Ric and I celebrated Easter this past year, cruising around Koh Phi Phi. It was one of the most perfect days on our trip. One we didn’t spend deciphering where to go next or gushing over future travel plans.
No, this day belonged completely to Ko Phi Phi. Take a look through some of our photos from that one day and you’ll understand why.
Our first stop was Monkey Beach where crowds of tourists feed monkeys living there, things they probably shouldn't eat. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
We spent a lot of time on a tiny long-tail boat cruising through islands in the area, stopping occasionally to snorkel. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
The best part about the day was how relaxed it was. Everything was planned from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and it only costs about $10, so no stress over spending too much. Photo by Richard Hackey.
The trip felt even more authentic on a long-tail boat. Here's one at Bamboo Beach, where we had lunch and swam. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
Maya Bay is the highlight of any Ko Phi Phi tour, but I preferred Pileh Cove, which is also on Ko Phi Phi Ley. It was gorgeous and not bombarded by people. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
The limestone rocks of Ko Phi Phi are what make it so special. It was especially gorgeous to see at sunset. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
There's just something about a Thai sunset. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon
The first thing to lure me into the infamous hotel was a blurb in Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a shoestring, saying Somerset Maugham, one of my favorite authors, stayed there. The Razor’s Edge author is one of the hotel’s many famous guests. Lonely Planet’s guide suggests readers visit the hotel’s Author Wing.
So I did.
From the moment I arrived, a simple tea at the hotel felt like something much more. Before finally settling for wicker seating in the front of the Wing, My friend and I peaked around the famous dining area to find a balcony where musicians play and a small library featuring classic novels in what looked like their original publication.
We feasted on our three deck serving of cakes and small sandwiches as we shared tea pretending we were living another life.
That trip to the Mandarin Oriental was on my second day in Thailand as well as second day of a two-month, backpacking tour of southeast Asia with my boyfriend Ric. Lucky for me it wouldn’t be my last trip to the famous hotel. In fact, I paid the place one last visit a day before leaving Bangkok for America. Closing the trip just as I started it.
But instead of visiting one of the hotel’s restaurants, this time I visited its spa. And trust me, after two months of backpacking-it was much needed.
Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.
Ric and I pulled up to the front entrance of the famous hotel by taxi to be greeted by a man in an old-fashioned, Thai military uniform. From the moment we stepped out of the taxi, the hotel’s 135-year history and glorious decor unfolded layer upon layer.
The doors opened into the hotel lobby, but seemed to open into another world. The entrance is brightly lit by a wall of windows, which stretch to its high ceiling. Wooden bird cages hang from the top and fresh flowers decorate the bottom.
At the entrance one member of the hotel’s team of smiling hospitality staff wearing traditional Thai dresses, asked how she could help. She led us to the Oriental Spa pointing out the hotel’s pool and a restaurant, among other things along the way. We arrived at the Mae Nam Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok, and she informed us that one of the hotel’s ferries would arrive shortly to shuttle us across the river to the spa.
Photo courtesy of the Mandarin Oriental.
I could easily see Somerset Maugham, the author that first led me to this grand establishment, cruising around on the glossy wooden boat I was on now, occasionally leaning over to scribble something down in a small notebook.
Ric and I both could have easily spent the day wandering around the hotel and been happy, but we had something even better planned, 90 minutes of bliss at the hotel’s spa.
Wooden chairs line the balcony leading up to the spa’s doors where people can take off their outside shoes and put on hotel slippers. Not long after noticing the chairs, a fresh faced Thai woman in beige, traditional garb came out to greet us and start our spa experience.
She served us bale fruit tea, iced, then placed slippers on our feet and let us know about the service we would be receiving. We were scheduled for The Oriental Signature Treatment, THB 4,500, which is a massage featuring both Thai and European techniques.
After a short and pleasant introduction, our masseuses Siriporn and Chanya came out to greet Ric and I and lead us to to our suite.
As I said before, nothing at the Mandarin Oriental is just a service, it’s a total experience. The suite where Ric and I were to receive our treatment came with robes, a shower, which converted into a steam room, a welcome package with toiletries and more. Our masseuses gave Ric and I a few minutes to make use of the suite’s facilities.
After getting to know the room we laid down side by side on firm white pads and waited for our masseuses to re-enter.
Before starting the massage, my masseuse Chanya asked me to choose which oil I would like her to use during my treatment. I chose the spa’s invigorating oil, which smells of peppermint, rather than its romance oil which smells of lavender.
Starting at the feet, Chanya released two months of aches and pains that came from carrying a 20-kilo bag across three countries and the usual harsh care people have for themselves when their only concern is travel.
Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.
She worked her way up my entire back, not missing an inch. She followed that doing just the same to my front. Her style of massage at this point felt generally European, but the focus on pressure points was not something I had felt before visiting southeast Asia.
After a thorough massage, she went into the traditional Thai technique of stretching and cracking my hip joint, ankles and more. A mixture of the two types of massage techniques not only left me feeling relaxed at that moment, but invigorated over the next few days.
The spa treatment went way too fast. But our experience wasn’t over yet. At the end our masseuses gave us the choice of ginger or lemon grass tea. Once they served our choices they welcomed us to take our time in the room and leave when we were ready. It was hard to even move after feeling so at peace.
Obviously not everyone’s southeast Asian travel budget can include a trip to the Mandarin Oriental’s spa. But no trip to Bangkok is complete without just a visit to the famous hotel. However, if you can fit in something more than a visit, do it. A trip to their spa made my body forget it ever traveled southeast Asia, but gave my mind an experience it will never forget.
Thanks to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for sponsoring this post. Visit their website, become a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. But most importantly, visit them in Bangkok at 48 Oriental Avenue in Bangkok.
The average backpacker route in Thailand isn’t complete without a few days of scuba diving or earning a certification in Koh Tao, Thailand. Probably the top island to dive from in the Gulf, people can see trigger fish, leopard sharks and if they’re lucky, a more than occasional whale shark.
Some visit just to earn their open water certification, others get the island bug and end up spending more than just a few days to earn their divemaster and maybe even work.
People can visit the island with no intentions to dive and still have a great trip taking in pristine beaches, great hiking and rowdy night life. But for the value, it be silly not to look into a few dives or even a certification while visiting.
There are plenty of dive operations and accommodation available on Koh Tao, but in a country that has suffered a bad reputation for diver safety, it’s important to be sure of your pick. Out of many, Asia Divers and Resort, a PADI dive school and PADI IDC Center, in Sairee Beach stands out for its facilities, dive staff and discounts.
Location
Sairee Beach isn’t just good-looking, it’s also a good time. Home to several restaurants, a few good beach bars, some yoga studios and even trapeze facilities, literally everything is within reach. While a good location usually means giving up a good night’s sleep in Thailand, that’s not the case with Asia Divers. The resort is located a short walk up a hill from all the activity, isolating it from the island’s noisy night life.
The beach is only a five-minute walk away from the resort, but you may end up spending most of your time by its amazing pool.The pier is about 15 minutes away by car, but the resort offers several free taxi rides there throughout the day.
Sairee Beach is only a five-minute walk from Asia Divers and Resort.
Staff
The dive staff, which comes with a smorgasbord of languages, goes above and beyond with their customers. There is always someone around to answer questions and his or her response includes more than just the basics. I spoke with one French staff member who ended up talking with me for 30 minutes about diving.
While the resort staff was just as jolly for the most part, they could take a few pointers from the dive team. For the basics they offered service with a smile. For complaints or additional questions-they were unresponsive and unhelpful.
Rooms
Accommodation ranges from 600-2,000 THB. I stayed in a 600 THB-standard room with fan, two single beds, private bathroom and television. Though the room comes with a bit more than huts on the beach nearby, I thought it was a bit overpriced as the room is still very basic and needed a bit of repair of things like a broken bathroom door knob and deteriorating ceiling.
That said, I spoke with a couple from New Zealand who was enrolled in an open water course at the resort and received a free standard room for all the nights it would take to finish the course. If that’s the case, matched up with affordable courses, the standard rooms are perfect.
A standard room with fan at Asia Divers and Resort costs 600 THB.
Activity
Since I am already certified as far as I would like to be now, I did not participate in any courses while staying at the resort. But I did have the chance to watch some PADI divemaster training (25,000 THB), the confined water portion of the PADI open water course (7,000 THB) and a supervised pool experience version of the PADI bubblemaker experience (900 THB) while lounging around the pool.
I saw these three in several languages given by very attentive instructors. Every instructor I watched was responsible helpful, but also a bit tough, which is a great thing.
Some instructors in the business just pass students through courses without making sure the student can actually complete everything in his or her syllabus. These kinds of instructors are awful and I did not see anyone like that at Asia Divers. A few times I saw instructors ask their students to repeat things with minor adjustments.
Aesthetics/Facilities/Vibe
After weeks of staying at unique, but let’s face it, shabby shacks on the beaches of Thailand, this place looks like the Ritz from the outside. The pool which is made for divers is gorgeous and refreshing. The resort has a bountiful garden set amongst a backdrop of forest-covered mountains.
Dive facilities and equipment look new or in great condition. The restaurant is clean, well-priced and serves delicious food. A chiropractor/acupuncturist operates from under a cabana by the pool. And the resort offers free Wifi, though it didn’t work most of the time I was there.
A lot of guests flock to the pool during the day, which is a great place to meet other travelers if you haven’t already done so while diving or taking a course.
The pool at Asia Divers has a really deep end for confined water dives, but its also fun to just play in it.
Safety
Not an issue. All the rooms come with locks and a guard watches the entrance throughout the night.
Overall
It’s a more than ideal place to earn your open water certification, continue your dive training or just dive with (one dive costs 1000 THB, the more dives booked, the greater the discount). The price of courses and dive trips is a lot more affordable than in other countries and even quite affordable by Thai diving standards.
Those interested in learning to dive should look for more than “cheap” when doing it in Thailand. Asia Divers is a first class PADI dive operation. The resort is beautiful, but unless you receive a discount on standard rooms while taking a course with them, you can get the same quality close by for much less.
Leading up to the Full Moon Party I heard mixed reviews. Some people said it was the best party they’ve ever been too. Others warned me to avoid it at all cost. A few said it was really something special that couldn’t happen anywhere else in the world. And some said it was something special, it was something real, but now it’s basically the Thai version of Spring Break.
Knowing how much I like to build things up I tried to go to Koh Phangan with little expectation. In fact, as the moon grew larger during my time in Thailand I even started to get a bit apprehensive and nervous.
For every bad review I heard about the party, I heard two bad reviews about the people at the party.
“Watch your pockets,” our taxi driver from Thong Sala to Haad Rin pier warned us. “Lots of pick-pocketers.”
I heard about fights, serious injuries, drug busts, even rapings!
And this was suppose to be an event built by hippies on peace and love, but I guess Woodstock was too, which suffered similar criticism.
Despite the warnings, my apprehension and my attempt to arrive on the island with no expectations, I think the wannabe-hippy in me held on to the vision of something more.
With all that in mind came the more important logistics of money, getting to Koh Phangan on time and somehow getting off the island in one piece.
My boyfriend, Ric and I planned to visit the Full Moon Party on April 18. I originally wanted to stay on Koh Phangan, because that just made the most sense. But during my travels a few people recommended staying on either Koh Tao or Koh Samui, two islands nearby, which are “much nicer,” they told me. I took the tip and not long after some other people told me it was better to stay on Koh Phangan as getting to the Full Moon Party and back to another island is not very organized or easy.
I don’t know what it’s like to stay on Koh Phangan because I never have, but I would advise all Full Mooners to do so if they can. Doing the Full Moon from Koh Tao to Haad Rin beach was expensive (1300 B per person just for boat and taxi service with Lomprayah), long (90 minutes on a boat both ways and 30 minutes on a taxi both ways) and tiring (the party boat from Koh Tao left at 5:30 p.m. 18/4 and did not depart Koh Phangan until 8:30 a.m. 19/4).
For all the hassle and money it makes no sense not to stay on Koh Phangan. If you want to party all night you can stay in Haad Rin even on the beach. If not, there’s an entire island with quieter options that are only a taxi ride away. Plus, it’s a good looking place, so you won’t be missing out on scenery offered at islands nearby.
Once we arrived in Haad Rin, we had to pay 100 B each to enter the party area. Before getting to the beach, people eat, drink and purchase neon clothing in town. The female uniform of the Full Moon Party is face and body paint, a neon orange, pink, green or yellow loose-fitted singlet, torn jean shorts and havianas. There are plenty of cheap and tasty places to eat and even more bars to drink, but most people opt for 180-350 B buckets sold on the street.
Buckets at the Full Moon Party cost between 150 and 380 B.
Slowly partiers migrate to the main attraction-Haad Rin Beach. At first glance all I saw was a sea of literally thousands of people. I couldn’t even see a beach. Our first stop was the toilet, which was the saddest sight I’d ever seen in my life. This is probably why a lot of men opted to piss from the beach out into the ocean, which then became the saddest sight I’d ever seen in my life.
The second I entered the crowd I wasn’t hit with love or happiness, but a strong wiff of piss and BO.
After taking in the crowd and the music, I looked up to see Paradise Bungalows, which legend has it-started the whole thing. Ric and I made our way there becoming easily distracted more than once along the way. All along the beach are more bucket vendors, but even better vendors selling barbecue and cheesy pizza.
After taking down a few sticks of barbecue…
SLIDE!
A random partier going down the slide at the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.
The first thing to grab us in was a massive slide with water flowing down it that shot out onto a huge plastic cushion.
Next was a massive jump rope-but this wasn’t just any jump rope. It was soaked in gasoline and lit on fire. No doubt attracting those on something a bit stronger than booze to tempt fate. We stood with a large crowd watching a backpacker here and there try it. Two in five backpackers actually made it in to jump the rope. One in five lasted for more than two jumps. And everyone ended up getting whacked by the flaming rope and leaving defeated.
The crowd stayed steady and made it’s way onto stages and into the water. We finally made it to Paradise Bungalows, which sits higher than the beach offering a good view of the party and people having sex in nearby waters lit by fog-lights.
Paradise Bungalows at the far right end of Haad Rin Beach supposedly started it all.
One last walk down the beach would prove to be our most challenging. It was 4 a.m. at that point and while Ric and I were both still going-it was getting to that point in the night when we should’ve just gone to bed. Unfortunately, there was no bed to go to so we sat on the beach waiting for 6 a.m.-the time our taxi was scheduled to pick us up at Haad Rin Pier.
We came so close.
So close to not having one of those famous Full Moon casualties I had heard about. Some people lose their camera, some people lose their purse, but I topped them all and lost…my boyfriend.
Don’t ask me how. I can’t explain it. But to make a long dreadful story short-we somehow reunited at Thong Sala Pier around 7:30 a.m., where our boat was scheduled to pick us up at 8:30 a.m. That hour of being exhausted and hungover in the heat was one of the worst in my life.
Altogether Ric and I spent 6,000 B on what was inevitably just a really good night out that went on into the early hours of the morning. So whether the Full Moon Party was worth it to me, I’m not so sure. But after all the talk, it’s something I would have regretted not doing while in Thailand.
Everyone’s experience of this world-renowned party will be different. In fact, the party is probably whatever you make of it. But if you come expecting peace, love and happiness parading on a pristine beach-think again. You’re more likely to run into Scandinavians painting each others’ tits, piss heads relieving themselves on the Gulf and someone whose lost everything except his or her swimsuit.
