Buri Rasa Phangan

Rooms

The 65 rooms are designed in a style known as Tropical Modern, with dark-brown wood veneer offset against turquoise and orange cushions and durable upholstery. All have a powerful ceiling fan that’s best at a low setting, and air-conditioning to boot. Lighting is energy-saving, but mostly LED rather than fluorescent. A comfortable kingsize bed is separated from the bathroom by a divider of reclaimed wood from Burma, with a louvred window for marital exhibitionism.

The bathrooms are well-paved in beige terrazzo (that can get a tad slippery), and equipped with all the lotions, unctions and gewgaws you’d expect, nicely scented on the lemongrass spectrum and decanted into earthenware dispensers. Wardrobes hold kimono-style bathrobes in the familiar midget size, plus slippers and an umbrella.

The best are the Ocean Deluxe and Deluxe Sea View rooms, upstairs and down, which needless to say are also the most popular. Of these we would recommend the ones in the extension stretching towards the spit for maximum privacy. From the walkways they have lovely views of the hills and a jungly peninsula out back. The Ocean Front Deluxes and Rasa Ocean Fronts give right onto the beach, with a pair of dedicated loungers out front, while the upstairs Ocean View Deluxes have a nice pitched ceiling. All benefit from something called ‘in-room check-in’ and extra free cocktails.

The rest aren’t at all bad though, if you want something cheaper (Deluxes and Pool View Deluxes). Each has a little sheltered veranda or balcony, angled so that none directly faces another.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Bathrobes
• Cots available
• DVD player
• Fan
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• Slippers
• Toiletries
• Turndown service
• TV
• Umbrella
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast in the airy beachfront restaurant (The Beach Club) is a fairly standard buffet, with reasonably fresh pastries and breads and a selection of artisanal jams, cereals, fruit and salad. Eggs are prepared at a little frying station, while juices slosh around in a fountain. There’s also a pre-cooked Thai selection on chromium-lidded platters.

For dinner you can choose between a seafood barbeque or set and à la carte menus, all reasonably priced. Our lamb shank with a thick gravy and mash was surprisingly good, if slightly on the well-done side of medium, as was crocodile with various bits and bobs. For pudding there was crêpe suzette, a little too promptly produced from the fridge. The 'beach restaurant' is quite literally that, with oil lamps lighting your romantic evening and the sea splashing away at your feet. Three nights a week there’s a dinner show, with fire jugglers or live music. Lunches are available every day - sandwiches, burgers, that sort of thing - and there are a couple of coffee shops in the plaza.

For a change of scene, stroll through the village which hosts an amazing array of restaurants for such a small place. Khrua Isan Ban Hao was our favourite with a Thai masterchef finalist whipping up a tasty Massaman curry and punchy papaya salad. The Street Food Mall hosts a selection of mini kitchens serving up the full gauntlet of Thai dishes - a great place to try the national dish Pad Kra Pao.

Features include:

• Bar
• Kids' meals
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

By day:

• Swim your heart out. The sea is flat as a sheet (except in the worst of the rainy season and the depths of winter), and the beach slopes so you only need to wade a few steps to reach swimmable depth. Or there's the pool
  
• Be massaged in a little pavilion on the beach, or wrapped in mud at the bijou spa, if that floats your boat
  
• Thai cookery classes are on offer, and you can borrow kayaks and jet skis
  
• Experience the jungle at Jungle Experience, with ziplines through the forest canopies
  
• Swim in local waterfalls, or take a longtail boat to one of the quieter beaches or around the islands in the national park
  
• Snorkel and dive. A shop up the road hires out equipment and arranges trips

• Rave at a Full Moon Party on Haad Rin, with 6 billion other ravers. The hotel can arrange transport to Haad Rin, or boats go every 20 minutes from the sister bay of Tong Nai Pan Yai
  
• There’s also a Half-Moon Party in the jungle on the road to Ban Tai, a Dark Moon Party, and a ‘Shiva Moon’ Party that celebrates the waxing or waning sickle moon. So chances are, your stay will coincide with a party
  
• A couple of beach bars on Tong Nai Pan Yai cling to an old-fashioned backpacker vibe - fire shows, techno and all

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cooking classes
• Hiking
• Kayaking
• Nightlife
• Private guided tours
• Scuba diving
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Waterfalls
• Wildlife

Kids

Children are welcome, and extra beds/baby cots can be provided.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can fit 1 extra bed and 1 baby cot. The Deluxe Pool Access bedrooms are ideal for families with children, as they offer direct access to the pool.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Buri Rasa is on Tong Nai Pan Noi beach on the northeastern corner of Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand, near the island of Koh Samui.

By Air:
There is no airport on the island, but it can be reached quite easily from the neighbouring island of Koh Samui, which is served by daily flights from elsewhere in Thailand; click on the links below for a list of airlines.

From the Airport
The easiest option is a hotel transfer - someone will meet you at the airport and take you across to Koh Phangan on a private speedboat, then taxi you to the hotel. Alternatively you can take a taxi to Big Buddha pier, ferry across to Haad Rin then take a taxi.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Thailand and getting around