There are two Haad Rin beaches on Koh Phangan. The smaller Haad Rin Nok is where the monthly Full Moon Party takes place, I’ve already written about all of this here. The larger beach is Haad Rin Nai which, unlike its party-loving namesake, is much quieter and not entirely swimmable.
Almost half of the right side of Haad Rin Nai lies beneath steep mountain slopes, the beach is often interrupted by stone formations or simply divided by rocks into small mini-beaches. The centre and left half are fairly developed and even have their own pier with an artificially created harbour.
Beach Overview
I can’t tell you the exact length of Haad Rin Nai, it’s about 1 mile (ΠΎΠ΄ΠΈΠ½ ΠΈ a half ΠΊΠΈΠ»ΠΎΠΌΠ΅ΡΡΠ°). The thing is, on the right it somewhat imperceptibly transitions into Ao Hin Lo beach, and even the Thai locals couldn’t tell me exactly where this happens, so the division is quite arbitrary. Ao Hin Lo then transitions into Ban Tai, but we’ll get to that later.
Haad Rin Nai faces southwest and offers a magnificent view of Koh Samui and the sunset sky. By the way, both Haad Rins are sometimes distinguished in conversation as Haadrin Sunset Beach and Haadrin Sunrise Beach.
The width of the beach and even the sand composition at Haad Rin Nai also differ from Haad Rin Nok, as the geographical position of both beaches on opposite sides of the cape in this part of the island has an impact. The beach here is so narrow that in some areas, high tide almost completely covers all the sand.
The owners of nearby resorts were even forced to reinforce the embankment against erosion by creating low stone and cement walls. At the same time, this architectural approach delicately separates the private territory of the resort from the public beach.
This beach is worth considering primarily for accommodation during the Full Moon Party. You’ll be very close to all the action, but prices are lower. On other days too, I found prices to be lower here.
Swimming
The sand at Haad Rin Nai is dark yellow, coarse, with a large number of coral fragments and stones. The bottom is rocky practically along the entire length of Haad Rin Nai, though it’s been cleared in places near some resorts. The shore slopes gently into the water, meaning it remains fairly shallow even at high tide. Shoulder-deep water starts about 33 feet (10 ΠΌΠ΅ΡΡΠΎΠ²) from the shore. Waves typically only occur when there’s a strong wind.
Sunbeds and Shade
As I’ve already mentioned above – the narrowness of the beach doesn’t allow for proper beach relaxation. All sunbeds are on resort territory, and that’s where most of the shade is too. Occasionally on the beach, you’ll find varieties of mangrove trees, sometimes with hammocks hung from them. I stayed in the central part of Haad Rin Nai and then moved left, closer to the pier and Haad Liila.
I decided not to venture to the right part of the beach because it’s quite difficult to navigate around the rocky capes via the sea, and going around from above is no less tiring. But visually, even from the photos, you can see that there’s a decent amount of greenery growing there, which mixed with the rocks provides good natural shade.
Beach Photos
Opposite Sunset Beach Club Hotel
Opposite Charung Bungalow
Near the pier
Amenities
In this part of Koh Phangan, there’s a relatively flat surface between the mountains on the main part of the island and a lone hill at its southernmost point. So all the infrastructure of both Haad Rins is essentially located on this flat patch. Small Haad Rin is the party centre of all Phangan, and I’d say that infrastructure in this area is probably the third most developed, after Thong Sala and Chaloklam.
I won’t list all the buildings present, but in general: there’s everything needed for a holiday or long stay, from massage to shops, there’s even a 7-Eleven. Haad Rin Nai adjoins the flatland at its left edge, starting from the centre of the beach. The pier is located there too. And the right part of the beach, from the centre, mainly consists of resorts and standalone villas.
Among the attractions at Haad Rin Nai, there’s a decent water park – Koh Phangan Water World.
Accommodation
There’s a very large selection of accommodation, I must say, for a beach of this size and geography. The centre and left part of the beach are occupied by resorts in a solid wall, except for the area around the pier. And the right half of the beach, after the water park, is a steep mountain slope that’s quite difficult to build on, but there are still several places worth noting.
- Blue Hill Beach Resort by LePalais Hotel
- Phangan Pearl Villa
- Sunset Beach Club Hotel
- The Coast Resort Koh Phangan
- Buri Beach Resort
- Sea Breeze Resort
- Angkor Wat-style Le Palais Hotel
By the way, I walked around the grounds of Sunset Beach Club Hotel and personally liked the look of everything, plus it has a good rating.
Here’s another selection of sensible guesthouses and resorts with average prices and decent ratings to help potential Full Moon partygoers. Options for 1-3 nights where you can drop your backpack at Haadrin:
- Black & White Bungalows
- Starlight Haadrin Resort
- Coral Bungalows
- Mr. Black Resort
How to find the beach
Finding Haad Rin Nai is just as easy as finding Haad Rin Nok. You need to drive along the main road to the corner 7-Eleven marked on the map below, then turn right. But basically, from the moment you pass Le Palais, any right turn from the main road will lead you to the sea, you’ll just have to leave your bike in the resort car park and walk to the beach.
For example, I easily passed through the territory of Charung Bungalows.
