Mae Haad Beach
Mae Haad Beach
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
580 reviews
Excellent
251
Very good
199
Average
90
Poor
23
Terrible
17
_yungwizard
Pushkar, India7 contributions
Feb 2023
The water is clean with surprisingly decent snorkelling. A cool novelty to have a sand bar connecting the two islands. Good water depth for swimming with a reasonably priced bar at the beach so you can spend a little extra time there without supplies.
Written February 23, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
111111james
185 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
Walk past the resort right to the end of the beach for peace and quiet. Around the resort it’s obviously full of that ilk of people so if your a traveller, walk past them and enjoy the beach further down where there is a chilled bar. If you fancy the nudist beach you can walk through the rocks to a private beach. The snorkelling is not great here but it’s positioned greatly for the morning sun unlike some other beaches. Great swim if you don’t like deep waters like me. Well worth a visit and some great shots available
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jim G
Wakefield, UK303 contributions
Mar 2020
Slightly coarse sandy beach with shallow waters but beware sea urchins. Quiet when we were there. Walked across to the island. Unusually sunbeds and umbrellas for hire at reasonable price. Had an enjoyable light lunch at the restaurant on beach adjacent to sunbeds.
Written April 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Julian
Ko Lanta, Thailand54 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
In my opinion you can't really enjoy the stay there because of the amount of people hanging around at this beach. There are definitely better beaches in Koh Phangan that aren't that crowded as well. The water is dark and milky and the sand is just shell shards and dead corals. Go to other beaches! The scenery is beautiful though but like I said you can't really enjoy it there.
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Cynthia Tarab
Geneva, Switzerland44 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We came here to see the famous path that joins the 2 islands but were really disappointed. Touristic place, crowded with big resorts and restaurants on the beach. We walked in the water (as everybody does) but it’s not useful, especially since there is nothing on the other side.
Written February 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Peekaboo
475 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Not the best beach we've seen on our travels, water was murky and full of seaweed. We walked across the sand bar to Koh Ma and we instantly regretted it. Place had limited access and had mounds of rubbish washed up on it. Would skip this area, far nicer spots on the island
Written April 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Scoogan
Copenhagen, Denmark153 contributions
Jul 2017
Went there for snorkling and was disappointed at first. The corals are so close to the beach (not even hip-deep) that I was not able to enjoy it for fear of cutting my legs or stomach.
BUT then I learned the trick: Walk along the left side of the abandoned Ko Ma Island and go in to the water from the rocks. 100 times better. Wear shoes or flippers because of the rocks. Also very shallow at first, but it gets great about 10metres out. Amazing.
It is Where all the boats stop.
Enjoy!
BUT then I learned the trick: Walk along the left side of the abandoned Ko Ma Island and go in to the water from the rocks. 100 times better. Wear shoes or flippers because of the rocks. Also very shallow at first, but it gets great about 10metres out. Amazing.
It is Where all the boats stop.
Enjoy!
Written July 20, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Samantha H
Sydney, Australia29 contributions
Sep 2015 • Couples
Decided this was a must see based on the other reviews but was really let down. The sand bar across to the island was covered in debris and rubbish, the sand is really coarse and unpleasant to walk and lay on and the snorkelling was pathetic. Really murky water and only saw maybe five little fish the whole time, plenty of sea cucumbers though. Maybe we were just unlucky and came at a bad time, but we found there are much nicer beaches and snorkelling spots on the island. Wouldn't waste my time going again.
Written September 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Rassinda
Atyrau, Kazakhstan131 contributions
Aug 2017
Picturesque, quiet beach. Unfortunately due to weather conditions visibility was not good enough for snorkelling. There are some nice accommodation choices here but very little to do other than sunbathe, swim and eat.
The taxi mafia on Ko Phangan make it very expensive to move around, it cost us almost the equivalent of a nights accommodation (800 THB) to get from Shiralea, Haad Salad to Thong Sala (main town) and back. When you equate this to a 30 min airport pick up/drop off, in a private taxi in Bangkok is 500 THB, it really is ridiculous. The service is terrible, you cannot book specific times and generally (unless you want to pay even more) have to wait for the pick up to load with others. There are no tuck tucks or private taxis.
There is no other option for transport unless you are prepared to hand over your passport to rent a scooter or car, which is also quite expensive and a potential scam, you may have to pay a ransom to get your passport back.
I believe that there are legitimate, well known car hire places based at Surat Thani airport. It maybe worth hiring from there and getting the car ferry to Ko Phangan.
The island has some beautiful beaches and full moon parties for the young crowd, but we will not be visiting again. The taxi mafia made a bad start to our stay, nobody likes to feel that they are being ripped off. There are much nicer Thai Islands with beautiful beaches, better snorkelling and diving opportunities and actual wild life that is free, not captive trekking elephants for tourists.
The taxi mafia on Ko Phangan make it very expensive to move around, it cost us almost the equivalent of a nights accommodation (800 THB) to get from Shiralea, Haad Salad to Thong Sala (main town) and back. When you equate this to a 30 min airport pick up/drop off, in a private taxi in Bangkok is 500 THB, it really is ridiculous. The service is terrible, you cannot book specific times and generally (unless you want to pay even more) have to wait for the pick up to load with others. There are no tuck tucks or private taxis.
There is no other option for transport unless you are prepared to hand over your passport to rent a scooter or car, which is also quite expensive and a potential scam, you may have to pay a ransom to get your passport back.
I believe that there are legitimate, well known car hire places based at Surat Thani airport. It maybe worth hiring from there and getting the car ferry to Ko Phangan.
The island has some beautiful beaches and full moon parties for the young crowd, but we will not be visiting again. The taxi mafia made a bad start to our stay, nobody likes to feel that they are being ripped off. There are much nicer Thai Islands with beautiful beaches, better snorkelling and diving opportunities and actual wild life that is free, not captive trekking elephants for tourists.
Written August 31, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Emblenworldtour
Weymouth, UK26 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
Our 3rd time back here and despite the huge amount of building work going on (we loved those old huts) the beach is still amazing, water crystal clear and the reef, so close in is a joy to behold.
There are far more boat trippers these days and it may get very, very busy once the new hotels are built but it is still stunning.
There are far more boat trippers these days and it may get very, very busy once the new hotels are built but it is still stunning.
Written March 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Seaside735326
Hamburg, Germany55 contributions
Wie stehen die Chancen beim schnorcheln Schildkröten zu sehen ? Oder gibts da einen besseren Ort? Danke!
Antoine S
Corsica, France38 contributions
hello, i have not seen turtles in ko ma and mae haad. only fishes. i think i practiced snorkelling not far enough. (i was with my sons). To be sûre, ask To local people. it is the best solution. there is a lot of people who organize snorkelling outing. in wang sal ressort, a man sell diving equipment and give goods advices. i am sure that people like him know where you can see them. best regards
N B
Dubai, United Arab Emirates15 contributions
anyone know if all the beach construction is still going on? which end of the beach or bungalow/hotel is not near construction (any)?
going in early June and i really don't want to stay on a construction site.
Jim P
Taling Ngam, Thailand6,401 contributions
I was there a couple of weeks ago (end of Sept 2017) and stayed one night, there was not much construction noise, that was noticeable . A lot of the build is done, although still a little more to do. New restaurant area now being constructed, on the north side of the current office and restaurant.
Beach area is groomed every morning by an army of workers. The beach area remains unspoiled, but a dramatic change to the old bungalow many who stayed in the past will remember.. but well done, I think.
Currently very good deals on the rooms, I am not sure how long that will last, certainly very up market and well designed.
This is referring to what used to be "Island View Cabana", which is now Koh Ma Resort and Spa. It's like a small village, tastefully done!
There are other resorts along the beach to choose from.
Mae Haad Beach (Ko Pha-ngan) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Mae Haad Beach
- We recommend booking Mae Haad Beach tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 3 Mae Haad Beach tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Mae Haad Beach:
- (0.04 mi) Wang Sai Resort
- (0.04 mi) Mae Haad Beach View Resort
- (0.09 mi) Mae Haad Cove Bungalow
- (0.04 mi) Mr.J Bungalow
- (0.12 mi) Koh Ma Beach Resort & Spa
- Restaurants near Mae Haad Beach:
- (0.12 mi) Mae Haad Cove Bungalows Bar&Restaurant
- (0.32 mi) Mae Haad Tree House Bar & Restaurant
- (0.17 mi) Island View Cabana
- (0.68 mi) Ying Ying's Kitchen
- (0.93 mi) Jumpahom Restaurant