Want to Try a New Beach? The Answer is Mae Haad

People often come back again and again to Koh Phangan. It is that sort of place. Initially people tend to return to the same places where they first found white sand, sunshine and friendly locals. They build an emotional attachment to a particular beach, and even tend to get quite possessive about that beach. During wet and cold Mondays at work it is comforting to know that your Koh Phangan beach is sunny, the sea warm and the beers cold and cheap. There is a hammock with your name on it waiting for you.

However, there comes a stage where horizons expand and the regular returnee to Koh Phangan thinks about other places and possible activities. I still haven’t climbed up Khao Ra; I still haven’t dived at Sail Rock; I still haven’t taken that trip to Ang Thong Marine Park I always wanted to do are all common thoughts from those who come to Koh Phangan to relax and escape the world for a little while.

One way to both relax and gain a sense of achievement is to opt for a few nights at Mae Haad beach. It is a place name that is infrequently used since most people are more focussed on the snorkelling around the small island of Koh Ma. Mae Haad is the beach next to Koh Ma. It is the entry point to the marine park and a great beach in its own right.

Whereas other west coast beaches such as Haad Yao and Haad Salad are famous for idyllic locations, white sand and cheap bungalows, Mae Haad remains a relatively obscure spot. There are boat tour groups that come to the beach but few people consider staying at Mae Haad.

That is a shame because the beach offers accommodation, bars and restaurants. And best of all it offers two beaches – the coastal beach and the beach created by the sandbank connecting Koh Ma to the headland. The geography of the area resembles Nang Yuan in Koh Tao. There is something special about a sandbank that offers ocean vistas from both sides.

And of course it is not only the spectacular beach scenery that is good about Mae Haad, it also has the best snorkelling in Koh Phangan. Just a short swim from the shore is a protected marine park where you can spot angelfish, banner fish and hermit crabs. If you spend enough time in the water you can possibly spot rarer marine life such as rays, turtles and cuttlefish.

Being right next to a great snorkelling location on holiday gives you the chance to pursue an activity without the hassle of catching taxis and having to dress up. No valuable time is wasted leaving the beach.

You can find a basic fan bungalow for about 300 Thai Baht a night in Mae Haad at Island View Cabana, Mae Haad View Resort, Why Not Bungalows and Royal Orchid Resort. There are also plenty of mid-range options in the 1,000 Thai Baht a night range. For those looking for luxury there is Mae Haad Bay Resort that features an impressive communal swimming pool as well as private pool and private Jacuzzi villas.

The nightlife at Mae Haad consists of a few local bars playing Bob Marley music such as Rolling Stone and Roots Corner. Entertainment here is laid back and a throwback to the 1990s. This is not a techno party beach, nor is it a New Age therapy beach, but it could well become your new favourite place in Koh Phangan.

Suratthani Airport

Surat Thani is a small regional airport. Most of the flights are to and from Don Mueang airport in Bangkok.

The airport is about 20 minutes outside of Surat Thani Town. There are 3 ways to make this journey: bus service by Phanthip company (100B per person), by Tuk-Tuk (200B per person) or by private taxi (600B). Do bear in mind that the Phanthip bus needs to be booked in advance and runs at fixed times (including 12 noon and 3 pm). Ask at your hotel or the Phanthip office on the Taladmai Road. This is the main road where the buses drops off and pick up for the ferry terminals for Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.

The airport has two storeys. Arrivals are on the ground floor and departures on the second floor. On the ground floor there are three coffee outlets and a counter for buying bus tickets onwards. Otherwise there is not much at the airport in terms of retail outlets in the arrivals section. Upstairs there are shops and two restaurants. The BB cafe is small and serves snacks and coffee. The other restaurant is larger and is run by the Sawasdee Group. They have a full menu range and serve alcohol and other drinks. The prices aren't cheap compared to the rest of Thailand, but fairly cheap as far as airports go. The noodle soup costs 100 THB, the American sandwich 110 THB, a fruit juice 50 THB and a small Singha beer is 100 THB.

Suratthani Airport is a small regional airport that is not big and not particularly busy. This is the main advantage of the airport – it is free of the stress associated with big airports. However, it lacks facilities. The good news is that it is relatively close to Suratthani City - indeed closer than the train station (which is in fact in another town!). The Air Asia flights between Suratthani and Don Mueang in Bangkok are only 2,000 Thai Baht and much better value than the Bangkok Airways flights from Koh Samui. Until Koh Phangan Airport is built Surat Airport will remain the best value airport for getting to and from the island.

Bookings for Christmas 2013

I am not going to bore you with a graph showing visitor numbers to Thailand. Since 1998 the Kingdom claims it has seen year on year increases in visitor numbers. Starting in 1998 with 7.76 million foreign arrivals to 2012 when 22.3 million came to the Land of Smiles.

Many involved in tourism in Thailand feel that the good times will never end. Despite blips caused by the SARS epidemic and the Bird Flu epidemic, the flooding in 2011, the tsunami in 2004 and the coup in 2006 Thailand is more popular than ever. The massive downswing in the world economy in 2008 might have seen a drop in visitors from Europe and the US but it looks like the shortfall was made up for by large numbers of Russian and Chinese tourists. It is thus curious that authorities have been clamping down on Russians and Koreans working as translators and tour guides illegally. The assumption that they are taking jobs away from Thai people is spurious.

This year (2013) has seen the government propose another airport tax to cover unpaid medical expenses. It turns out that most of these expenses are from illegal immigrants. The policy is unclear as if the payment would provide any health cover and how the money would be distributed.

More seriously the Shinawatra government has been trying to push through an amnesty bill that would allow Thaksin Shinawatra to return to the Kingdom. Nothing is more guaranteed to stir up the feelings of the divided political activists in Bangkok and the country as large.

To a casual observer, it seems like the powers that be are testing whether they can do anything to stop the escalating tourist numbers. It also seems that inflation can’t curb the influx of visitors.

However, I’ve been checking the Christmas and New Year bookings in Koh Phangan this year and it is clear that Christmas bookings are down, but New Year is sold out as usual.

Although there is a Haad Rin ‘Moon’ party at Christmas, it is clear that Christmas is more of a family time for hotel bookings. These people are staying way from Koh Phangan this year. Maybe the problems in Bangkok are causing this, or perhaps the continued squeeze caused by the rocky economic recovery in Europe.

In contrast the young people, the backpackers, the gap –year people and the ravers are undeterred by the politics in the capital and the rising prices.

The trouble for Koh Phangan is that it is becoming too dependent on the Full Moon Party for its revenue. If something were to happen to the party then the visitor numbers could half within a month. Last New Year a young Brit was shot. More such tragedies could conceivably close the party down. After all, this is Thailand – not the most predictable place in the world.

And by the way the fish and chips in the place in the photo is not bad at all.