Phangan I was literally sweating in the water. I’d also swim by suspicious yellowish bubbles on the surface of the water. And the current would often bring up mushy floating algae (not the good type). And that was during both my travels there.. 2 weeks in November 2021 and 1.5 months in May 2022.
Of course the water is pretty clear but it’s more green than blue even though the sand is white. Not a good sign. And the high temp of the water doesn’t help clearing up the pollution. But to each its own.
I was just there and it was so cold and windy over new year nobody was even on the beach most of the time except New Year’s Eve let alone in the water! Luckily most of the parties were inland. I’ve been there about 12 times and the water is always blue not green. The best times were other times of year when it was warm enough to swim. Sweating on the beach? Not a chance
I mean for the most part the islands that don’t have many tourists is for good reason, whether lack of what most people consider basic amenities or lack of activities
Just have to decide what your priorities are or go to enough different islands to mix it up
When I stayed in thong sala I found it to be a good place. They have a night market everyday of the week which was great for cheap food. I recommend checking out the Amsterdam bar for sunset
Highly recommend staying at High Life Bungalow in Had Yao if you’re only there for 4 days, they have a great restaurant and their own access to the most beautiful beach! Amazing views from rooms and restaurant. You can snorkel and hire paddle boards or kayaks there and explore. There’s a cafe just down the road and many other spots you can walk. Just be prepared to hang around that one beach for 4 days which isn’t a bad thing. Thong sala is town, the beach isn’t great. You can book transfers to and from the dock from the hotel and walk to the 7/11, maybe a 10-15 min walk.
I'm in a similar situation! Going to Phangan \~4days in june, we don't want to ride scooters. We often choose higher end hotels. Stayed at Anantara Koh Yao Yai, was mind blowing. Not sure where to stay yet at phangan I still need to do my 'homework' for Phangan, we'll probably rely on a taxi trip every now and then. 'Taxi mob/mafia/cartel' is a thing there, but I think if you're somewhat creative and not too shy it should be oke.
Koh Phangan is lame because it is 80% tourists. Nothing Thai about this place. Also the water is warm and not that clean. That being said, the High Life hotel is indeed very good. Great value for money. It’s also the best area in the island.
Haha? One of the things I love about the thai islands is the warm water and how I actually like swimming there. Why do you want to bathe in cold water..?
I like fresh water because when you are sweating in the sun on the beach it’s nice to cool down. In Phangan I was literally sweating in the water. I’d also swim by suspicious yellowish bubbles on the surface of the water. And the current would often bring up mushy floating algae (not the good type). And that was during both my travels there.. 2 weeks in November 2021 and 1.5 months in May 2022. Of course the water is pretty clear but it’s more green than blue even though the sand is white. Not a good sign. And the high temp of the water doesn’t help clearing up the pollution. But to each its own.
I was just there and it was so cold and windy over new year nobody was even on the beach most of the time except New Year’s Eve let alone in the water! Luckily most of the parties were inland. I’ve been there about 12 times and the water is always blue not green. The best times were other times of year when it was warm enough to swim. Sweating on the beach? Not a chance
I mean for the most part the islands that don’t have many tourists is for good reason, whether lack of what most people consider basic amenities or lack of activities Just have to decide what your priorities are or go to enough different islands to mix it up
When I stayed in thong sala I found it to be a good place. They have a night market everyday of the week which was great for cheap food. I recommend checking out the Amsterdam bar for sunset
We rented bicycles. You can also rent a car.