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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Haad Salad
Skip Haad Salad as a base unless you want a quiet, family-friendly beach with a few resorts and restaurants. One night is enough; otherwise, day-trip from Thong Sala or Haad Rin.
Haad Salad is a calm, west-facing beach on Ko Pha Ngan, lined with a handful of resorts and casual eateries. It's not a party strip — you come here for swimming, sunsets and a slow pace. Most travellers use it as a one-night stop or a half-day visit from busier parts of the island.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Feb–Sep
- Avoid
- Oct–Jan (rainy season, rough seas)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿1,000–1,500 excl. bed · Mid ฿2,000–3,500 excl. bed · High ฿4,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
Get in
By air
- USM · Samui Airport
- Then ferry to Ko Pha Ngan (about 1 h 30 min total)
- HKT · Phuket Airport
- Then ferry via Samui or Surat Thani (4–5 h total)
Typical fares
- Songthaew Thong Sala → Haad Salad
- about ฿100–150 per person (check)
- Scooter rental per day
- ฿200–300 (check)
- Longtail boat to Bottle Beach
- about ฿200–300 per person (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk the beach and the main road. For the rest of the island, rent a scooter (฿200–300/day) or take a songthaew (shared taxi, ฿50–100 per ride).
See and do
Known for
- Quiet, family-friendly beach
- Sunset views
- Snorkelling off the shore
- Resort-style accommodation
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Haad Rin | Songthaew or scooter, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Thong Nai Pan | Scooter or songthaew, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Bottle Beach | Scooter to Ban Chalok Lam, then longtail boat (15 min) | About 1 h |
| Haad Yao | Songthaew or scooter, about 10 min | About 15 min |
| Chalok Lam | Songthaew or scooter, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Thong Sala | Songthaew or scooter, about 20 min | About 25 min |
Sleep
- Haad Salad beachfront
- Resorts and bungalows right on the sand; quiet, no nightlife.
- Nearby hillside
- Cheaper fan bungalows, 5–10 min walk to the beach.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | สวัสดีsawasdee |
| Thank you | ขอบคุณkhob khun |
| How much? | เท่าไหร่thao rai |
| Can I pay by card? | จ่ายบัตรได้ไหมjai bat dai mai |
| Where is the toilet? | ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหนhong nam yoo tee nai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- No ATMs on the beach; bring cash from Thong Sala.
- Sea can be rough in the rainy season (Oct–Jan); check conditions before swimming.
- Scooter rental requires a valid licence; police checkpoints are common.
Haad Salad is safe, but the usual island precautions apply: lock your scooter, don't leave valuables on the beach, and avoid swimming in rough seas.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Haad Salad yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Quiet, family-friendly beach
- Sunset views
- Snorkelling off the shore
- Resort-style accommodation
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Haad Salad, revision 4495496 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4495496
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/haad-salad). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.