We’re having the time of our lives here in Thailand! What a place, Koh Phangan is and no, we don’t mean the bit where the Full Moon Parties take place either. 

We’ve been to lots of very beautiful, all relatively peaceful beaches but they all seem to pale into comparison next to ours.

The Secret Beach is not so very secret after all, it turns out. It even has somewhere to park your motorbike and a great Beach Bar with the standard masseurs, ready to pummel you half to death!  The sand is as perfectly white as you can get though and the sea is crystal clear.

Moon Beach was deserted when we went and the temptation to take my cozzie off very nearly got the better of me. Bravissimo swimwear may be brilliant for us ladies who are over-endowed in the boobs department but in order to hold you up and in,  in all the right places, they are extremely tight and restrictive when wet. The double layer tummy holder-inny bit also takes twice as long to dry as your bog-standard bathing costume. Visions of Google images of a 54 year old me with all the accompanying lumps and bumps associated with being a lady ‘d’un certain âge’ who enjoys her food and the odd cocktail or three, stopped me from baring my all, however …..

Hiring the motorbike for a few days has been one of our best moves and I really recommend it. We stopped off at the beach in Haad Yao too but at 97% humidity and with temperatures hovering around the 32° we didn’t stay long. Long enough to see though that it’s yet another quite perfect beach.

One thing we’ve noticed that all these incredible beaches have in common is the lack of thumping music. Our own resort occasionally plays a gentle spa-like music but generally it’s just the lapping of the waves on the beach, cicadas chirupping in the foliage or the sea-breeze whispering through the palms. 

The sunsets here are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Sitting on our balcony here at Beyond The Blue Horizon Villa Resort it’s become our ‘thing’! Shower to freshen up and wash all the saltiness away and then outside for a sundowner watching the sky change colours and the sun drop down into the ocean.

The Art Cafe opposite our resort was a real find and well worth a visit if you’re ever here. Vegan/Vegetarian? Not sure really:but good fresh food, generous portions and as with everything in Thong Sala, the bill won’t exactly break the bank. Books to borrow, floor cushions to cwtch up on, local arts and crafts to admire and buy and even trees growing through the floors and roof!