Barefoot Luxury - Anantara Koh Phangan

We had not had the best holiday in Koh Samui due to poor choices, illness and weather,f fortunately due to a whim, prior to leaving Sydney, I had decided we should leave our paid in advance package resort and head to Koh Phangan for a night so my husband could have an easier dive trip and we could see a different island. This turned out to be the best money spent and the highlight of the holiday. Our mistake was only one night.




Due to the time frame, we opted for a private transfer and headed by speed boat over to Koh Phangan. In good weather you pull up on the beach, but for us we headed into the dock and drove 20 minutes through the jungle landscape to the tiny village.












Entering the tiny resort, the amenities feature the beachfront, making the most of the glorious view. The beach itself was the cleanest and most beautiful we saw on our trip. The resort is situated on the northeastern coast of the island, on Thong Nai Pan Beach. 






The accommodation is in villas, and ours had a small pool and two levels, with our bedroom being upstairs while the kids and lounge room were down stairs.

The villas are spacious and the compound garden is shady, if you need some time out of the sun. There are plenty of luxury touches in form of fresh fruit, complimentary spirits and decor. 

The gardens are gorgeous and the short walk to the restaurants or beach offer a green oasis with colourful flowers, birds and butterflies.

The dining included a sand-floored beach front restaurant and a teppanyaki restaurant, though there are plenty of other options up the beach or in the little village, a minute or two away on foot.






The resort offers kayaks and paddle boards free of charge, and someone had left a boogie board with the activities desk which was perfect for the waves out the front and my youngest child.

There is both a pool for adults only, and one for everyone, with plenty of deck chairs.





We were lucky to get our room before check in and keep it free of charge until we left after my husband's dive at 6pm the following night, so the 24 hour stay seemed like much longer.

We arrived a week after the massive storm and it was still the most pristine and beautiful location we stayed at. We were all so sad to leave, and as we launched into the sunset and back to Koh Samui, there was a contentedness that a holiday is meant to bring.

Koh Phangan is an island 70 km from the mainland or 12 km from Koh Samui. We flew into Koh Samui and added it to our stay there. While it is the fifth biggest island in Thailand, and thousands of tourists descend over night or for the weekend for the parties, it has a small island feel, seemingly rustic and remote. It has an alluring charm that was lacking in the busier tourist spots.

It was definitely the highlight of our week in Koh Samui, and should we get the chance, we'll go back to explore more of this gem of an island, with it's waterfalls, night markets and laid back lifestyle.

While Koh Phangan is famous for the full moon parties, this resort is away from the crowds and has a true remote island paradise vibe. Basically there appears to be a party every weekend - either full moon, black moon, half moon or jungle, so you can work out your timing, or even stay awhile.

Practicalities:

Anantara Koh Phangan
https://www.anantara.com/en/rasananda-koh-phangan

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