Ko Phangan, Thailand

  Ko Phangan, Thailand
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

After the shoddy accommodation we ended up in in Ko Tao, we decided when we were on the boat we were gonna try to get something really nice on Ko Phangan even if it meant spending twice our usual amount. Erin & Doug were still with us too and they were thinking the same (I think Erin was traumatised at having to manually flush the toilets in Ko Tao!). So when we got off the boat were were greeted by the usual array of aggressive touts and taxi drivers. Eventually we got into a taxi and headed for a resort on a beach called Haad Salad. The resort was unbelievable. I've never stayed in a nicer hotel anywhere in the world. For 20 Euro a night we got a huge room with balcony, satellite TV, fridge, air conditioning, all you can eat buffet breakfast and a lovely location on a sandy beach with coral reefs within paddling distance. The hotel also had a really nice pool where we spent a lot of time. We couldn't have imagined getting better accommodation after the disasters of Ko Tao.

Haad Salad Beach

In the Sea

Our 4 days spent on Ko Pha Ngan basically all went pretty similar - up at 9:30 stuffing our faces with sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, pancakes, cereals, juices, fresh fruits tea & coffee - spending the next couple of hours in the sea snorkeling and looking at the fish and corals - lazing by the pool in the afternoon drinking beer and cocktails - and going out for lovely dinners every evening - it really was paradise and for the first time since we've been away we felt like we were on a 2 week holiday in paradise. Not a worry in the world, no hassles, just pure relaxation.

Lydia & Erin in Sand Car

Dusk on Ko Phangan

We saw some amazing sunsets on Ko Phangan and on our last day there we built a full size car from sand on the beach. We sat in that for a while and had a few beers while women threw their kids at us so they could take pictures of the sand car and grown men stopped to stare in amazment of the delicate engineering! We loved our time in Ko Phangan and were raging when we had to leave.