111 Moo 1, Ban Tai, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand | (586) 210-9239
Great location on the powdery, white Ban Tai Beach
Convenient for Thong Sala, the largest town on the island
Cabana-style rooms set in private bungalows; some with air-conditioning
Beachside restaurant and bar
Large pool faces the beach
Free Wi-Fi in communal areas
Hotel has attractive, traditional Thai-style decor throughout
Some bungalows don't have air-conditioning
Some ramshackle bathrooms and poorly maintained bungalows
No Wi-Fi in the bungalows
The Phangan Beach Resort sits on the white, powdery sands of Ban Tai beach, the longest on the island. The budget resort is geared towards guests looking to spend lazy days on the beach, which is set up with hammocks and beach beds, or out by the pool. Each of the 25 cabana-style guest rooms is inside its own private bungalow, which are dotted about leafy grounds. However, the bungalows can be poorly maintained, and some of them aren't air conditioned. The bathrooms in standard-class bungalows are ramshackle affairs, inside a lean-to cobbled onto the bungalow’s side. Guests looking for a similar set-up might closer to the Full Moon Party might want to check out the Palita Lodge, on Haad Rin Beach.
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Scene
Bamboo bungalows and traditional Thai decor on Ban Tai Beach
The entrance to Phangan Beach Resort is impressive: two rusted iron arches, massive and angular, lead through to a verandah with a woven bamboo ceiling and views of the beach. Gravel paths wind through thickets of jungly greenery and past neat lawns and water features, leading to guests’ bungalows, and down to the beach-front restaurant and the powdery white Ban Tai beach. Similar to the reception, the hotel’s restaurant is open to the elements, with just a bamboo ceiling to protect the space from rain. Heavy dark-wood tables and chairs, as well as some traditional Thai seating (bolster cushions and low tables) are set on raised wooden platforms. There's also a small, freeform pool set in a scrap of lawn with some sun loungers, but the real focus of the resort is on the beach.
Location
On the silvery sands of Ban Tai beach, and a short walk from Thong Sala
The Phangan Beach Resort is set on Ban Tai Beach, the longest unbroken stretch of powdery silver sand on Koh Phangan, with views across the crystal-blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand, and over to neighboring Koh Samui. The resort is located on the outskirts of Thong Sala, the island’s biggest town, where there are a number of shops, bars, and restaurants. Guests looking to travel to Haad Rin for the Full Moon Party face a 20-minute journey by taxi or tuk-tuk. The closest airport is Samui International, on the neighboring island, an 80-minute journey via ferry from Nathon Pier to Thong Sala. It takes three-and-a-half-hours to transfer from Surat Thani International Airport on the mainland.
Rooms
Private, cabana-style bungalows with some ramshackle bathrooms in concrete lean-tos
Each of the 25 rooms at the Phangan Beach Resort is set in its own private cabana-style bungalow. Standard bungalows are traditional Thai constructions made out of bamboo varnished a rich brown with green tin roofs. Each has dark wood floors and doors, either two single beds or a double bed, and little else in the way of furniture. All bungalows have a minibar and a flat-screen TV, but not all of them have air-conditioning -- some of the Standard bungalows make do with ceiling fans. None of the bungalows have Wi-Fi. Some bathrooms are ramshackle affairs, inside concrete lean-tos cobbled onto the bungalows’ sides, with a Western-style toilet, sink, and a shower attached to the wall. Deluxe bungalows are more solid constructions, if a little concrete-y, with king-size beds and a sliding patio door that leads to a deck with two wooden patio chairs. Their bathrooms are far from modern, but are less ramshackle than those of the other bungalows.
Features
A restaurant serving Thai and Western food, hammocks and beach beds, and an outdoor pool
The Phangan Beach Resort doesn't offer its guests a huge list of amenities, and most guests are here for the low rates and beach access. The resort’s beachside restaurant serves both Western and Thai cuisine, as well as the beach bar, which does drinks and snacks. Out on the beach are hammocks and beach beds, as well as a net for volleyball. The large outdoor pool is nicely landscaped and has views of the ocean. There is a lounge room with couches and a pool table. Wi-Fi is free in the hotel’s restaurant and reception, but not in the bungalows.
