Visiting the Full Moon party should be at the top of your bucket list when visiting Thailand!
This is a guest blog by Joanna Maj of FourBroadsAbroad, who stayed at Bodega as part of our Creatives Program.
The Full Moon party is known to be one of the craziest parties in the world with around 10,000 attendees every month. This night-long event is tied to the lunar calendar and takes place on Koh Phangan Island, in Haad Rin Beach. We attended the Full Moon Party in May 2019 and found that the cheapest option for us would be to stay in Koh Samui while still attending the party.
Staying on Koh Samui is Cheaper than Koh Phangan for Full Moon Party
- Koh Samui is cheaper in just about every category (bikes, drinks, food, beds)
- More easily acessible than Koh Phangan, with a convenient airport
- Affordable and comfortable transportation to Full Moon Party
- No minimum nights required for booking close to Full Moon Party – most hostels and hotels require 5 nights on Koh Phangan
- Late booking is not a problem: many places in Koh Phangan book early in the season, staying in Koh Samui is less popular so finding a bed will be much cheaper and easier.
- Parties are still unreal! Although quieter than Koh Phangan, there are still many social events constantly happening (especially at Bodega ????)!
Note: It’s important to note the Full Moon Party dates since they change with the lunar calendar. Plan your trip accordingly!
The Bodega Koh Samui Full Moon Party Experience
We stayed at Bodega Koh Samui Party Hostel. We started our commute to Koh Samui Island from Phuket. Here, we took a bus to Donsak Pier in Surat Thani, which was a comfortable 4 hour drive in an A/C coach bus. Once we got to Donsak Pier we boarded our 1.5 hour ferry to Koh Samui.
We would suggest booking transportation through Koh Life. They provide a packaged price for the ferry, speed boat and land transportation in one price.
Ferries from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
Upon checking into Bodega Koh Samui we purchased our transportation tickets to the Full Moon Party. The 1000 baht ticket included a round trip shuttle bus & speed boat to the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan. The transportation to and from the party ran hourly from Bodega Koh Samui with a return starting after 1am.
Pre-Gaming for Full Moon Party at Bodega Koh Samui
Bodega Hostel was a great place to start the party before heading out for the Full Moon festivities. They had affordable drink specials such as a 200 baht bucket. Additionally, UV glow paint was also provided and the bodega staff helped us paint on some crazy cool body art. Bodega is such a social hostel and you can easily make new friends, especially when solo travelling. We met some amazing people during our stay which we attended the party with.
Ferry Service from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
We left for the Full Moon Party at 9pm, with the shuttle and speed boat we arrived in Koh Phangan just before 10:30pm. The transportation consisted of a 15 minute shuttle bus to the pier. Additionally, a 30 minute wait time for the speedboat at the pier, then a 20 minute speed boat ride to Koh Phangan.
The speed boat was new, fully equipped with life jackets, and had high walls and a roof to keep you dry throughout the journey. I was beyond impressed by the service provided by the speed boat company. Workers took their time to make sure everyone was safe on the boat, including handing out life jackets, making sure everyone had a seat on board, and even taking care of overly intoxicated people. It was also great to see that the staff did not try overloading the boat with people. Once the boat was full, they closed the gates and brought over another boat to bring us back to Koh Samui.
Be Cautious of Local Ferry Companies
Another valuable tip to keep in mind; there are many boat companies operating out of Koh Samui that offer transportation to the party. Most of these companies offer a much cheaper price to Koh Phanang usually around 500baht. I would strongly discourage heading to the Full Moon Party with these companies as the boats are much more run down and crowded with people. Many times locals are hired by these companies to operate their personal boats to the party. Additionally it also isn’t the safest option as these boats may not be maintained well and you don’t exactly know what to expect until you arrive at the pier on your way to the party. So if you’re planning to book a shuttle to Koh Phangan without a doubt book it with Bodega!
Full Moon Party on a Shoestring Budget
Overall if you’re on a tight budget in Thailand I would definitely recommend staying in Koh Samui during the Full Moon Party. You can cut costs by a few hundred dollars and save time simply by staying on this neighbouring island. Also the beds are so comfortable at Bodega it would be the perfect way to end a full night of partying!
Cheers! ????
