Koh Phangan is Samui's smaller cousin. The backpacker set began coming here when development started pushing them out of Samui. Now, more and more up-scale resorts are opening on Koh Phangan, so the gap year travelers are being forced to move on once again.
There aren't really any significant dive sites in the immediate area of Koh Phangan, so about the only advantage of basing yourself here instead of Samui is that you might save yourself a half-an-hour or so commuting to the dive sites around Koh Tao.
Getting to Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan is only reachable by boat from Samui, Koh Tao or the mainland. The closest large city on the mainland is Surat Thani. Boats from Surat Thani usually stop at Samui as well. The trip can take from two to three hours.
Lomprayah offers a combined bus and boat service from Bangkok to Koh Phangan, and on to Koh Tao if desired. Buses leave Bangkok twice daily, stop in Hua Hin, and then terminate in Chumpon, where you transfer to their high speed catamarans for a one and a half hour trip to Koh Tao.
Seatran Discovery runs a ferry and daily excursion from Ban Rak in Samui, stopping at Koh Phangan and on to Koh Tao. They then move on to Koh Nang Yuan for a bit of snorkeling, move to Mango Bay for some more, plus lunch, then return to Koh Tao, Phangan and Samui. You can buy a ticket for the whole trip, or just use the boat for inter-island transfers. See their web site for more information.
Hotels & Resorts
There are many places to stay on Koh Phangan, from inexpensive rooms with a fan, to luxury resorts. Our partners have the largest selection of Koh Phangan accommodations, at the best prices, on the web. A selection of what is currently on offer is shown below.