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HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Business
Languages Spoken
English, Thai
Location
17/14 Moo 8, Ko Pha-Ngan 84280 Thailand
Name/address in local language
Phangan Cove Beach Resort and Restaurant
4.5 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Overall, my 15 year old daughter and I really enjoyed staying at Phangan Cove. As another reviewer said it is definitely not 5 star but in terms of Thai charm it has stacks of it - although if I were being critical I might say that the grounds/gardens are scruffy in places.
The food in the restaurant was lovely (including a vegetarian menu) and the setting is not far from idyllic. A special mention has to go to the young guy who seems to do absolutely everything in terms of being your first port of call (carrying luggage, dealing with queries and repairs, organising laundry requests, serving in the restaurant, undertaking reception duties, etc, etc, etc). Looking at the other properties on this beach I would say it was the best choice.
Some odd things happen, such as the pool steps were mysteriously removed (they broke apparently) and were not replaced quickly (we left 48 hours later and they still weren’t back). As the pool isn’t graduated and has a very high edging (have a look at the photos) this meant that I saw some guests who had hopped into the pool really struggle to get back out again.
We stayed for 5 nights and pre-booked an air-conditioned twin room for the first two nights (with my budget head on) and then the magnificent beachfront bungalow for the last 3 nights (as our one Thailand splurge). The beachfront bungalow has lovely views – having glass across the whole front of it. Likewise, the view from the balcony is amazing too. The bathroom is also a major step up from the other room we stayed in.
However, there is one very important aspect relating to this bungalow of which potential guests should be aware – there is a beach bar, not owned by the hotel, literally within touching distance from the balcony (if you reached out from the side of the balcony you would actually be able to touch the thatched roof of this open sided beach bar). It would seem that the beach bar has been closed for a while but when we were there it was very much open. It also seems as though it is an ongoing dispute between the hotel and the beach bar owner regarding noise.
The reggae music starts around 3pm (not overly loud but it stops you enjoying the lap of the waves – you definitely have no choice other than to listen to the music if you are on your balcony) and on our last afternoon repairs were taking place on the roof from around the same time which resulted in continuous banging – again not conducive to relaxing and enjoying the scenery.
The main problem though is at night. The room itself is not sound proofed in any way and the glass doors have a gap where they don’t touch the wooden floor. The sound from the air conditioning unit largely blocks out the sound of the music but the noise from the people in the bar drives you crazy - continuous “party” noise consisting of laughing, shouting, whooping, etc until around 3am – so loud that they may as well be standing at the end of the bed. Even my daughter who sleeps through our smoke alarm at home could not get any sleep.
After the first night I spoke to one of the owners on the phone (who was aware that the bar is a problem) and she agreed (in response to my asking) that we could stay in the beachfront bungalow but have use of another room for sleeping at no charge (which turned out to be much more basic than our original twin air conditioned room) – this was useful but didn’t take away the disappointment of the beachfront bungalow and it was far from convenient moving of an evening (the second night we moved straight away and on the third night we wanted to try and ride it out ((to avoid the hassle of moving)) but gave up well after midnight and got dressed and moved then).
The owner also gave us the option of moving from the room altogether and have a refund of the difference in room rate but the beach bungalow was the reason we booked Phanghan Cove and at that point we had not experienced the reggae music during the day (nor the roof repairs) and wanted to stay.
On the second day (after the afternoon reggae music started) I emailed (there wasn’t ever anyone officially on reception during our stay – with the exception of Check-In) and asked whether we could have a partial refund as the room really isn’t fit for purpose from 3pm onwards but this was declined (a response finally being received a week or so after we had left). It was pointed out that the second “sleeping” room was available to us free of charge and that we had declined to move permanently. I feel this was a little unfair as we would not have booked the beach bungalow initially (and probably not Phangan Cove itself) if we had been warned that there was a beach bar right next to it – I don’t think it is ethical to sell this room without a warning. A small post-stay refund would have gone some way to easing the inconvenience and disappointment.
Would we recommend Phangan Cove? Overall, yes - you should definitely go. Would I book the beach bungalow again? No definitely not – although the room and the views are beautiful the experience was too stressful and inconvenient.
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Date of stay: July 2018
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for a few days and loved the gardens. There was a mixture of traditional and modern. The owner's sister was lovely: very helpful and attentive. Great location and comfy rooms. It's very close to the town and Orion - perfect for yoga and vegan food.
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Date of stay: July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Absolutely love this resort, have stayed here twice. The accommodation is ideal but what really makes this place stand out is the incredible food, best massaman curry I ever eaten. Food is very reasonably priced for the very high quality. Super friendly family team run the place plus brilliant sunsets! It's a relaxed area, far away from the full moon parties but easy to get there if you want a night out.
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Date of stay: July 2016Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Well I wouldn’t call it a beech resort….far from it! It’s very dated the owner has a massive attitude problem when you complain!! 1. Rooms are ok but smell stagnant, worms appear in shower area obviously come through drain, if there’s a power cut you can’t go to toilet as water is powered by a pump so cistern does not fill. The owner will charge you 300 baht if you dirty her sheets!! 2. The beech only enough sun beds for 4 people, the beech is very stony from old coral definitely not good if you have children, the pics on the web are very misleading. 3. To get to the ‘resort’ off the main road down a dirt track ( beware if you have a buggy) single file as mopeds coming the other way, leading to concrete paths that take you to rooms and reception, more steps and the pool which is more like a paddling pool, and your not allowed in it after 6! 4. Food is basic Thai and overpriced, eat out and you will savour the delights of this island. Book at your own peril!
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Don’t go there
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were in this hotel years ago and we had a very nice experience, unfortunately our experience this year has changed radically!
We booked the most expensive and biggest room of the hotel (sea view). That room is full of holes (parts of the roof and wall are wood) so is always full of insects (ants, cockroaches, etc.)
The furniture of the hotel is destroyed (see the attached pictures), the swimming pool was dirty all the days we stayed, full of insects floating in the water.
The prices of the restaurant are double and even triple times than four years ago with no reason, 90 bath for one coffee (3 dollars). The service is so slow, you must wait always 30 minuts, even for one drink.
There is a night bar next to the hotel. The first night was closed. The second we could ear music but they closed at midnight. Our 3th night was a nightmare: we could not sleep at all because the music and people screaming till 4am.
We had to change to another room on our last night, unfortunately the hotel didn’t refund us the difference of rate between rooms.
We paid 2.600 bath per night for the worse experience ever in Koh Phangan.
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Date of stay: November 2019Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I chose this hotel after reading the great reviews, but I feel I need to balance it with some negatives as well. Indeed, cost benefit is good for the area, as I have visited other bungalows in the same beach and they are all much less charming for the same price. Also the staff is indeed very nice and accomodating and the beach in front of the hotel is nice with an amazing sunset. However.... - Cleaning could be improved. Despite having asked twice, in a week no one removed the old spider webs in my bathroom (see picture) - Access is not great. Differently from the other bungalows at the same beach this one doesn't connect directly to the main road, but you need to take a little detour path. Being a female alone, I didn't feel super safe at night, although the area is considered safe. Should not be a problem if you're in couple or group, still be mindfull of luggage you can't get to the hotel door by car. - Restaurant might be excellent for non vegetarians, but honestly for a vegetarian, there are much better restaurants in the area In summary, it's a correct alternative.
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Date of stay: March 2016
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you do not have too many requirements and do not expect much, then Phangan Cove is sufficient. We have been here for a bit longer and it was okay but next time I would definitely look for an alternative. We as family do not need much but especially when travelling with a baby, it is nice if the places you go to are at least clean- that is probably what bothered me most about the resort. I try to list the positive and negative things below:
Positive: • It is not directly next to the street • It is next to a beautiful beach that is not as crowded as other beaches • Staff is nice and tries to accommodate everything you ask for • Very children friendly • Bungalows are individually equipped with sufficient space • Large beds and the mattresses are not worn (they are actually quite hard, if not too hard) • The food in the restaurant in the resort is good and well presented • Next to the Phangan Cove is the Monkey Bar, the perfect place to relax in the evening
Negative: • The “road” from the street to the resort is hardly existing, very bumpy and hardly illuminated • The bungalows need modernization • The pictures in the internet do no longer reflect reality • The outside furniture is broken and need to be exchanged • The bungalows are not clean and cleaning is done not properly (e.g. mold in the bathroom, spider webs, bed linen had holes and were not exchanged regularly, mosquito nets had holes) • The bungalows do not close properly, meaning there are either cracks in the rooftop or the window frames or the door so that bugs, mosquitos, etc. can easily get in • Beside the many mosquitoes and cases of dengue, the staff does not close the door of the bungalows while cleaning resulting in mosquito hunting every night • The bungalow at the beach next to the Monkey Bar the most expensive one and the noise from the bar can be heard in that bungalow loud and clearly; however, the resort does not proactively inform about it • Sewage water from the shower is just running out of the building into nature, partially on steel sheets laying around which makes quite some noise • Around the resort it is quite dirty and when it is raining heavily, the entrance is flooded • In the restaurant you have to pay for everything including glasses that may have been broken or a little piece of vegetable or fruits for babies • If you pay by credit card, they charge 3% in addition, even for the security deposit which, at least in Europe, is illegal. When addressing the topic, the staff all of a sudden does not speak English any longer.
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Date of stay: November 2019
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Not the sea view bungalow
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was an easy walk from my air-conditioned room to the restaurant and from there, to the pool and the beach. Staff were delightful and the food was good. I particularly enjoyed the swinging seat in the restaurant.
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Date of stay: March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you are not looking to party hard during your stay at Koh Phangan this is a nice place to be! I relaxed there for 10 days, the food is awesome and the price is good! The views of the beach and sunset are breathtaking! It has a beautiful swimming pool and very beautiful restaurant! I really like the owners and the service was really great! I was a solo female traveller and they took good care of me ;) ... The only thing to consider is that the accommodation is very basic nothing fancy and the room was infested with ants:( they could improve the room cleaning.
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Date of stay: December 2017Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stayed here for over a week with a yoga retreat group. the staff are fantastic, very accommodating. the beach is quite nice, and the restaurant has great food too. the rooms are large and comfortable. new, clean, and great smelling linens. for room cleaning, just give your key to the staff. when I left, they made arrangements for me to get to koh tao as they sell ferry/catamaran tickets, same price as at the dock/pier.
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Date of stay: March 2017
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Ko Pha-Ngan area.
PRICE RANGE
$84 - $163 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
ThailandSurat Thani ProvinceKo Pha-Ngan
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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