Dozing beneath a palm tree, the sound of a ceremonial drumbeat breaks the silence as a speedboat carrying a pair of new guests pulls up to the shore.
It doesn’t take long for them to disembark and, soon after, calm is restored once again. I take a sip of my fresh coconut water and exhale.
It’s hard to believe I’m on Koh Phangan, the Thai party island notorious for its raucous backpackers’ rite of passage: full moon parties.
Once a month, the island welcomes as many as 30,000 tourists, who arrive ready to party from dusk until dawn on the golden sands of Haad Rin on the island’s south-eastern peninsula.
Covered in neon paint, partygoers slurp from alcohol-filled buckets and skip over flaming ropes, while dancing on the beach. But here on the north-eastern coast, there’s not a wild-eyed backpacker or booming sound system in sight. The only clues of Koh Phangan’s boisterous side are party posters pinned to the occasional palm tree.
Lauren Probert explores the quieter, north side of Thailand’s Koh Phangan. She says: ‘This is a far cry from roughing it backpacker-style’
But surrounded by lush jungle, the five-star Anantara Rasananda, where I am staying, is a secluded oasis.
Located on the white sands of Thong Nai Pan Noi beach, the resort sits at the end of a small village of the same name, where therapists perch outside salons ready to dish out £6.50 massages and tourists pop in and out of stylish coffee shops and the local art gallery.
This is a far cry from roughing it backpacker-style. The friendly hotel team greets us (me and my fiancé Josh) with a refreshing cold towel and a warm smile. Our ‘personal host’ Kae is on hand for anything we need, such as booking restaurants and taxis.
Lauren checks into Anantara Rasananda (seen here), which is located on the white sands of Thong Nai Pan Noi beach
Lauren says the rooms at Anantara Rasananda are ‘decadent’. Pictured here is an Ocean Pool Suite
Rooms are decadent. Ours faces the ocean and comes with an indoor/outdoor shower, private plunge pool and bamboo, rattan and palm furnishings. Other guests are mostly couples, a mix of old and young, and a few families (though, thankfully, there’s a designated adults-only pool).
You won’t find any hotel disco or children’s entertainers here. This resort is about calm, serenity and dining with sand between your toes.
Away from Rasananda, a feeling of calm pervades. As we hop between bars with beanbags and hammocks, we find most places on this side of the island close early. In these parts, many restaurants are so laidback and homely you’re required to leave shoes at the door.
Above is the uninhabited island of Koh Ma. Lauren notes you can walk to the island along a strip of sand at low tide
Locals are pleased that Koh Phangan – situated within the Gulf of Thailand – is slowly shaking off its party image.
‘The full moon parties are mostly popular with young people,’ our waiter says as he serves us drinks as we recline on beach beds. ‘They head to the south of the island and tend to stay there. Here, people come to relax and enjoy the beautiful beaches and calm seas.’
Mae Haad Beach, on the island’s northwest side, is a good spot for swimming and snorkelling. Here, the beach ends with a sandbank that connects to the tiny, uninhabited island of Koh Ma, which you can walk to at low tide.
Lauren (pictured) says that in Koh Phangan’s north a ‘feeling of calm pervades’
We got there on a traditional, colourful longboat, a half-hour journey across the blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand, taking in the pretty view at remote Bottle Beach along the way. At Mae Haad, the sea is warm and, beneath the surface, you are treated to an abundance of patterned coral and tiny, shimmering fish.
Back at the hotel, two-hour Thai cooking classes are offered. These are held at an outdoor kitchen, overseen by chef Yadfa, who talks you through the essential Thai herbs and spices: lemongrass, galangal, chili and kaffir lime leaves.
You learn how to knock up a Thai fishcake, a massaman curry and tom kha gai, a coconut chicken soup. Then you get to devour the delicious lot.
The cooking is a humbling experience, though. Despite best efforts, my slicing is haphazard and presentation leaves much to be desired.
The rest of our days are spent relaxing – enjoying lazy lunches on the beach, swimming, and kayaking to the local bay to watch as the sun sinks slowly into the watery horizon.
It turns out Thailand’s famous party isle might just be its most relaxing.
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