Koh Phangan

Although justly famous for its Full Moon Parties, Koh Phangan has a lot more to offer visitors than all night dancing. There are few day trip options from Koh Samui, apart from sailing cruises, so at least an over night stay is recommended.

Koh Phangan is at least ten years behind Samui in terms of development, which lends the island a lot of charm, and some would say it's more picturesque than Samui itself. The main tourist beach Had Rin is busiest on Full Moon nights, but is well worth a visit the rest of the month too for its chaotic jumble of bars, clubs, restaurants and handicraft shops. The locals - expats and Thai's alike - are a friendly bunch and help make the atmosphere a lot more laid back than frenetic Chaweng. Their attitude is that every night is a party night on Had Rin, which pretty much sums it up.

The main selling point for the rest of the island is pristine undeveloped beaches, with only a handful of bungalows to disturb the peace. The most upmarket of these is Tong Naipan, thanks to the presence of the island's most luxurious resort, Panviman. At the other end of the scale, Had Salad and Had Kuat both have very cheap and basic bungalow resorts and attract many long stay backpackers. Had Tien is very shallow and pebbly, but is home to the Sanctuary Spa and Wellness Centre which offers a range of fasting, yoga and treatment packages and has an excellent vegetarian restaurant.

This popular 191-square-kilometre island is situated 20 kilometres north of Koh Samui, or 100 kilometres, from Surat Thani. Attractions include beautiful beaches around the island, a hilltop temple called Wat Khao Tham which is ideal for meditation, the Than Sadet Waterfall, and the Namtok Phaeng National.

It's the simple beach life which continues to attract visitors each year along with the island's reputation for full moon parties and hedonistic approach to life. The backpackers, budget tourists and aging hippies are beginning to give way to families and more mainstream tourists but the beaches are still beautiful and undeveloped.  The Full Moon party scene still runs with a cast of thousands in high season - all on the beach.

Although justly famous for its Full Moon Parties and all night dancing,  Koh Phangan also has some cool spots to eat, drink, dance or simly chill out. From techno to funky sounds. From local Thai food to Indian..

Hedonists everywhere still flock to the world's biggest beach party every month. The music from the multiple sound systems is mostly ear-splittingly loud trance and house, and a predominantly youthful crowd dance 'til dawn on party nights - not to everyone's taste certainly, but it's definitely a unique cultural experience.

To get there from Koh Samui, head to Big Buddha Beach or Fisherman's Village, Bophut - numerous speedboats leave from both places. Many travel agents also sell combination tickets with hotel transfers included. A word of warning - the police often search vehicles approaching the party for illegal drugs, and arrests are common. From 8pm on full moon nights on Had Rin Beach. Koh Phangan.

Thong Sala Thong Sala is this island's main administrative centre and largest port. Much like Nathon on neighbouring Koh Samui, it is useful for a host of practical purposes - shopping, banking and medical care - but isn't somewhere you're likely to want to spend the night.  This is primarily because there's no beach, but Thong Sala also lacks the charming old wooden Chinese shophouses that attract visitors to Nathon.

A phalanx of Songthaews (pick up trucks converted into buses) awaits passengers disembarking from any ferry at Had Rin or Thong Sala. It's a fast, efficient, service and prices start at around 20 Baht.  Having arrived at your chosen destination, it's advisable to relax and not plan to move around the island too much. Songthaews make reasonably regular trips between Had Rin and Tong Sala throughout the day, but around the rest of the island the service can be as infrequent as twice a day. It is possible to charter them privately also, but prices can be high (1,000 Baht between Tong Naipan and Had Rin).

The other alternative is to hire a motorbike, but bear in mind that, despite recent improvements, Ko Phangan's roads are considerably worse than Samui's and are often no more than muddy, rutted tracks. Heaven for dirt bike enthusiasts maybe (especially after a couple of days of rain), but inexperienced riders are advised to stick to public transport. Blind corners, hairpin bends and almost vertical hills (in some places all at once) are a hazard  - even on relatively good roads, such as the one between Thong Sala and Had Rin.

Until the proposed airport is built in a few years time, Ko Phangan is only accessible by boat - either from the mainland or from Koh Samui. Ferries run from Surat Thani or Don Sak on the mainland to Thong Sala five to six times a day and take four to five hours.

From Koh Samui, there are several options: the most reliable is the ferry to Had Rin from Big Buddha pier, which is only five minutes' drive from the airport, and leaves at 10.30am, 1.00pm and 4.00pm every day.  There's also a ferry from Nathon, which leaves for Thong Sala three times a day at irregular times - check with a local agent for details.

A  convenient option if you're staying at any of the east coast beaches from Had Rin to Tong Naipan is to catch the daily longtail boat from the pier in Maenam, (just around the corner from the 7/11) - unfortunately, the service isn't very reliable and will almost certainly be cancelled in bad weather, so again it's best to check with one of Samui's many travel agents first. Finally, if all else fails, or you like to travel in style, it's possible to charter a speed boat from Big Buddha or Bophut in Samui or Had Rin on Koh Phan Ngan to make the trip in either direction for around 4000 Baht.