Salad Beach
Tucked into the northwest corner of Koh Phangan, Haad Salad is a compact horseshoe of pale sand backed by coconut palms and low green hills. The headlands at either end wrap around the bay and soften the wind, so the water tends to stay calm and glassy even when more exposed beaches are choppy. It is the kind of cove where you wade in, float, and stay a while rather than fight a current.
The snorkelling is the other thing people come for. Those same rocky headlands that shelter the swimming hold coral and a working reef community — reef fish, the odd moray eel, parrotfish turning chunks of coral into sand. It is not a dive site, but for a shore-entry snorkel that costs nothing and requires no advance planning, the edges of Haad Salad are among the more rewarding on the west coast.
The mood is unhurried and low-key. A string of small resorts and beach bungalows line the back of the sand, with a handful of restaurants and Pyramid Yoga a short walk inland, but there is no nightlife circuit here. Because it sits on the west coast, the sun drops straight into the sea most evenings, turning the bay gold and pink. Pair an afternoon swim with sundowners and you have most of Haad Salad's appeal in one sitting.