Koh Phangan is located in the province of Surat Thani (which its capital is also named “Surat Thani”) in the Southern Gulf of Thailand, and belongs to a group of about forty islands known as Samui Archipelago. The name of the island comes from the Thai word “Ngan”, which means, “sand bars”. Offshore and surrounding the island one can see plenty of sand bars; which, according to the local guide, protect the island from monsoon damages.
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During the last 20 years, Koh Phangan attracted an enormous amount of visitors; some of them religiously find their way back to the island. Who are those Koh Phangan enthusiasts? Actually, there is lot of reasons why one should visit Koh Phangan. Even though it is quite small in geographical terms – many types of travelers can find their own niche on the island. In my opinion, you should definitely consider visiting Koh Phangan, if you are among one of the following:
1. A firm backpacker, whose aim is to see more for less. If this is your case, then Koh Phangan can offer you the best value for your money, compared to other islands in South Thailand. By best value I mean basic but reasonable accommodation, great food (remember this: the less you’re spending on food in Koh Phangan – the better it is), overwhelming surrounding and lots of opportunities to meet people just like you – young, curious and romantic.
2. A cool partygoer, who never misses a good party. If this is so, then you must visit this island if only for the widely known Full Moon Party. The full moon party takes place every month, on one of the beaches in the south east of the island attracting thousands of clubbers and holidaymakers. Try telling anybody in Thailand or outside of Thailand that you have visited Koh Phangan, and the common response will be a wink followed by “The Full Moon Party, he”. If you’ll try to deny your participation - the response will probably be two winks followed by “So that’s the Full Moon Party, he” - and you can be sure that you’ve just earned the reputation of the best partygoer.
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3. If you’re the spoiled tourist kind, one who likes to enjoy his trips without scarifying the comfort of western civilization hospitality, then Koh Phangan, although a place with solid reputation of a backpacker island – has quite a few local hoteliers who are not yet ready to give up on you! During the last several years more and more excellent air-conditioned spacious rooms and bungalows, overlooking at spectacular beaches have been developed especially for your kind. In almost every corner of Koh Phangan you will have the ability to choose between Thai to Western cuisine and enjoy delicious food – no matter what your choice is. There are also lots of massage and spa centers, which can fulfill the needs of the last of hedonists. Of course, you can find all of this in any other Thai island – but in Koh Phangan you can have it in the less commercialized and touristy surrounding.
4. If you’re traveling with your children – Koh Phangan is just right for you. Beside of air-conditioned and spacious accommodations, there are huge varieties of activities in which your children will be more than happy to take part of. Among them are: boat trips, safari trips, elephant treking and many more.
5. Those who believe, that they’ve worked enough during the last year to pay for their vacation, and now is the timing for rest. If this is your case, let me to tell you that in Koh Phangan one can have a best choice of hammocks and sand beaches.
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6. So to whom will I not recommend Koh Phangan as a place to visit? If you obviously not a big fan of true nature surroundings, if noisy crickets can destroy your sleep and consequently your vacation, if you think of sand as something too dirty and of sea as something too wet, if a ride on unpaved rode terrifies you, if you must and even enjoyed eating the same breakfast for the past 20 years and if you are a firm believer that communication in the age of globalization lets us get a comprehensible understanding of everything on Earth – then I suggest you skip the idea! But if you even remotely resemble any of the other characters above, then I warmly recommended you to visit Koh Phangan – there will be no regrets - guaranteed.
http://kohphangan.eternaltravel.net/
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