Our 7 Month Travel Blog

Whilst in Koh Samui, we asked one of our taxi drivers what Koh Phangan would be like and they described it in one word – ‘hippy’. Turned out to be pretty accurate! 🙏

We stayed in Srithanu, Koh Phangan, which online was described as a ‘unique, chilled-out wellness-meets-creative-nomad vibe’ and it hit the nail on the head. We really liked the laidback atmosphere here, which was nice after the busier Samui. Srithanu is also known for being where most people who relocate to the island end up settling, and there was definitely a more community feel to the area.

We were located in the North of the island, away from the more touristy Haad Rin Beach, which is famous for the Full Moon Party. It turns out in Phangan there is always an excuse for a party; full moon, half moon, jungle, waterfall, beach, the list goes on!

We started our journey to Phangan with the fast ferry from Samui which takes around 45 mins from Bangrak Seatran Pier. It was a pretty bumpy ride and the bag pile was moving around a bit….

From the ferry, we got a ‘taxi’ to our accommodation. Unlike in Samui and the rest of Thailand, which use normal taxis and Grab and Gojek (similar to Uber), Koh Phangan doesn’t have these. Instead they have songthaews, a sort of modified pickup truck with two bench seats in the back which can carry multiple people at once.

They are definitely not designed for comfort or safety….but they are nice and breezy when it’s hot!

We arrived in one piece at our accommodation, which was right in the centre of Srithanu. We had a little Airbnb called ‘Hillside Moon Bungalow’. Luckily, we’ve done lots of training on climbing stairs at the flat and it made us feel right at home!

It had a nice view from the balcony of the palm trees opposite.

When we headed out the focus on health and wellness was very clear. There were loads of vegetarian/vegan cafes, yoga studios, an outdoor gym and lots of independent shops. It’s also very well known for its yoga and wellness retreats.

Everyone in the area was very health conscious, tanned, and in good shape, compared to us vampires!

It was good though as we were able to go to the gym on pay-as-you-go and try quite a few different workshops and classes.

There were also two beaches within walking distance, Srithanu and Zen beach. Both had incredibly clear water with a couple of beach bars.

Our friends from Koh Samui also joined us for a swim!

Fortunately, they seemed a lot more chill in Phangan, maybe they are also into their meditation.

This one was checking us out on its moped!

During the week we traveled inland to visit Wat Maduea Wan temple, with its serpent staircase and hilltop shrine.

As we ascended the steps we were able to make a donation and tie bracelets around our wrists which had been blessed by a monk and are believed to bring good luck.

Had to avoid the millipedes though!

On the day we visited, there was someone becoming a monk, so there was a big celebration outside the main shrine.

We also saw the monks’ houses, with one doing a bit of gardening at the front!

On our final evening in Srithanu, we went to Zen beach, which holds a sunset drum circle every Friday.

People start by watching the sunset over the water…

And then it becomes more lively once the sun sets and the drums start…

It had a very nice community feel, with people dancing and singing. There were also some fire dances from the locals, and a lot of evening swims.

This was a really nice way to end our time in Phangan, which was one of our favourite places so far!