While most people stay in Thong Sala, definitely don’t count out Haad Rin. Known for its full moon parties Haad Rin offers beautiful beaches and nice accommodations for cheaper the rest of the month. Keep reading to find out more!
Ferry from Koh Samui to Haad Rin
Staying in Bo Phut beach in Koh Samui meant the closest ferry was at the Big Buddha Pier by the Koh Samui airport. From our hotel, we grabbed a taxi and booked out tickets to Haad Rin with Haadrin Queen Ferry. It is a large wooden boat that runs two times a day. It is cheap, at around 200 THB, but takes about 50 minutes to get to Haad Rin. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful views of both Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. We purchased tickets right on the spot, but definitely book
in advance during the Koh Phangan full moon parties. You are responsible for your own luggage that you bring up and down the narrow docks, but if you tip the workers they will definitely offer a helping hand on the small wooden planks that connect the ferry boat to the piers.
Haad Rin Beach
Haad Rin sits at the tip of the peninsula, making it a great spot for beaches on both sides. In fact, you can see both the sunset and sunrise from the peninsula, making it a true island paradise at any time of day! The main pier of the area is on the sunset side, but I think the better beach is the one facing the sunrise. This is the famous stretch of coastline that hosts the infamous full moon parties each month. It boasts larger waves with steady winds that make it extremely popular for wind surfing and other water sports. While there are some nice resorts along the waterfront, the area is also quite rugged. We loved the spooky abandoned hotels along the cliffsides that made for some great drone footage!
Haad Rin explodes during the full moon parties but is pretty dead the rest of the month—especially lately because of Covid. The streets are calm and quiet, and it is easy to get around and enjoy some down time. We chose this area specifically because I had a lot of work to do that week and it seemed like a perfect balance between finding a spot to get some work done and enjoying the Thai beach life. There are also a ton of good restaurants and bars that are super chill during the rest of the month. I recommend OM Ganesh for some great Indian at low prices, Burger Shack be SENSES for great burgers and a posher bar vibe, and Lost Paradise for great Thai seafood and a warm atmosphere. As of June 2022, the owner added a free shuttle service from anywhere in Haad Rin, which is a tempting offer!
One of my favorite things was to play with all the beach dogs frolicking around Haad Rin. Unfortunately, there are a ton of strays throughout Koh Phangan and they often congregate around the beaches because that’s where all the people are. While it is adorable to watch the pups play in the waves, it is also important to stay aware of them. Luckily, the island has a great animal services organization, the Phangan Animal Care Center for Strays (PACS). The organization works with injured animals, as well as feeding and neutering strays. PACS implemented a behavioral rating system, where there are different colored collars for different temperaments. Green is safe to pet, blue means they are friendly to those they know, and red means give them space! It is a great warning system that helps protect both the dogs and tourists. PACS is really fast and helpful communicating through their Facebook page when reporting injured animals, so make sure to save their info if you plan to stay anywhere on Koh Phangan!
Palita Lodge
We chose the family run Palita Lodge for our stay in Haad Rin. It was truly a great experience, run by a wonderful woman, Mrs. Su, who really cares about her guests and the area. Personally, I think it is one of the best hotels in Haad Rin. The staff picked us up from the ferry and took us the short ride to the villa and helped us on booking excursions throughout the island! The pool and garden area are lush and serene, with most rooms set far enough back on the property where you don’t hear the music from the other party lodges around the beach. They also offer rides to and from the rest of the island for a better price than you have to haggle from some of these taxi drivers, but more on that later. Free breakfast was included with the price of the room. And this is not a stale buffet, but a nice, warm home cooked meal of your choosing! In fact, the restaurant at the lodge is quite impressive. We ate here most of our meals here, as I found it to be one of the best quality and price options in Haad Rin. They offer good Southern Thai dishes at fair prices for large portions. Plus, you can tell their dishes are cooked with care and passion. Even if you don’t stay here, I would recommend it for a lunch or dinner option!
Despite all of its amenities, the price at Palita Lodge is quite reasonable. Garden Villa suites start at only $45! Again, I think the best way to score good deals if you have the flexibility is to book a night or two using Agoda or Hotels.com, then extending your stay directly with the accommodations offering to pay cash. Nine out of ten times, you’ll get a much better rate! We took an oceanfront villa with a great patio overlooking the beach for around $65 a night. Let me tell you, we spent hours just chilling out on our beachfront patio, working, watching the kite surfers, and just relaxing. The WiFi was super-fast and there is a great communal space in the outdoor lobby area for digital nomads. It was nice to have something so close to the beach for such an affordable price. Although, if you’re going for the full moon party, the prices are bit higher and you will definitely be listening to beach partygoers all night!
How to Get Around
There are definitely some things to note about getting around in Haad Rin, and Koh Phangan in general. First, the roads are always sandy, I mean really sandy. I have heard rumors that the scooter rental companies purposely put sand on the roads to get tourists to wipe out and have to pay big repair bills. I have also heard that it is just because the island takes on more storms and swells than Koh Samui. I really hope it is the later. But, either way, if you rent a scooter on Koh Phangan, be on the lookout for sand traps on the road! We actually opted not to drive scooters for this very reason. I admit, traveling back and forth from Haad Rin to Thong Sala and the other northern beaches can get pricey. Palita Lodge offered rides starting at around 150 THB and up to 300 THB (between $5-10) for two of us to a beach on the other side of the island. While it’s not terrible, it does add up!
Another way is to hail down the taxis driving songethaws. In Haad Rin, you can find a number of taxi stands outside of 711s. There was one right at the entrance to Palita Lodge, which was very helpful. BUT, they will try to charge super high prices, especially if you are alone. Often, they make you wait for other passengers to get the normal price of 150 THB to Thong Sala. If you’re there on the full moon party, this should be an easy wait, but given that the area is pretty empty the rest of the month, be prepared to sit around. A lot of the time, I would strike a deal with drivers after no one else was biting, hey, 200 THB is better than no baht at all, right?
Getting rides back from Thong Sala is easy. However, the road is windy and steep, so if you get a drunk taxi driver like we did one night, you’re in for a wild ride! We should have jumped out when he got gas with a lit cigarette in his mouth, but hey TIT (this is Thailand).
Even if you’re not planning on attending the full moon parties, I would still highly recommend Haad Rin. The rest of the month, it is actually quite calm, a good middle ground for digital nomads trying to get some work done while still being steps away from a fantastic beach! Next post will feature some of the best beaches on Koh Phangan, so make sure you subscribe and stick around! Thanks for reading!
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