2023-01-28 – Haad Salad, Koh Phangan
We have crossed over to the east coast of Thailand to Koh Phangan. The island is famous (infamous) for The Full Moon parties on Haad Rin. We haven’t ventured over this side of Thailand for a very long time. January 1980 was the last time, back when Koh Samui was thee place to be.

We’re on a new adventure and booked this beach side accommodation just to have a look see. Happily ensconced at Thanompol Haad Salad. We have a very nice studio style bungalows 50m behind The Crystal Day restaurant.

The vibe at this beach is way more “beautiful people” than we are used to. If I was to say Avocado Toast is on all the menus and thong bikinis adorn the ladies, would you get the idea? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in for avocado toast, home made yoghurt, etc… and I’m not complaining about the thong bikinis either.

Haad Salad (translates to Pirate Beach) is 600m long, the sand is cornstarch fine and the ocean is ’56 Chev, tropical turquoise. Wow!

There are about a dozen resorts here. Some are a little tired looking which is very indicative of their struggle to transcend the last three years of zero tourists. Some of the owners with deeper pockets are actually actively adding more upscale facilities.

Optimism is the Thai way.

We’re here for three weeks and are enjoying it.