The paradise islands of Thailand
Yes indeed it is, in so many ways!
I’m talking about Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, the southern pearls of Thailand!
I first went there with one of my best mates, and that was one hell of a trip!
To get to the islands you have to take bus/train and then the ferry, or you can fly all the way to Koh Samui, but I consider that to be absolutely waste of time.
It’s on the bus ride where you meet all kinds of rad people, fully energized , pumped with happiness , everyone is one their way to paradise, nothing beats that vibe!
You hook up with people, go to the same hotel, go out partying and experience these islands together, if you’re up to that!
If you want to do it by yourself, it’s all good.
There are douche bags around, but when it comes to traveling there’s not a lot of judging .
You come as you are!
First stop Koh Tao! (If you take the bus to Chumphon)
You got pretty decent scuba diving on Koh Tao, that’s the main reason why everyone is going there.
A small island, pristine beaches everywhere!
Rent a motorbike and go around the island!
You might have to rent a big bike to be able to get to all the amazing spots.
Believe me I have tried.
One time i rented 3 different bikes the same day, to finally find a strong enough one be able to get all the way to the most remote places.
Up and down the mountains, from one view point to another, from one amazing bay to another AND another, an endless coast of gorgeous beaches and beautiful views!
Be careful when you rent the scooters or motor cross, this is the island where most people have been charged hefty prices for scratches on the bike, scammers.
On Sairee beach which is the main beach and area you will find amazing restaurants and bars right on the sand.
All the typical “thai beach decoration” is lighting up the bay in different cozy colours, you got pillows, cushions and tables put out on the beach for you to lay down and enjoy the best of Thailand, the beach bars and the incredible fire shows!
Enjoy the show with a Paad thai and a Chang!
I love it.
You got some mellow partying going on, you can go out and get wild if you want, the Island offers some great places for that!
But for me Koh Tao is my get away , a place to chill out for a while.
Eat great food, chill at the beach bars and watch fire shows and get deep by doing some scuba diving!
Daytime, the little town and strip a long the Sairee beach is filled with energy, almost everyone is up for some scuba diving.
This is one of the cheapest place in the world to take your PADI diving certification , Open water to 18m.
It’s a fun way to do it, you meet a lot of people, it’s like being back in high school.
Doing courses and practice together, then you go down and experience the water world which is amazing!
Later on almost everyone go out for drinks and get wasted.
Pretty fun to see all the hungover people coming in for class , been there myself.
It’s very enjoyable scuba diving the day after a big one, but it’s all worth it.
Dive, Rave, Repeat.
Safe? Sure, you got like 200 scuba divers around you !
It’s an amazing lifestyle!
This is the perfect places to begin you career as an “Bon Viviant” (Enjoyer of life)
KOH PHANGAN.
Top place, 100%.
Not many people can handle a long time here, because this island is the place to be if you are ready for some insane partying, i mean partying like never before.
People come to this island for the Fullmoon party, which hosts around 30 000 people for New years eve!
You got this party going on once a month, and it’s a lot of people, but of course nothing beats the celebration of the new year!
This takes place on Haad Rin, which is in a massive bay on the south side.
You got at least 12 clubs on the beach, which plays everything, all kinds of music.
When Fullmoon party is on and you are standing on the beach, take one step to right or left and suddenly you went from Top 40 EDM to Psychadelic trance!
You got all kinds!
This place is a shit show, it’s definitely one thing you should have on your bucket list.
On the right hand side of the beach, you see a big mountain, on this mountain you see a few bars that are places on the rocks!
This place is shining up like heaven, all different colours , and they way the lighting is arranged is awesome!
Everyone that’s coming from this place, are just laughing and doing funny stuff!
Then i mean literally everyone!
The closer you get the more House thumping beats you hear! and more laughter.
To get to these bars that is situated on the rocks in the mountain you gotta take these windy stairs that lead all the way up, it’s all painted in UV colours!
Everywhere you can see signs, were it says Happy shakes and an arrow pointing up!
This is so fun to watch all the people come down from there, they are having the best time of their lives!
Everyone is talking about this place that sell this.
These two bars that are next to each other is amazing, up in the mountains, view over the whole Fullmoon party and the music they play up there is an incredible form of house music, that makes everyone go wild!
A happy shake usually contains milk, strawberries and magic mushrooms!
Incredibly fun party!
I’ve been working up there as a DJ for a few years on and off.
This Island have massive parties going on every single day, and then i mean it’s the best party every single day, if it’s not Fullmoon party it’s something els.
In my view there are way better parties then Fullmoon party.
People come for that, see the gong show, of all the dirty people, garbage and everyone is hammered!
Not a great view the day after when the sun comes up.
They leave after as soon as possible!
They really don’t get to see the great parties or on the other hand they don’t get to experience the amazing Koh Phangan!
I have my choice of parties!
Which I’ll might write about that in another post, but I can say the absolutely best parties on the island is Guy’s bar, Eden Garden, Lighthouse, SB Bungalows , Mellow Mountain bar, Backyard Bar, Jungle experience, Baan Sabai and more !
This is an Island that got it all, except from all the parties , you have amazing beaches and awesome reggae bars!
Rent a bike a drive around the island, you got tons to see.
The west side of Phangan is what i considered to be the reggae side, where you got the beast beaches and the best view points! This is one of the most beautiful places to chill at, to mention two favourites , Amsterdam bar and Freedom bar! Go there and watch the sunset.
Go for a motorbike trip to Haad Yao, have a mango smoothie and relax on the beautiful white sand beach.
Take a thai massage on the beach, relax to the sound of the waves and the smell of Tigerbalm!
Go up north and go for a short boat trip to Bottle beach, also my favourite beach on the island, even more mellow up here!
You can also do a hike from Chaloklum over the mountain to Bottle beach!
Take a boat from Haad Rin to Haad Yuan, the happiest beach on the island!
Such an amazing bay, this is the beach where you’ll find Eden Garden.
Experience the most amazing sunrise ever!
If you want to go for something more adventures and thrilling, get your ass to Slip N Fly!
Exactly what it is, you pay an entry of 500 baht for the whole day, they serve buckets and Chang, they got a DJ playing sick beats , and the best of all they have 2 massive slides.
They are step as, they are about 20 meters high and go straight down and the slide turns upwards, so it first send you down and then it sends you straight up into the air, fast!
One takes you higher and one longer.
You fly into a small lake, were you got three judges giving you scores for the craziest Slip!
It awesome!
Have a few buckets and then Slip N Fly!
Koh Phangan is more like a backpackers island, which is why i love it.
Tons of great and cheap food all over!
In one day I go for minimum 5 meals! Love all the markets with cheap noodles soups, paad thai, curries or what ever you want!
I love this island!
I met the love of my life there 5 years ago!
Weirdly at the Fullmoon party!
Yes, we are still going strong!
You can’t miss the steam sauna up at the buddhist temple, it feels great, specially after a few days of partying!
Koh Samui is my least favourite island of all of these.
It’s great, way bigger and way more touristic.
There are some great places, but for me it’s comparable to Phuket which I do not like at all.
You got all the options, like Mcdonalds and all the other big food and clothes chains.
I haven’t explored this island as much as I have the other two, but been there a few times, and my impression is, good, but nothing special for me.
A great site that is very useful for when going down to these islands is Phanganist.com.
Here you can find all the party updates which club is going on and whats coming up, what to do on the islands, finding retreats and yoga places, it got tons of different fun stuff! Check it out.
