Thailand Island Hopping Guide: 5 Nights in Phuket & Koh Phangan
Thailand was the very first stop of our 5-week Asia trip. Between the beaches, island hopping, elephant sanctuaries, night markets, and some of the most unique cafés I’ve ever seen, Thailand ended up being the perfect mix of relaxing, chaotic, beautiful, and unforgettable.
We visited Thailand twice during our 5 week trip — first from March 4th–9th where we explored Phuket, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan, and then again later from March 19th–22nd when we visited Bangkok (which deserves its own blog post entirely because there’s so much to do there).
Our full 5-week Asia itinerary looked like this:
Phuket → Koh Samui/ Koh Phangan → Singapore → Bali → Bangkok → Vietnam → Japan
It’s one of those places where you can spend your morning exploring temples, your afternoon swimming in turquoise water, and your evening eating pad thai at a night market before ending the night at a beach bar.
Best Time to Visit Thailand
Thailand’s weather can vary quite a bit depending on which region you visit, especially when comparing the mainland to the islands.
Overall Thailand Seasons
November to February
This is considered the best time to visit because temperatures are slightly cooler and humidity is lower. It’s also peak tourist season, so expect higher prices and bigger crowds.
March to May
This is when we visited, and wow… it was HOT. Temperatures can easily hit 100°F (38°C+) with intense humidity. We luckily had sunny weather every day with only one burst of rain, but definitely be prepared to sweat constantly.
June to October
Rainy season. August and September tend to be the wettest months, but rain often comes in short bursts rather than lasting all day. You’ll usually find lower prices and fewer tourists during this time, plus the landscapes are extra green and lush.
Months to Avoid for the Thai Islands
For islands like Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, rainy season is usually strongest from September through December.
Getting Around Thailand
Thailand was surprisingly easy to navigate once we figured things out.
- For Phuket, we pre-booked our airport transfer through Klook for around $20 USD, which made arrival way less stressful after 32 hours of travel. It was about a one hour drive from Phuket airport to Patong Beach.
Grab App
- The easiest and safest way to get around was using Grab, which is basically Southeast Asia’s version of Uber.
Scooters
- We also rented scooters in Koh Phangan, which ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. Rentals were super affordable — around $8 USD per day — and easy to arrange.
- That being said… scooters can definitely be dangerous.
- I actually had a mini crash driving mine into a fence (lol). Thankfully I was wearing a helmet because I did hit my head on the ground. The roads can be steep, winding, and chaotic, so if you’ve never driven a scooter before, definitely be cautious.
- Most rental places will keep your passport temporarily until you return the scooter.
Tuk Tuks
- Tuk tuks are everywhere and great for shorter distances, especially around busier areas like Patong Beach.
Renting a Car
- Personally, I would not recommend renting a car unless you’re very comfortable driving internationally and on the left side of the road. Thailand’s roads can be narrow, mountainous, and extremely winding. Both of us got motion sickness multiple times during long drives.
Our approach to getting around was:
- Pre-arrange airport transfers with Klook
- Use Grab app
- Arrange transportation with hotel
- Book excursions with transportation included
- Rented scooters in Koh Phangan
- Walk when possible
It felt way less stressful overall.
Phuket, Koh Samui & Koh Phangan Highlights
Some of our favorite experiences from this part of Thailand included:
- Island hopping through the Phi Phi Islands
- Visiting the Big Buddha in Phuket
- Exploring Patong Beach and Bangla Road
- Feeding and washing elephants at Green Elephant Sanctuary
- Riding scooters around Koh Phangan
- Watching sunsets from beach bars
- Visiting unique cafés such as Ma Doo Bua Cafe
- Experiencing the Full Moon Party atmosphere
Our 5 Night Thailand Itinerary
Day 1: Arriving in Phuket
We flew into Phuket from LAX after what felt like an endless 32-hour travel day. Our pre-booked Klook airport transfer picked us up from the airport and drove us one hour to Patong Beach.
We stayed at Phuket Graceland Resort & Spa and loved it way more than expected. It was affordable but still had full resort vibes. The hotel had beautiful pools, an amazing breakfast buffet that was included, and a perfect location within walking distance to both the beach and Bangla Road.
By the time we checked in around 3:30 PM, we were completely exhausted. We basically just explored the hotel briefly and crashed early.
Day 2: Ma Doo Bua Café, Big Buddha & Green Elephant Sanctuary
Jet lag had us waking up around 5 AM every morning, which actually worked out well because we got to start our days early before the worst heat kicked in.
After breakfast at the hotel, we walked along Patong Beach before deciding to visit one of the coolest cafés I’ve ever seen: Ma Doo Bua Cafe.
The café is famous for its giant lily pond and floating photography setups. It felt incredibly unique and unlike any café I’d ever visited before.
Since it was about a 30-minute drive away, our hotel arranged a private driver for us who waited while we explored the cafe.
Originally, we planned to head straight back afterward, but our driver insisted we stop at the Big Buddha Phuket — and I’m so glad we listened.
The massive white marble Buddha sits high above Phuket with incredible panoramic views of the island. There were monkeys everywhere stealing snacks from tourists, which was both hilarious and slightly terrifying.
One important thing to know for the The Big Buddah:
- The Big Buddah is free but you must dress respectfully to enter temple areas. Shoulders and knees need to be covered. We were wearing shorts and had to buy long skirts (sarongs) at the entrance before going inside.
Later that afternoon, we did an excursion with Green Elephant Sanctuary Park.
This ended up being one of my favorite experiences from the entire trip. The sanctuary focuses on ethical elephant tourism, meaning there’s no elephant riding allowed. Instead, we got to feed, wash, and interact with the elephants while learning about their rescue stories.
The tour included transportation, Thai buffet lunch, professional pictures and water, which made everything super easy. The cost was about $70 USD per adult and lasted around 4 hours.
After getting back to the hotel, we spent sunset swimming in the pool before grabbing drinks and food nearby at Belgian Beer Cafe and calling it a night.
Day 3: Phi Phi Islands Tour
Another early morning started with our hotel breakfast before heading off for our Phi Phi Islands excursion.
The tour picked us up around 8 AM and included:
- Hotel transportation
- Speedboat transfers
- Lunch
- Multiple island stops
Our first stop was the famous Maya Bay, which became globally famous after the movie The Beach.
And yes… it was extremely crowded.
Even though there were tons of tourists, the beach was still unbelievably beautiful with turquoise water and dramatic limestone cliffs surrounding it.
After Maya Bay, we cruised through lagoons and caves before stopping near Monkey Beach where monkeys climbed around the rocks near the boats.
Next was Ko Phi Phi Don where we had lunch and free time to explore. We found a cute beachfront bar with swing chairs, grabbed drinks, and wandered around the island before heading back to the boat.
Our final stop was Bamboo Island, where we had about 1.5 hours to explore on our own.
The tour cost around $80 USD per person and technically advertised itself as an 8-hour excursion, but with hotel pickups and drop-offs it ended up being closer to 10.5 hours.
It was LONG and extremely hot.
If you have extra room in your budget, I’d probably recommend booking a smaller or more private boat tour instead of a large group excursion. Still totally worth it though.
That night, even though we were exhausted, we walked down Bangla Road just to experience the nightlife atmosphere before heading to bed.
Day 4: Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
The next morning, we flew from Phuket to Koh Samui.
Since our ferry to Koh Phangan wasn’t until later in the afternoon, we stored our luggage near the ferry terminal at Haad Rin Queen Ferry and wandered around nearby beaches.
We ended up spending a few hours at Tropikana Beach Bistro, which had such a beautiful beachfront setting and pool.
We booked ferry tickets with 12GO online and our departure ferry was from Haad Rin Queen Ferry in Koh Samui and our arrival station was at Haad Rin Pier, Koh Phangan. The speed boat ride takes 20 to 50 minutes each way depending which ferry you book and it cost around $6 to $20 per person.
After the 30-minute ferry ride to Koh Phangan, we walked about 15 minutes to our hotel, C Villas.
At C Villas, the first room we booked felt a bit hostel-like, but thankfully we upgraded the second night to a private beach bungalow with its own rooftop terrace, which was SUCH a better experience. The hotel also included free breakfast and was walkable to the beaches, the ferry port, Full Moon Party and restaurants.
That evening, the island was buzzing with Full Moon Party energy. Restaurants and bars were setting up everywhere along Haad Rin Beach. The Full Moon Party begins around sunset and continues until sunrise. Tickets are bought in person at the entrance and cost about $6 USD.
Ironically, even though we came for the Full Moon Party… we accidentally slept through most of it after taking an “early nap”.
Day 5: Scooter Day Around Koh Phangan
Since we weren’t hungover like originally planned, we decided to walk over to a scooter rental and rent scooters and explore the island instead — which ended up becoming one of our favorite days.
There’s something so fun about driving around tropical islands with no strict plan and just stopping whenever something looks interesting.
Our first stop was Apichada Viewpoint where we grabbed drinks and relaxed overlooking the ocean and jungle.
Next was 420 Club Phangan, a huge restaurant and bar with bean bags, jungle views, and a super laid-back vibe.
Then we headed to Mae Haad Beach, which has a beautiful sandbar connecting to a tiny island. Walking along it with ocean on both sides was very pretty.
We ate lunch nearby before slowly driving back around the island.
That evening back at our hotel, we stumbled across Sea Side Sunset Bar right on the beach next to our hotel. We ended up staying there through sunset talking with locals and just soaking in the relaxed island atmosphere.
Even though we only got to experience the Full Moon Party up until 730 pm, I think this slower day exploring the island the next day ended up being way more memorable since we originally planned for that day to be a waste due to an assumed hangover.
Day 6: Leaving Thailand for Singapore
On our final morning, we drank coffee on our bungalow rooftop before catching the ferry back to Koh Samui and flying onward to Singapore. This day started pouring down rain while we were waiting for our ferry ride but luckily there was covered areas to wait.
It felt bittersweet leaving Thailand because it already felt like we’d packed so much into only 5 nights.
Final Thoughts on Thailand
Thailand completely lived up to the hype for us.
Between the island scenery, elephant sanctuary experience, beach bars, scooter adventures, temples, and island hopping tours, it felt like every day offered something totally different.
The only real downside for us was the heat. March was extremely hot and humid, and the winding roads occasionally made us car sick, but overall those were pretty minor complaints compared to how incredible the trip was. We just wished we had more time!
If you’re planning your first Southeast Asia trip, I genuinely think Thailand is one of the best places to start. It has the perfect balance of adventure, relaxation, culture, nightlife, and accessibility all in one destination.
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