If your New Year’s Eve plans are looking a little ordinary and you want to spice things up, Jacinda Tutty has the solution: partying Koh Phangan style in Thailand.
Full Moon Party
The Full Moon parties on Haad Rin beach are legendary and tourists from all around the world come here every month to party and have a great time. But New Year’s Eve puts on one hell of a show that you would be mad to miss.
For drinks, you can approach any of the hundreds of stalls lining the beach and order a bucket which is about $10AUD. Watch the vendors pour in a litre of vodka and kiss your dignity goodbye as you sink down shots.
You can also order bottled pre–mix drinks and beer should you need to pace yourself (probably a wise idea…). There are bars all along the beach you can slip into for a quieter atmosphere but the real party is on the beach.
As the sun goes down the beach comes to life with fire twirlers, mastering a flaming Thai jump rope. Tourists try their hand at getting scorched. To avoid a trip to the medical centre we recommend avoiding this one.
From one end to another Koh Phangan is packed with people: some estimate over 200,000 flock to the island for the biggest night of the year. You have foam parties to get soaked in, stages in the sand to dance until your feet get sore, light shows to make a rock concert proud and an atmosphere of anything goes!
Tips and tricks
Not to be a Debbie Downer but there are a few tips if you are going to be travelling to Koh Phangan for New Year’s Eve.
Do – Wear shoes. There is a lot of broken bottles and loose items on the beach that could give you a nasty cut. As there is no hospital on the island you could be dealing with a serious injury on your lonesome until morning.
Don’t – Play connect four with the girl offering you a bet. You will never win. She. Is. Insanely. Good.
Do – Leave your key at front desk or in a safe place for when you return later. You don’t want to be sleeping on the door step while you wait for your room mates to get back.
Do – Exercise caution when buying a late night ‘imdrunkandimhungry’ snack from the street or alcohol might not be the only thing making you ill the next morning.
Don’t – Be fooled by the lady boys!
Getting there
There are a couple of different ways to get to Koh Phangan but all of them will ultimately end up with a short boat ride to the island from Koh Samui.
If you are in Bangkok you can get a flight to Koh Samui airport and then go to any tourist counter in the street (believe me there are plenty of them) and book your boat transfers for around $10AUD.
If you are in Phuket you can either get a flight into Koh Samui or you can go the long way (just a casual 12 hours – eeek) and go by bus.
This is what we did and boy oh boy was it a treat (not).
We organised with a street vendor to be picked up by a shuttle bus then transferred to a larger bus, then transported to Surat Thani where you will wait for another bus then drive a few hours to the harbour for another bus, then you will board something resembling the ‘boat of terror’ which will take you to Koh Samui and then onwards to Koh Phangan. If you decide to do it this way beware – it is not an enjoyable experience but it is the cheapest way to reach your destination.
Alternatively, you can hire a car from Phuket and get the larger boat which accommodates vehicles and go all the way in your own air-conditioned car for about $150AUD.
Where to stay
You will need to book your accommodation in advance for New Year’s Eve (so get booking now) and take care with your choice of location, as the island is much bigger than you think. If you find yourself far away from the action in Haad Rin don’t fret, you can always catch a tuk-tuk for around 200THB (10AUD) .
