Ban Tai on Phangan is a middling beach for those who want to stay close to civilisation and aren’t planning to spend most of their holiday on the beach. There’s plenty of cheap accommodation, good amenities, it’s close to Tong Sala, and has its own supermarket and hospital.
Ban Tai looks decent in good weather, especially when viewed from afar – the photos turn out fantastic. Up close however, it reveals a more complicated beauty: coarse sand with stones in the surf line, broken shells, rocky bottom, shallow water, and the shore in some areas reinforced against erosion with stone barriers.
If the sky is overcast, the beach transforms from a tropical paradise into something dreary and dull. I visited Ban Tai during the rainy season, so there’s very little colour in my photos, but during sunnier times of year the scenery here is much more appealing.
Beach Overview
Ban Tai is located on the southwest side of Phangan. It’s one of the longest beaches on the island, stretching for about 1.2 miles (2 km). Although I can’t tell you the exact length because the edges of Ban Tai blend into Ban Kai in the south and Ao Ban Charu in the west. There’s no clear boundary between these beaches either geographically or in terms of amenities. The shore extends as one continuous winding line without any headlands or rocks.
Along the shore, a road runs parallel to the beach with commercial and residential buildings occasionally interspersed with vacant lots and palm groves. You can drive out of Tong Sala and pass half of Ban Tai without noticing where Tong Sala ended. The beach strip is fairly narrow, but the width varies in different sections from 10 feet (3 m) to 35 feet (10 m).
The sand is mainly coarse and dark in colour with fragments of shells, corals and goodness knows what else, especially noticeable just above the surf line.
Swimming
Despite the shore having a decent slope, just 10 feet (3 m) from the surf line the bottom becomes very gradual. On one hand, this is a nightmare for those who like to swim vertically, so to speak – to have a proper dip. To reach a decent depth you’ll need to walk between 150 feet (50 meters) and 650 feet (200 meters), depending on which part of Ban Tai you’ve thrown down your beach towel.
If it weren’t for the litter on the beach, murky water and underwater rocks, Ban Tai could be called a children’s paradise. Well, at least it’s excellent for photoshoots. When the midday sun’s rays reflect off the bottom, they illuminate these 2 feet (0.5 m) depths of seawater with colours that take your breath away. I’m really sorry I wasn’t able to bring you sunny photos.
And as a consequence of the shallowness, during high tide many areas of the beach become completely flooded. In places where restaurants or resorts are close to the sea, you won’t be able to walk past them on the beach. During high season there aren’t usually strong waves here.
Sunbeds and Shade
There are more than enough sunbeds on Ban Tai, but I didn’t come across any rental spots. Most loungers are set up near resorts and hotels, but there are also places where sunbeds cluster around bars. Basically, if you absolutely need a lounger for beach bumming, you’ll always find one.
The same goes for shade – the entire shore is covered with trees, so finding yourself a palm tree isn’t difficult, though it’s worth noting that shade on Ban Tai only lasts until noon. As you can imagine, the western side of any island has this peculiarity. But from my experience, by midday it gets so hot that it’s the perfect time to move closer to the pool and cold cocktails.
Beach Photos
Amenities
As I mentioned above, Ban Tai’s amenities gradually flow into those of Tong Sala – the main port and administrative centre of the island. Somewhere around the middle of Ban Tai (closer to Ban Kai and Haad Rin), the infrastructure becomes much sparser. While near Tong Sala you’ll find everything from cash machines to supermarkets on both sides of the main road, at the other end of the area you’ll find purely tourist village amenities.
The main development is along the beachfront and near the road. Tourist accommodation is concentrated by the sea, while commercial establishments are near the road. In the centre of Ban Tai there’s a stadium and a branch of Bangkok Hospital, and closer to Ban Kai there’s a small marina for boats and vessels. Ban Tai has Big C and Makro supermarkets and several 7-elevens.
Accommodation
Ban Tai has quite a few highly-rated and pricey hotels and resorts, but there are plenty of inexpensive guesthouses too. During high season or Full Moon Party periods, you can always find a hotel on this beach. By the way, it’s only a 20-minute motorbike or pickup truck ride to Haad Rin where the party takes place – worth noting if you’re going to the party and can’t find vacant hotels on Haad Rin itself or the prices don’t suit you.
I stayed on Ban Tai in this hotel. In my opinion, good value for money. It was very convenient for exploring the island as I could reach any point on the island by motorbike in at most 30 minutes. And personally, I liked being close to Tong Sala and the food market – just 5 minutes to all the eateries and coffee shops.
What’s characteristic of this beach is that there’s a large distance between the main road and the shore, so the main concentration of accommodation is right on the beachfront, with lots of vacant land beyond the road. Given that the beach is quite long, I’ll give you a few more examples of decent hotels, dividing them by location for convenience:
West, closer to Tong Sala. The beach is worse, but prices are lower.
- Sea Gate Beach Resort
- Coco Garden Resort
- The Nidhra
Centre, the best location on the beach, except for the section where there’s a stream bed.
- Summer Luxury Beach Resort & Spa
- Rung Arun Resort
- First Villa Beach Resort
South, slightly more authentic and a bit far from civilisation.
- Sunshine Residence
- House on the Beach
- Papillon Bungalows
How to Find the Beach
Since my plans didn’t include detailed exploration of all 1.2 miles (2 km) of the beach, I accessed the shore at the very beginning of Ban Tai (on the road from Tong Sala), near Beach Resort Hacienda. Actually, the hotel where I stayed was also nearby.
In any case, the current density of development along the coastline still allows you not to worry about where they let you through to the sea without problems and where you’ll have to wave off security guards. So I parked in the Hacienda car park, had a look at their gym and grounds, then calmly walked to the beach. You can see the resort’s location on the map below.
