Holiday Phangan

I’ve never felt less safe anywhere. At night, intoxicated guys came into the room, talking loudly and moving around. This felt like a hostel where certain “chosen” people could just walk in and crash. I was afraid for my physical safety and stayed awake all night. As soon as the sun came up, we left.

The mattresses were actually good, and the rooms were okay. Noise is to be expected at this location. But the showers and bathrooms were disgusting, with no excuse for how they were kept. The ground-floor bathrooms used by the bar were in good shape, while I couldn’t tell when the hostel bathrooms had last been cleaned. Stinky, dirty, disgusting.

We booked fairly last minute for the full moon party, when there weren’t many options left that weren’t crazy expensive, so I was pleasantly surprised by this hostel. The staff were really nice, the beds were big for a hostel, and the location was handy. It’s a five-minute walk from the pier, with lots of restaurants, bars, and cafes nearby. We got off the ferry around 9:30am and they let us check in straight away because everyone else in our room had already left. Being able to leave our bags before heading out was great. They also helped us rent scooters from a place down the street. The scooters weren’t the best, but the people were nice and the price was fair. It’s a bit far from good beaches, including the full moon party beach. The bathrooms, especially the showers, could’ve been cleaner, and there wasn’t much to hang things on. Sound travels through the building: dogs barking outside sounded like they were inside, and we could hear every word in the hallway. Lockers only fit valuables, and my friend found her key opened mine too, so I’m not sure how trustworthy they were. When the bar downstairs is closed, the only way to the rooms is through a narrow alley where water was always dripping from the overhang. The stairs are incredibly steep. Still, it wasn’t a bad stay, especially during the full moon party.

What made our stay exceptional was the host, who was ready to help with everything and gave 110%. We’d picked the place mostly for the location and price, so we were pleasantly surprised by the rooms too. They were nice, with good air conditioning and comfortable beds.