Cost of holidays on Koh Phangan
Costs in Koh Phangan are relatively low
There is accommodation available on Koh Phangan to suit every budget, from 300 baht per night huts to 30,000 baht luxury beachfront villas. The majority of the accommodation is Thai-owned, family run, with a selection of fan rooms for 300-600 baht and air conditioned rooms 600 and up. You are also charged a premium for anything right on the beach.
The cheaper resorts expect guests to eat at their restaurant which allows them to keep accommodation prices down. Eating out can either work out extremely cheap (20 baht for a noodle soup from a roadside stand) or more expensive if you eat in the Western tourist-orientated restaurants that serve steak, sushi or other international cuisine.
Most people on a budget hire motorbikes to get around, although there are increasing numbers of fatal accidents due to carefree visitors neglecting to wear crash-helmets. There are also cases or tourists being ripped-off by 'damage' which is wrongly attributed to them, so make sure you check the vehicle carefully before riding off. Rates should generally be around 150 baht per day.
The alternative is to use songthaews (converted pick-up truck shared taxis) which wait at popular beaches and transport hubs like the jetty, and follow set routes around the island. These are relatively cheap at around 50 baht per person for a short journey, but remember to bargain hard if the initial quote seems inordinately steep.
Bowls of noodle soup cost from 20 baht
Most visitors to Koh Phangan tend to find a nice beach with a good vibe and base their holidays there, which means 1,000 baht a day covers most costs. Package holidays to the island are now available with companies specialising in sending groups to let their hair down at the the Full Moon Party.
Tours to nearby islands, including trekking, snorkelling and kayaking trips, are very cheap on Koh Phangan to cater for the backpacker crowd. There are full-day combination excursions for around 1,200 baht which normally include lunch, refreshments and hotel pick-up/drop-off. However, by searching around the Haad Rin travel agencies or enquiring with local boatmen this can be drastically reduced.
Taster scuba diving sessions start at around 2,000 baht, with PADI Open Water certification at around 9,000 baht and professional Dive Master courses at 25,000 baht. However, there are great packages which offer free accommodation with your tuition that can greatly reduce the overall cost.
Internet cafes are everywhere on Koh Phangan and typically offer decent connection speeds for around 60 baht/hour. Other services such as international phone calls, fax and flight confirmation are also easy to find and relatively cheap. A rising proliferation of restaurants offering free WiFi for customers means that taking a laptop or notebook is a good idea which can save you a great deal in costs on Koh Phangan.
