The boat Koh Tao – Koh Phangan is late. It’s always a bazaar at the port, people leave Koh Tao to go to a dozen of tourist sites, but somehow, as if by magic, all these people still manage to get on a boat that arrives safely

We sit at the very top of the boat, our hair in the wind. It rains a little bit, it’s windy. We see very threatening clouds which finally remain far from Koh Phangan, our new paradise

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

Arrived on Koh Phangan island, we take a mini bus (called a cab anyway) for 200 baht/person (exorbitant price I grant you but we have no choice). On the way, we will see a lot of beaches but they are all shallow. It should be said that this island suffers quite a lot from the effect of the tide. Thanks to TripAdvisor, we booked a hotel overlooking a nice beach that does not have this kind of problem: Haad Son Resort

The water of Haad Son beach is up to the calf, but the hotel restaurant has a pier overlooking another much deeper part of the beach

Moreover, this restaurant is very well known, many tourists come just for its beautiful view, its many hammocks and swings, to jump off the pier, to feed the fish… without taking a room at the hotel

JB and I are very happy to have an air-conditioned room. For different reasons; JB burned his back yesterday while snorkelling, it’s good for him to be cool. I’m happy that there are no more mosquitoes in the room, I’ve suffered too much from them these last few days. The air conditioning doesn’t kill mosquitoes, but the coolness attracts them less

I take advantage of the wind (and fewer mosquitoes) to sit in the hammock on my balcony and watch the latest episodes of Game of Thrones, with my feet fanned out. I have a nice view from my balcony, don’t I?

I then enjoy the beach and use my inflatable travel pillow as a buoy. I think I took a 20 minute nap like that in the water, it’s super nice. This beach (Haad Son) has the advantage to please everyone: 20m of fine sand, followed by 30m of corals and fishes and then nice depth and fine sand. It can therefore satisfy children, adults, sunbathers, snorkellers or swimmers. There are only two hotels overlooking this beach, it still keeps its wild side. It is also sheltered from the wind and offers some shade. I think this is my favorite Thai beach for the moment

We have lunch and dinner at the famous restaurant of the hotel I told you about a few moments ago: the restaurant Koh Raham. All the dishes are good: mango salad, fried rice, grilled chicken, chicken wings, pad thai… And the prices are reasonable (between 100 and 150 baht). In the evening, the whole restaurant is illuminated with lanterns. Seen from afar, it looks like an enchanted forest

There are hammocks and swings everywhere, even in front of the bar. The view is breathtaking. This idyllic setting makes us even happier : we are so lucky !

Jb remembers that today he saw signs indicating rooms for rent for 300€/month not far from our hotel. According to him, we will be able, when we settle down here, to come to this restaurant by scooter and to spend the morning to work. Until then, we will find a more effective anti-mosquito product, we will be careful to take an apartment with air conditioning and we can even rent a cab boat to take our future trainees for snorkelling

I find this very detailed vision of our lives as enduring nomads too cute. We still have a dozen other countries to explore, including the Philippines, where there are many French nomads. Not to mention Laos, which is also a paradise for freelancers, and Vietnam, where JB will find it even easier to settle down. I think that we will only be able to make the decision at the end of our world tour

To stay in Thailand, I saw in my tourist guide ads of schools of “Thai culture”, allowing people wishing to stay in Thailand, to have a one-year visa. I don’t know what this school teaches to people, but the advertisement puts the one-year visa earlier than the knowledge acquired at the end of the course

Day 2: Haad Yao

I discover with horror that the bites that have been hurting me since Koh Tao aren’t those of mosquitoes but of bed fleas. They are too aligned to be those of mosquitoes. Luckily, JB isn’t concerned, we had a room with twin beds at the other hotel in Koh Tao. His bed may not have been infected

Jb helps me to put the hottest water possible on all my clothes, which will go to the laundromat the next day. I now have to sleep in my meat bag and wash it with hot water every day, in addition to spraying the bed and myself with lemongrass oil. I have a feeling of helplessness and hope not to bring this with me for the rest of our world tour

A small search with the name of the hotel + bed bugs on Google is enough to understand that half of the hotels in Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui are concerned by bed bugs. Even hotels at 400€/night (jinx!). So from now on, we will have to check on Google beforehand, then inspect the rooms carefully, then regularly wash our bags and clothes with boiling water

To think of other things, we go to the beach next door, Haad Yao. Splendid is the word I will use to describe this white sandy beach. Again, the water is only up to the knee. I hope that one day we will find a normal beach where we can really swim

We have lunch there and go to the massage salon “Ratatouille” in the middle of the beach, very famous for its traditional massages. Hearing the sound of the waves during the massage is a unique experience. For those who choose the oil massage, the masseuses give them a scarf so that they can cover themselves. I think at one point the masseuse stepped on my poor back, I had to ask her to come down. But but but!! After the massage, I still feel very well

It rains several times during our short excursion to Haad Yao. It is explained to us that at the moment it takes beautiful only half of the day. The morning was sunny, the afternoon will be rainy

Please note that most hotels in Haad Yao have bed chips as well. Type the name of the hotel + bed bugs on Google before booking.

Day 3

We rent a scooter for 200 baht to go to other beaches. The driving is very easy and nobody asks us for our license (which we don’t have). We leave a passport, check the state of the scooter, pay 50 bahts for a bottle of petrol and off we go! There are some gas stations on the island but private individuals sell gasoline in small bottles for 40 bahts. We will find some every 50m

We start from the beach of Chaloklum in the north of the island. I heard a lot of good things and wanted to see it for real. It is indeed very pretty: it is a fishing village

Continuing a little bit further, we arrive at this beautiful beach with restaurants selling seafood on the barbecue. The water is transparent, the beach here is deeper than all the others, without the small pebbles that hurt, the fine white sand

However, be careful of sand fleas and spread insect repellent cream beforehand.

Nearby, there are small restaurants, pharmacy, supermarket… In short when the road will be redone, it is rather here that we will live (if we settle in Thailand)

We return on our steps to discover Salad Beach, 3 minutes before a torrential rain falls on us. It looks like the clouds are far away but the waiters are experienced and ask all the customers to go inside before the tables and chairs fly in all directions. I was able to quickly dip my feet in it. The water is deep but there are a lot of corals and pebbles -> Suitable for snorkelling

Here, it is common to cross the garden of the resorts like this to access the beach (which remains public). This allows us to visit the most expensive resorts without paying a penny. If we like it, we can order a coconut at their restaurant overlooking the beach. The places reserved only for the customers of the resort like the swimming pool, hammock, deckchairs, private roads… will be clearly indicated. If you want to use the swimming pool of a hotel, it is possible to pay between 200 and 300 bahts/person

We return to our hotel. A parrot arrives on the balcony. I find it too cute until it eats a button of my shirt drying. I am too vexed! The good news is that I didn’t take a sewing kit with me for nothing

We take the scooter back to the city center. On the way, beautiful landscapes are offered to us. We will see a lot of signs “House for rent” also

There is a small market where you can find everything you need to eat well and cheaply

Part 2: Practical Tips

Tips

• I think the good plan would be to rent a room near the city center (300 baht/day), a scooter (200 baht/day) and go from one beach to another (the island is small). It will be cheaper than paying for a hotel room near the beach (1400 baht)
• You have to choose the right beach if you prefer resorts. Most of the water is shallow (up to the ankle) and not suitable for swimming. I recommend Chaloklum or Haad Son. Besides the hotels on these beaches aren’t well known, the service will be better than the hotels on popular beaches like Haad Rin, Haad Yao..
• Type the name of the hotel + bedbugs on Google to avoid in advance hotels with probs of bedbugs
• There are a lot of sand fleas here, you have to spread yourself with insect cream before going to the beach
• When you rent the scooters, go through your hotel instead, which you can trust more to leave your passport.
• There is no lack of ATMs here, but money exchanges are only available in the city center
• Some hotels charge extras during the full moon party, please inquire beforehand