– Kids Are Welcome –
Srithanu is a town located in the western part of the Koh Phangan island and is about 25 minutes drive from Thong Sala. This is the region most Westerners who moved to Koh Phangan chose to settle in. They say that community life is comfortable and it’s fun to raise children there. The main reason we chose to arrive at Srithanu was because I imagined we could connect to all kinds of community events, let Itay meet some local children and enjoy the beach quietly. I guess I imagined something like a big neighborhood on the beach where everyone shared one common space where the children played and the adults exchanged pots of homemade food, gathered for common dinners and sat and watched sunsets on the beach together. Something that looks like this:
But not. There is no one area where everyone lives and what is certain is that most of the houses are not located on the seashore. More than that, everything is very scattered in Srithanu, so much so that you have to have a vehicle to move around if you do not want to walk anywhere between 10 minutes and an hour in the blazing sun of Thailand. You can call the stay in Srithanu as an “urban” experience – to hang out with a motorcycle from place to place, many restaurants and a variety of kitchens, yoga and body-health places. Not quite the experience that comes to mind when you think of Thailand.
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Local Gathering in Srithanu
Regarding the sunset, the locals did not disappoint.
The only gathering I found was in Zen Beach. Every day at five in the evening the beach fills with people coming to see the sunset, chatting with the neighbors and drinking some cocktail or beer from the single bar on the beach that serves only drinks. Usually, a bonfire is organized and a circle of drummers is created around it.
It was also the only place we booked a place to stay in Koh Phangan in advance. A beach hut, friends’ of a friend who live there for a few months a year, and the rest of the time they rent to travelers. This was our home base and from there we wandered around Srithanu area.
GETTING AROUND SRITHANU
To get around the Srithanu area it is better to hire a motorcycle/scooter. It sounds scary to someone who is not used to riding a scooter in his daily life, especially if traveling with children, and I admit that I also said back home that there is no chance we will rent a motorcycle with the kid. But at the moment of truth, I gave up when I realized it was either a motorcycle or by foot. Of course, if you insist you can rent a car, preferably 4X4 or a high vehicle. But for those who have a bit of experience, there is nothing to fear.
The motor-bike is very convenient for travel, the roads are comfortable and slightly rough, so there is no danger of slipping when it’s raining and everyone is driving very calmly and safely. Most riders do not even wear a helmet. If you travel carefully and do not go wild you will be safe. If you ride with children, you sit them between the two adults, like cute pastrami in a sandwich. I got used to it very quickly, and soon I developed methods to hold Itay with one hand when he fell asleep (and usually he slept on the rides) and with the other hand to hold both of us and also to navigate with the phone in the hand while Yonatan drove and we were behind him.
Our Flat Tire Event
On one of the trips back from Thong Sala we discovered that we had a flat tire on the rear wheel. Maybe we would not even realize if a friend would not drive right behind us and notice. It was already night time and our luck was that he was traveling with us and we were not far from Srithanu. I and Itay moved to the friend’s motorcycle and Yonatan drove slowly to the town. We left the motorcycle near a restaurant and the next morning we dealt with a problem. What I’m learning is that you must have someone’s phone number that can come to help if you get stuck with the motorcycle anywhere at any hour and it’s worth discussing it with the man who is renting you the vehicle.
*Side Note: We received a recommendation to bring a bicycle helmet for Itay from home because there are no helmets for children. In fact, as I wrote in the preparations post, in each place we rented there was a selection of helmets for children of different sizes, so we just carried a helmet from the home that had taken up a place in our suitcase.
So where to go, that must be the obvious question?
WHERE TO GO
Beaches
Zen Beach: In our case, Zen Beach was outside the door so we did not have to wander :).
Zen Beach is a relaxed and open beach with shallow water for a pleasant slosh. In September the beach was quite empty during the day and filled, as mentioned, towards sunset. There are one bar and one restaurant on the beach, which as of September 2018 was undergoing renovations.
I discovered the beauty of this beach on our last day in Srithanu, which was also my birthday. After almost a week of wandering, I felt tired of moving and wanted to sit down and finally enjoy the fact that we have a house on the beach.
Yonatan very much enjoyed riding the motorcycle and so we went to explore the surroundings quite a bit, maybe more than I would like to. In general, I’m the kind who likes to get “stuck” in one place and not jump around. Through years of traveling, I discovered that the places I embrace for long periods make me happier. In fact, until that day we avoided this beach precisely because it was deserted most of the day, and we foolishly, instead of enjoying having our own private beach just outside the door, ran away from it all the time.
Secret Beach: The number of people arriving at this beach contradicts its name. It is not particularly crowded but with such a name I would expect only some infiltrators who had to cross mountains and jungles to reach it.
The secret beach is a small, cozy and comfortable beach located north of the Srithanu area. There is one restaurant serving nice food and one bar. The bottom line was that we did not feel we had found a jam.
More beaches north of Srithanu: Haad Yao, Had Tian and Haad Salad, to which we did not arrive but we heard they are beautiful and worth a visit or even a few nights stay.
Also, you can drive to Haad Rin – about an hour away. We visited a friend who lives in the area. We actually went to Coco Hut Resort. On this trip to Thailand, Itay discovered swimming in the pool and as mentioned, we tried to reach places with pools, this is why Coco Hut. I think all the hotel guests were Israelis. The atmosphere in the hotel was heavy, guests of the rooms surrounding the pool played their own music that took over the music playing in the pool complex. We let Itay splash for some time in the hotel pool and we pretty much ran away.
Actually, we have gone through Haad Rin a few times during our trip. And I have to say, something happened to this place. It may have been right after the Full Moon party, but the place was empty. On my previous occasions in Thailand, even during the same season, I was in different periods of the month (once I stayed for 3 weeks) and the place was full of life all day long. True, towards the full moon it was getting fuller, but it did not feel abandoned on any other day. This time it looked like a ghost town: the empty Sunrise Beach and empty restaurants during lunchtime.
Pool
Loyfa Natural Resort: When you want to spend a day in the pool, Loyfa is a great choice. There are two pools in the resort, one large and central and one smaller, which is more suitable for small children but big enough for the adults to enjoy it too. Both pools overlooking the sea. The small one is located a bit on the side of the resort and most of the time is quite empty. Next to the pool is a bar and a restaurant and we preferred to spend our time in this complex. We spent whole days swimming by the pool (one of us, the other jumped with Itay to the water) and drinking excellent cocktails, the best we had to taste on this trip.
Entrance to the pool costs 150 baht per adult, which includes a bottle of water and beach towels.
*Side Note: We checked out some hotels in the area with a pool and this was the best choice by far. We looked for pleasant, spacious pools, with a shallow area for the little ones, with shade by the pool and a view of the sea. Another place that met all criteria was Sunset Cove Resort in Haad Chao Phao, but they do not allow guests to enter, even not for a fee. If a pool is something that interests you, you can consider staying at this hotel (I can not vouch for the hotel itself and the rooms). Another hotel with a good pool is Sea Garden Resort, not far from the previous.
Beach Clubs
Beach clubs seem to be breeding in Koh Phangan. And what is a beach club? Beach Club is a complex with lots of seating/lounging/lay areas with restaurants and bars. Few beach clubs also feature a small selection of restaurants and even small boutique shops. Some have large swimming pools and children’s play facilities. Part of them are adjacent to hotels. All have access to the beach, of course.
Sunset Walk at Baan Tai Beach is a new designed, large, spacious and cozy club. It is located south of Thong Sala. The club has several seating areas, a more intimate area closer to the beach, and a slightly elevated area above the beach that is more suitable for families or large groups. It features several different restaurants and bars and small climbing park for children.
We spent a hole afternoon in the place. It was a long and pleasant stay. Itay built puzzles comfortably on the big table while Yonatan peacefully snoozed by his side on a lounge mat.
But there was something weird in the atmosphere. Most of the time the place was empty. We felt that the staff is too new and not experienced enough. The music was poppy and jumpy disproportionate to the atmosphere and the number of people that were there. Perhaps it was the low season, perhaps it is remotely located from the travelers’ beaches, or maybe the place was still new and not really familiar or had not found the right balance for its customers.
The place has a big potential to be a real paradise.
INFINITY Beach Club: This is a complex adjacent to a hotel of the same name and located south of the Sunset Walk. It has a spacious beach and a large and really fun pool. Double beds on the lawn around the pool. A bar-restaurant operating in the place. The staff is pleasant and the place much more comfortable and pleasant than the previous one despite being older. Something in his atmosphere was more correct and more suitable for the region and the season. We enjoyed our stay there and regretted that we had only arrived at the end of the day and didn’t have more sunny hours to spend in the club.
A Person Has to Eat
*Side Note: Most of the restaurants serving non-local dishes (such as Italian or American food) do not really reach the level of restaurants from these kitchens in the West, so my opinion of the various restaurants may not seem enthusiastic. I try to compare to the absolute level of all the restaurants/dishes out of my experience.
Loccos PizzaBar: Very small and very good Italian restaurant. We visited it several times. The owner, she is Italian and he is from South America, and the stuff, from all over the world, are very nice. The conversation with them is always flowing and we have learned a lot of funny facts about the place or places each of them came from. They have delicious pizzas, we also had there a good lasagna. One of the benefits of the restaurant is that it is open until 23:00 at night. Other restaurants in the area close at 22:00. It was a great discovery on my birthday when we stretched time and felt that we had lost the evening and all the places were closing.
Next year the restaurant is moving to a new and spacious location across the street.
Cookies Cafe: Excellent coffee shop for varied breakfasts. We ate there every morning and did not even think about trying other places.
Nok’s Kitchen: Local restaurant with good Thai food. This is the restaurant we left the motorcycle near on our flat tire experience and this is how we discovered it.
EAT.CO: Recommended vegan restaurant. A large variety of dishes. Not only for vegans.
Il Barracuda: Another Italian restaurant. It is considered a good restaurant. The barracuda dish should be the flagship dish of the place. The dish does not really justify naming the restaurant after it, the fish simply wrongly made. I think they do not really know how to make fish dishes. They are not bad but do not justify the hype. Their pizza is not bad.
Can Avoid
Sunshine Restaurant: A new, clean, cozy hamburger restaurant. They missed the concept of hamburgers. It looks great but its taste and texture are more like a spiced cooked beef than a hamburger. There was something so strange in the taste that we were afraid the meat was spoiled. I should note that there were no intestinal events observed following the visit.
Market
Sunday Walking Street Market: Thong Sala Saturday evening market takes place from 18:00-22:00. A market with clothing stalls, souvenirs and, of course, food.
Party
Seaboard Bungalows in Haad Yao: Every Wednesday at the hotel’s beach held a nice party and small art fair. The party starts relatively early and is therefore suitable to arrive with children.
Side story: The locals have a thing with stamps. They give in the change in stamps, at least that’s what I thought at first. Every time I went to buy something in 7 eleven, I got a change and stamps. I looked at the stamps and thought to myself, who in these days is still using this strange thing, and so extensively that people think it makes sense to give it as change.
Then we sat in the Italian restaurant, Loccos PizzaBar, and while the kid was busy with something and was not ready to leave yet I went to buy some snacks to have at home and came back with cash and stamps. As the waitress (originally Australian) saw the stamps she “jumped” on us and asked if we needed them. Of course, I had to understand why she wanted them.
So it turns out that this is something like once the kids would paste pictures of soccer players in the booklet and after it was full they would get something. So here too. There is a page that you fill with bingo stamps and in the end you get some nonsense. It turns out that it runs really popular here. Waiters prefer stamps over tip.
After this incident, we began to encounter more people interested in our stamps. Finally, I also discovered that they could be paid back in 7 eleven (twice that helped me when I did not have enough money in my wallet).
So far on the Srithanu area. If you are interested in other things about the region you can write in the comments below and I will gladly answer any questions.
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