· Thai Islands - Ko PhanganKo Phangan, Thailand · Added 22nd Nov 2007
The Party - Ko Phangan
Phangan, a short ferry ride north of Samui, might be the only destination where high season comes once a month. The local tourist calendar is tied to a lunar cycle that peaks during the Full Moon Party, an all-night rave fueled by cheap booze and designer drugs with thousands of people dancing on the sand of Hat Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach).
In the interval between parties, the entire island seems subdued and hungover, with shuttered beachfront bars, deserted cybercafes, and largely empty clusters of bungalows. If you aren't up for the 20-something rave scene, anytime other than during the full moon is when you want to visit Phangan. It almost feels like you have the island to yourself before and after each monthly bash, the only hints of which are empty bottles littering the beach. But soon enough, a few days before the moon waxes full again, the next batch of partyers arrives, fails to find a room, camps out on the beach, and the fun begins all over again.
The operation that started it all, Paradise Bungalows, is Full Moon Party central. Its bungalows, though utterly basic, are picturesque, climbing up the hillside or right on the beach under the shade of coconut palms. Standing head and shoulders above the Paradise Bungalows--literally and figuratively, as they're propped up on stilts--are the spacious cottages of Sun Cliff, well removed from the hubbub of the town near Hat Rin Nai (Sunset Beach). While some cottages have air-conditioning, the favorite has to be fan-cooled bungalow D2, a fabulous Swiss Family Robinson-goes-to-Asia "tree house," where the front end is 25 feet above the ground. The back wall is anchored to the rock of the steep cliff, and in a few spots the boulders intrude into the wood-ceiling bedroom. Even the bathroom has a tree growing up through the middle of the floor and out through the translucent corrugated-plastic roofing. French doors fold back to open two entire walls of the bedroom onto a wraparound balcony, and there's a hammock overlooking the sea.
Sunrise Beach is connected to Sunset Beach by a road lined with Internet cafes, bakeries, noodle shops, and souvenir stands. The main intersection, inexplicably dubbed Chicken Corner, is the island's commercial hub. You'll find the best dinner on the island just down a side street from this crossroads at the Old Lamp, a backpacker joint where shoes come off at the door, everyone sits on the floor, and the portions of curries and rice are massive.
Lodging:
- Sun Cliff Hat Rin Nai, 011-66/77-375-134, $6.25--$18 with fan, $28--$35 with A/C
- Paradise Bungalows Hat Rin Nok, 011-66/77-375-244, $5--$10 with fan
Food:
- The Old Lamp Hat Rin Nok (south of Chicken Corner), no phone
Url: http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content//article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301389_2.html
Phangan, a short ferry ride north of Samui, might be the only destination where high season comes once a month. The local tourist calendar is tied to a lunar cycle that peaks during the Full Moon Party, an all-night rave fueled by cheap booze and designer drugs with thousands of people dancing on the sand of Hat Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach).
In the interval between parties, the entire island seems subdued and hungover, with shuttered beachfront bars, deserted cybercafes, and largely empty clusters of bungalows. If you aren't up for the 20-something rave scene, anytime other than during the full moon is when you want to visit Phangan. It almost feels like you have the island to yourself before and after each monthly bash, the only hints of which are empty bottles littering the beach. But soon enough, a few days before the moon waxes full again, the next batch of partyers arrives, fails to find a room, camps out on the beach, and the fun begins all over again.
The operation that started it all, Paradise Bungalows, is Full Moon Party central. Its bungalows, though utterly basic, are picturesque, climbing up the hillside or right on the beach under the shade of coconut palms. Standing head and shoulders above the Paradise Bungalows--literally and figuratively, as they're propped up on stilts--are the spacious cottages of Sun Cliff, well removed from the hubbub of the town near Hat Rin Nai (Sunset Beach). While some cottages have air-conditioning, the favorite has to be fan-cooled bungalow D2, a fabulous Swiss Family Robinson-goes-to-Asia "tree house," where the front end is 25 feet above the ground. The back wall is anchored to the rock of the steep cliff, and in a few spots the boulders intrude into the wood-ceiling bedroom. Even the bathroom has a tree growing up through the middle of the floor and out through the translucent corrugated-plastic roofing. French doors fold back to open two entire walls of the bedroom onto a wraparound balcony, and there's a hammock overlooking the sea.
Sunrise Beach is connected to Sunset Beach by a road lined with Internet cafes, bakeries, noodle shops, and souvenir stands. The main intersection, inexplicably dubbed Chicken Corner, is the island's commercial hub. You'll find the best dinner on the island just down a side street from this crossroads at the Old Lamp, a backpacker joint where shoes come off at the door, everyone sits on the floor, and the portions of curries and rice are massive.
Lodging:
- Sun Cliff Hat Rin Nai, 011-66/77-375-134, $6.25--$18 with fan, $28--$35 with A/C
- Paradise Bungalows Hat Rin Nok, 011-66/77-375-244, $5--$10 with fan
Food:
- The Old Lamp Hat Rin Nok (south of Chicken Corner), no phone
Url: http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content//article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301389_2.html
