Full Moon Parties in Thailand?

[ericdw]

any one know about these? in Koh Phangan? http://www.fullmoon-party.com/#Full_Moon_Party

good night or big tourist trap?

[danskee]

It's good times.

I went to the full moon party a couple summers ago. It's not a tourist trap like the cities are (Bangkok). The majority of the people on the island will be toursits, but everyone I met was friendly and was just there to have a good time. The locals on the island are all really chilled out.

10,000 people gather there for the party. There's nothing really else like it. You should definately check it out if you're going to Thailand.

[dizzhizz]

I went last year to the FMP over in Koh Phangan and had just a mediocre time - most likely due to the fact of overcrowding for depatures back to Koh Samui, drunk Euro-trash everywhere and people pissing freely in the ocean. It's something definintely worth checking out once in your life but nothing to brag about.

Although I hear the black moon parties might be more interesting...

[Tisswat]

Although I hear the black moon parties might be more interesting...

I was at a black moon party in 2004. It was fun, but it's really nothing more than a goa-trance party on the beach. Instead of the thousands of people at a full moon party, there are several hundreds. The island was much more quiet, which was nice.

Instead, why not go for the Distant Heat Festival in Wadi Rum, Jordan? A massive rave in the middle of the desert between the rock formations. I've never been, but from what I've heard it's magical.

[ericdw]

I went last year to the FMP over in Koh Phangan and had just a mediocre time - most likely due to the fact of overcrowding for depatures back to Koh Samui, drunk Euro-trash everywhere and people pissing freely in the ocean. It's something definintely worth checking out once in your life but nothing to brag about.

thanks for the info everyone

i have a feeling i'm going to end up agreeing with dizz - i'm not really into huge parties and i'll probably end up getting annoyed, but i wanna check it out b/c i'll just happen to be in koh samue during it.

would you recommend staying on koh phangan instead of koh samui?

[lenn]

i've been to a black moon party at koh phagan in 2005, which was pretty awesome... the jungle was hellaaaaa trippy but the music bored me. i also smoked hash there which wasn't too great of an idea considering the thai drug laws.

i think phangan > samui btw, altho i had fuckin great times with my friends at the hookerbars at samui (no sexy times tho, i swear)

[dizzhizz]

thanks for the info everyone

i have a feeling i'm going to end up agreeing with dizz - i'm not really into huge parties and i'll probably end up getting annoyed, but i wanna check it out b/c i'll just happen to be in koh samue during it.

would you recommend staying on koh phangan instead of koh samui?

If you aint into huge parties, then by all means avoid Koh Phangan, especially during the FMP.

As for which island to stay on, you can literally do both and then determine where to stay. Koh Samui has lost its charm and is becoming just as mainstream as Phuket, but I like having that convenience in addition to the girly bars. Also, should you wish to stay on Koh Phangan during the FMP, make your reservations early because many bungalows near the party will be fully booked.

[thelion1856]

every full moon in san diego at a nude beach called Blacks Beach. bring your condoms and weed.

[JayPee]

Loosest night of my life

Just keep your figners crossed you get a good batch of mushroom shakes on mellow mountain!

[Analyst]

I've never been to a Full Moon Party but have been to Koh Pha Ngan a few times. From what I hear, it can be pretty raucous. Lots of drunk Euros all over the place. From the several times I've stayed on Pha Ngan, it was already pretty crazy even without having a full blown FMP party going on.

Overall, Koh Pha Ngan is fun place to chill for a few days. It's the type of island where time just seems to move slower. If taking a boat over from Koh Samui, the main port is on Haad Rin, which is a long stretch of beach along the southeast part of the island. Most of the larger hotels and guest houses are around this area. At night, the beaches of Haad Rin are lined with small tables and mats for watching local beachboys twirling firesticks. These guys could put a few Sith Lords to shame with their dexterity and skills.

By day there not much to do other than maybe chilling at a cafe, smoking hookah and watching episodes of Friends or the Simpsons that play throughout the day. Every falafel joint or restaurant lists the movies that will be showing each day and night on signs. The diving on the island is pretty good. Visibility doesn't really compare to the Andaman side but around March we got about 15-20 meters.

If exploring the island, be careful of renting mopeds and trying to drive around the island. The roads to Thongsala, residential town to the west, are extremely steep and it's almost too easy to get into an accident. The first time I went to Koh Pha Ngan, I checked out the northwest point of the island around Mae Haad. The water in the area is so much cleaner and transparent compared to the beaches around Haad Rin. There's also a cool sandbar that allows you to walk to this tiny island during the low tide. I would highly recommend leaving Haad Rin and checking out other parts of the island like Cholokum and Thong Nai Pan.

You can also find random places serving very "smooth and magical" smoothies. Around Mae Haad, I found a small outdoor cafe lit up in candles with Thai triangle pillows all over the floor and NWA playing in the background. There's a good dread locked local guy there serving Bomb Lassi's which were awesome. Another place was back on Haad Rin beach to the east on top of a hill. You can't really miss it at night on the beach as the house is fully illuminated. After climbing several stories there's a stand serving strawberry-flavored magic smoothies. You can also find anything else from most of the bars on Haad Rin, as it's the only way to pay the bills these days given the decline in tourism since the Tsunami hit the other side of Thailand.

Koh Pha Ngan is overall a pretty good time, in my opinion. I would probably go back just to disappear for a few days. I would expect a ton of young backpackers carrying Lonely Planets and Alex Garland's tome. Lots of Scandinavians and Israelis finishing up their mandatory tours of duty in the IDF. Very few locals from Bangkok go to Pha Ngan. When I went, I think our group was the only one on the boat going over. And I didn't run into any other Thais while there. If you're looking for more higher-end resorts , then Koh Samui and Phuket are much better bets.

[brissyboy]

Any good places to stay while at Ko Pha Ngan? I'm going to be there for the ny fmp and havn't had much luck in finding decent places.

[poly800rock]

Any good places to stay while at Ko Pha Ngan? I'm going to be there for the ny fmp and havn't had much luck in finding decent places.

book now, as the FMP are always sold out for places to stay and especially NYE.

[Analyst]

Any good places to stay while at Ko Pha Ngan? I'm going to be there for the ny fmp and havn't had much luck in finding decent places.

I stayed at two places on Ko Pha Ngan, both times on Haad Rin, which is the main beach and major drop off from Samui. The first time, I stayed at the Drop In Club resort in Haad Rin. So so experience and it costs about 50$ each night.

The second time, I stayed at Sarikarntang Resort on Leela Beach. It's assessible from Haad Rin but a little further away from the main beach, which will be a good thing during the Full Moon Party. I liked Sarikarntang much better than Drop In: better rooms, private beach, etc. It's run by May and Mai, two sisters who are really cool. Random fact but in a prior life, they were both an ex-management consultant and an ex-economist from the Thai central bank, respectively, before opening their report.

Another option is to stay somewhere else on the Pha Ngan, which is actually a pretty big island. Thong Sala, a small village where most of the locals actually live, is about a 15 minute ride away from Haad Rin. It's not as "exciting" as Haad Rin, but you might prefer to be away from all the ghetto-ass backpackers there.

There are also small bungalows and guest houses all over the island. Two cool places come to mind. Thong Nai Pan on the west side of the island and Mae Haad on the northwest side of the island. Chulokum on the north side of the island is pretty cool and has a good hookah bar up there. Most dive trips off of Koh Pha Ngan also launch from Chulokum.

Hope this helps...

[brissyboy]

I love this forum, everyone is so helpful, !! Leaving on the 21st Dec, counting down the days..