Haad Rin Beach
Haad Rin sits on a narrow headland at the southeastern tip of Koh Phangan, and it is really two beaches sharing one small peninsula. The eastern strand, Haad Rin Nok — Sunrise Beach — is the wide arc of pale sand that the Full Moon Party has called home since the 1980s. The western strand, Haad Rin Nai — Sunset Beach — is where the speedboats and ferries from Koh Samui dock at the pier. You can walk between the two on foot in a few minutes.
The two beaches set the tone for everything here. Sunrise is the wide, photogenic party stage, lined with bars, restaurants, fire-show crews and late-night clubs; on the night of the full moon it fills with crowds from across the Gulf islands. On regular days it is a genuinely good beach — soft sand, clear water, calm enough to swim in. Sunset is the calmer, more functional side, with the pier, guesthouses and quieter restaurants, and a west-facing sea horizon that puts on a show most evenings.
If your idea of a beach holiday is solitude and snorkelling, Haad Rin is not it. If you want to be in the middle of the action, with food, drinks and connections all within walking distance, this is the island's most self-contained corner. Even visitors based elsewhere often make a day or evening trip to see what all the fuss is about.