This trip took me to some of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, from Maya Bay to Railay on the Andaman side to the tropical beaches of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. This week, we hit up some of the northern beaches of Koh Phangan, Mae Haad and Haad Salad, learning to enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.
Getting Around on Koh Phangan
Getting to these beaches is a bit of a journey. Most travelers will tell you just to rent a cheap scooter when in Thailand. However, as I said in my last Koh Phangan post, I opted not to drive rental scooters around the twisty roads that were often blanketed with a layer of slippery sand. To some, this may be extremely limiting—but I saw it as a logistical challenge.
If you know me at all, I like to imbibe on a frosty cold Singha while lazing about on a Thai island. I also am not a scooter driver at home and so I don’t think it’s the safest to just take up such a dangerous endeavor in a foreign country. Plus, Koh Phangan has some… well, let’s call them enthusiastic drivers.
I wanted to scope out how much it would be for a day of beach hopping using local taxis and transportation. With the typical daily price of scooter rentals around 250 baht ($7.63), let’s see how this taxi adventure compares.
So, from where we were staying at the Palita Lodge in Haad Rin, we had our hotel drop us off for 350 baht ($10.13). We enjoyed a relaxing ride through the jungle and sketched out a plan for how to get back later. Keep reading for how that turned out because it was definitely an adventure!
Mae Haad
First on our northern beach hopping list was Mae Haad. The beach sits nestled among rolling hills of dense jungle as far as the eyes can see. It is one of the most visually striking in Koh Phangan because of its rocky coastline and sandbars rising out of the sea.
One of its main draws is its proximity to Koh Ma, a small island just off the coast that is connected by a sand bar. When the tide is right, you can walk across to Koh Ma, so make sure you plan your visit accordingly to be able to reach the small island.
The beach access is a bit confusing. From the street, you can enter through the Wang Sai Resort. You walk up through the lobby and across the most adorable bridge. The property features a super cute beach bar area with a small playground for children. It’s a great spot for a quick lunch or drink while listening to the waves crash along the sand.
If you keep heading north up the beach, it is much more secluded. You can walk along the pathway from Wang Sai resort for a bit, catching different angles of Koh Ma and enjoying a slower vibe from the locals meandering around the area. But, the path eventually ends slinking up into the jungle. There were a few closed restaurants and a lazy lagoon full of anchored boat taxis missing their drivers, many of whom sat idly in the shade of the palms.
This is actually where I had read we could easily find a boat taxi to Haad Salad, which turned out to be a much different story.
Haad Salad
When you travel enough you know that Murphey’s Law is the governing principle of life on the road. Essentially, that means things can and will go wrong. I had read online that there were plenty of water taxis willing to make the trip and so thought it would be easy to wrangle one down. However, we soon realized that none were really working. We spotted a few dudes fiddling on their boats and followed them to a closed restaurant. Here, we asked patiently about a taxi ride to Haad Salad, just a few miles down the coast. At first, we were turned away, but with some persistence we worked our way up the managerial chain to the who felt like the king of the Mae Haad taxi drivers. Thank God my friend spoke Thai. After some haggling, we were able to secure a longtail taxi boat for 250 baht ($7.36) for the two of us. When winging it, be patient but determined, and word to the wize—cash is king.
Eventually, two younger dudes begrudgingly took us out. Yet, only minutes later, we got stuck on the sand bar separating Mae Haad from Koh Ma. I mean really stuck; I don’t know what they were thinking driving straight into the sand bar! The tourists on shore were laughing and videotaping our increasingly cross captains, who struggled to break free. Eventually, they got it sorted and we headed back on our way. Their annoyance and embarrassment did not go unnoticed as Tian and I tried desperately to control our giggling.
Coming close to Haad Salad, I gotta admit I was a little nervous we would get stuck again given the shallow, rocky coastline and our drivers’ poor performance record on our voyage. After a few close calls, we made it. Luckily, we were not depending on them to come pick us up later, as we had another loosely sketched out plan for how to get back to Thong Sala. But for that afternoon, victory was ours. Although the name Salad Beach sounds so innocuous in English, the Thai Haad Salad actually translates to Pirate Beach. It is a beautiful cove featuring crystal clear water filled with blooming corals, making for great snorkeling. Adorable island bars and boutique beach resorts line the white sandy coastline.
We lunched at Spicy Salad, which is nestled in the trees at the far northern part of the cove. It had a fresh menu and an inviting ambiance looking over the ocean that made for some great Instagram boomerangs. Later in the day, we met some friends for a fresh coconut at the Villa Cha Cha’s restaurant found in the Haad Salad Resort. Despite the Hans Solo-esque statues, the staff were kind and accommodating.
Once the sun was starting to set, we once again had to sort out our exit strategy. Yes, scooters are definitely easier, but there’s some fun in the unknown of it all when you’re winging it on foot. After our boat blunder earlier in the afternoon, I had lowered expectations for how we would get back to Haad Rin. Luckily, we stopped into Reggae House for a drink to figure things out when we saw a sign for taxis back to Thong Sala. For 300 baht ($8.83), it was a very pleasant ride through the jungle as the sun set through the palms.
I would definitely recommend stopping by Reggae House while in Haad Salad, as the location now serves cannabis thanks to Thailand’s recent decriminalization of some recreational marijuana use, but make sure to check out all the rules regarding bans on smoking in public and other limitations before your trip! Maybe I will do a post on navigating the new marijuana laws in Thailand as an end to this series! Leave a comment if you guys would like an up-to-date breakdown!
Hope you make the journey out to Mae Haad and Haad Salad on your next trip to Koh Phangan! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more adventures!
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