Things To Watch Out For: Break Ins

Cautionary advice...

Keep an eye on your valuables.

The vast majority of people who visit Haad Rin have an excellent time, but there are a few risks and concerns to look out for which could potentially ruin your visit, particularly over the Full Moon period.

Haad Rin Guide book contains a chapter covering some of these potential risks, physical, financial and otherwise, which you may come across during your stay in Haad Rin.  I should mention that the point of cautionary advice like this is not to make people so worried that they avoid visiting Koh Phangan altogether, but simply to raise awareness of some of the things to watch out for.  Hopefully, this will help ensure that visitors to Haad Rin have a problem-free stay on Koh Phangan and enjoy their visit to its full potential.

Here's one of the entries from the 'Things To Watch Out For' chapter from the Haad Rin Guide Book...

Break Ins

In total, I've spent several years living in Haad Rin and been to over thirty Full Moon Parties, and I've never had a problem with a break in.  However, there was one Full Moon Party when I returned to my room to discover my padlock had been covered in oil.  I presume this was an attempt to force open the lock, but thankfully the padlock remained in place and my room stayed safe.

Map Of Haad Rin Hostels

Before booking your Haad Rin acommodation, check out the locations of all of Haad Rin's hostels.

Haad Rin Guide Book features various maps focusing on the various locations in and around Haad Rin, such as Sunrise Beach, Sunset Beach, Leela Beach, Haad Rin Village, etc.  Also included are maps focusing on a specific theme, such as hostels, hotels and restaurants.

You can check out all of the maps in the Haad Rin Guide Book, but to give you an idea of what to expect, here's a map of the hostels found in Haad Rin.

Unusual Thai World Record Holders

A few world records from Thailand

Thailand holds many official world records, and here are just a few of the most unusual...

1) Most expensive painting by a group of elephants

Artistic world record holding Thai elephants.

I wasn't even aware that there was a world record for the most expensive painting by elephants, but apparently there is and it was set by a group of Thai elephants on 19th February 2005!

Their painting was entitled 'Cold Wind, Swirling Mist' and sold for the price of 1.5 million baht!  At today's exchange rate that equates to a price of around £30,000 or $46,000!  They're clearly some very talented elephants!
Guinness World records: Most expensive painting by elephants

Accommodation On Haad Rin Sunrise Beach

Two top rated resorts, a hostel and a cheaper option.

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.  Home to the Full Moon Party,
but also home to some top rated accommodation.

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Koh Phangan, so if you're a beach lover then a room or bungalow here is ideal.  The northern end of the beach is generally the sunbathing end of the beach, and at night the beach next to Drop In Bar and Cactus Bar is the party end of the beach, so bear this in mind when deciding where to stay.

The first time I came to Haad Rin I found a place to stay right on Sunrise Beach for only 150 baht per night.  That was almost fifteen years ago and admittedly as far as accommodation goes it was a very basic room, but I was just looking for a bed to sleep and little more, so I was very happy with this bargain.

However, since those early days pretty much all of the resorts directly on the beach have invested in more upmarket rooms with more upmarket prices to go with them.  Nowadays therefore most of the resorts directly on Sunrise Beach are aimed more at deep pocketed tourists rather than backpackers on a budget.  There are a couple of reasonably priced options still available on Sunrise Beach though, and if you’re visiting outside of the Full Moon period then the prices become a little more affordable.

Songthaew Taxis On Koh Phangan

Getting to Haad Rin from other areas of Koh Phangan.

A songthaew taxi is a shared taxi truck
with two facing benches of seats in the back.

The island of Koh Phangan has semi-fixed rates for most taxi journeys, but prices seem to be a lot looser than they were a few years ago, and taxi drivers will often ask for a bit more as their opening gambit.

If you’re coming to Haad Rin from Thong Sala or Ban Tai then during the day the price is meant to be 100 baht per person.  From the far end of Sunset Beach to the taxi drop off point in Haad Rin is 50 baht per person.  In the evenings the price can be more, and if you want a taxi to leave immediately, rather than wait for its set departure time, then again you will have to pay more.

Buckets And Fake Alcohol

Cautionary Advice...

The vast majority of people who visit Koh Phangan have an excellent time, but there are a few risks and concerns to look out for which could potentially ruin your visit.  The Haad Rin Guide Book contains a chapter covering some of these potential risks, including 'Buckets' and 'Fake Alcohol'...

Buckets: 

The infamous buckets of the Full Moon Party.

It’s not a regular occurrence, but backpackers have had their drinks spiked at Full Moon Parties and at other times, and the easiest drink to spike is a bucket, so if you are drinking buckets make a point of watching out for each other.  If you get separated from your friends then it's wise to stay off the buckets until you find each other again.

Aside from the small risk of getting spiked, buckets can be quite lethal anyway.  If you've never experienced buckets before, it's therefore wise to take things easy on your first night (or avoid them altogether), and ensure your friends keep an eye on you, as I've seen even hardened drinkers misjudge their tolerance levels and end up spending most of their night ill and being sick.

Other Destinations: Koh Phi Phi

Beyond Koh Phangan: Taking a look at other popular destinations in Thailand.

Long Beach, one of Koh Phi Phi's most beautiful beaches.

As you'd expect, the Haad Rin Guide Book focuses mainly on Haad Rin itself, but the guide book does also include a couple of other general sections relating to Thailand.

One such section is the 'After Haad Rin - Moving On' section, which features a brief round up of some of the most popular destinations that people head to after Koh Phangan.  When writing the round up, I’ve tried to take into account the opinions and preferences of everyone I’ve met over the years in Thailand, and not just rely on my own opinion.

The descriptions for each destination are fairly brief, and only intended to give readers a very basic idea of what to expect.  As an example, here's the entry for Koh Phi Phi...