Legendary Koh Phangan

Hat Yao... nice beach but nothing special. Am I getting spoilt?
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The rain followed us to Koh Phangan and also made this ferry trip (from Koh Nanyuang) a bumpy one. We were supplied with plastic bags (in case any involuntary accidents would occur) together with a movie.

Once we stepped off the boat we were met by hords of hotellraggare (sorry, can't find a word for that in English...) who wanted to convince us that their place was the best. Because of the lashing rain we weren't that picky. Unfortunately we came to regret that.

Had Rin is supposed to be the best beach on Koh Phangan and I quite agree.

Hat Salat is nice and quiet and just lovely!
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We spent our first night on a beach close to Had Yao (one of the top three beaches according to the guide books). It was a dull place and a dull beach. Probably because it was a dull day. To make matters worse we had to (ok ok, we didn't necessarily have to, we could had taken a taxi I guess...) walk for some kilometres to find an ATM machine that worked so we could pay for the dull room... We also set off on another trekking trip that in the end had us stumbling around on some dirt road in the dark, without a proper map or a flash light and me in my flip flops...

What's a visit to Koh Phangan without a stop at Had Rin?
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I didn't enjoy Had Yao too much but I did like the beach Hat Salat. We reallyenjoyed the hotel (Salat Beach Resort) which was a bargain. It was luxury all the way! We had some rain scattered sunshine and at one point there was thunder and lightning just above our heads. It was quite cozy actually - probably because we were inside...

Hat Salat in all its glory, what Koh Phangan really is famous for are the full moon parties at the Had Rin beach. Of course we payed it a visit. It wasn't full moon when we were there but there were still some parties up and running. There is stiff competition between the bars on the beach and they try to beat each other by playing the loudest music. We went to Drop In bar and ordered a "bucket" (Thai whisky, coke and red bull served in a plastic bucket together with a bunch of straws) to alleviate the sound. It worked! (For only 100 baht you can have many!!! 100 baht = 20 swedish kronor)

Had Rin is supposed to be the best beach on Koh Phangan and I quite agree. It's long enough and quite wide. It's busy but still enough room for everybody. The village is buzzing and there are plenty of eateries, not to mention shops... However, the downside is that it is quite dirty. The ongoing beach parties leave its marks on the beach and it could do with a proper clean up...

Next stop is Koh Samui!