Staying in Haad Rin: hostels, bungalows and resorts at the Full Moon Party beach

86 accommodations

Haad Rin (also Had Rin, Hat Rin or Haadrin) is the peninsula at the southern tip of Koh Phangan, 12–15 km and 25–45 minutes from Thong Sala over the steepest road on the island. It has two beaches back to back: Haad Rin Nok, or Sunrise Beach, the long, fine-sand, north-east-facing beach where the Full Moon Party takes place every month, and Haad Rin Nai, or Sunset Beach, the smaller west-facing one with the Haad Rin Queen pier from Samui and the quieter resorts. Between them lies the village, a grid of bars, hostels, tattoo parlours, 7-Elevens and travel agents around the junction known as Chicken Corner. On the west flank of the peninsula, the small cove of Leela Beach (Haad Seekantang) is the calm exception with a couple of resorts on the sand.

Should you stay in Haad Rin?

Stay here if you are coming for the Full Moon Party and want to walk home at dawn, if you want the biggest choice of hostels and cheap bungalows on the island, or if you like a village with restaurants, night market and bars every night of the month, not just on party dates. Sunrise Beach is one of the island's most beautiful, and on ordinary days it is a good swimming beach with wide sand. The village also has the best-connected pier for Samui: the Haad Rin Queen sails to Bangrak about six times a day, so Haad Rin is a base you can reach without crossing the island.

Avoid Haad Rin if you want quiet. On party nights the beach holds thousands of people, the music runs until sunrise and the litter takes a day to clear; on the days either side, the hostels are full and prices double or triple. Outside those weeks some hostels close, and in the wet months of November and December the Sunrise side gets rough surf. Families and couples who like the location usually choose the Sunset side or Leela Beach, or move a short boat ride north to Haad Yuan and Haad Thian, which are counted in this zone: two boat-only beaches with bungalows and wellness resorts, no ATM and no road, reached by taxi-boat from Haad Rin for about 500 THB.

Hostels, bungalows and resorts in Haad Rin

The 86 places listed here are dominated by hostels and backpacker bungalows in the village and behind Sunrise Beach: dormitory beds at 200–500 THB (US$6–16) and simple rooms at 600–1,200 THB in normal weeks, rising to 800–1,500 THB or more on Full Moon nights, when most impose a minimum stay of three to five nights. The Sunset side and the headlands have mid-range resorts with pools and sea views at 1,500–3,500 THB and a few beachfront boutique resorts at 3,000–6,000 THB; Leela Beach has quiet resorts on the cove; and the hillside above the village holds some private villas with pools. Haad Yuan and Haad Thian offer fan and air-conditioned bungalows from about 600 THB and a long-established wellness retreat. Every listing states which beach the property is on, which in Haad Rin is the single most important fact about it.

How do you get to Haad Rin?

From Thong Sala pier a songthaew costs about 100–150 THB a person and takes 25–45 minutes; a private taxi is 300–500 THB by day and 350–600 THB at night or on party dates. The road climbs a steep, winding hill with hairpin bends and is the most dangerous stretch on the island for scooters, especially two-up or in the rain, so most visitors leave the bike for the village and use the songthaew for the crossing. From Koh Samui, the Haad Rin Queen leaves Bangrak pier roughly every two hours from 07:30 to 17:30 (20–30 minutes, 200–300 THB one way), with extra late-night and early-morning sailings on Full Moon nights and party speedboat packages from Samui. For Haad Yuan and Haad Thian, taxi-boats leave the Sunrise side at fixed times tied to the ferry arrivals (around 10:30, 15:00 and 17:00), and a jungle trail of about an hour connects Haad Rin to Haad Yuan on foot.

What is there to do in Haad Rin?

The Full Moon Party starts on Sunrise Beach around 21:00 and runs to sunrise; entry is 200 THB in cash at the road booths into Haad Rin, and no advance tickets exist. Wear closed shoes, keep away from the fire ropes, do not swim after drinking and leave valuables at the hotel: every guide repeats the same advice because the clinic in the village treats the same injuries every month. Dates for the rest of 2026 are 31 July, 28 August, 26 September, 27 October, 24 November, 24 December and 31 December. On the other nights the beach bars keep fire shows and music going in a smaller way, and the night market on the main street opens daily from 17:00 to midnight. By day: swimming on Sunrise Beach, the walk up to the Haad Rin viewpoint, the hour-long jungle trail to Haad Yuan, and boat trips north along the roadless east coast to Than Sadet. Haad Rin has ATMs, pharmacies, a 24-hour clinic and every kind of restaurant.

When to stay in Haad Rin

The peninsula runs on two calendars. The weather one: February to April is calm and clear, June to September mostly fine, and November–December brings north-east swell that can make Sunrise Beach unswimmable for days. The moon one: the four or five nights around each full moon are booked out weeks ahead at double the normal rate, and the Half Moon dates in Ban Tai pull a smaller crowd. The cheapest, quietest time to see Haad Rin as a beach rather than as a party is a mid-month week between September and early November.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Full Moon Party?

On Haad Rin Nok, the Sunrise Beach on the east side of the Haad Rin peninsula; the party runs from about 21:00 to sunrise with a 200 THB entry fee paid in cash at the road into the village.

How far is Haad Rin from Thong Sala pier?

About 12–15 km, 25–45 minutes by songthaew (100–150 THB) or taxi (300–500 THB) over a steep hill; from Samui the Haad Rin Queen ferry arrives directly at Haad Rin pier.

Can you swim at Haad Rin?

Yes, Sunrise Beach is a good swimming beach for most of the year; from November to December the surf can be rough, and Sunset Beach is muddy in places at low tide.

Is Haad Rin quiet outside the Full Moon Party?

Quieter, but never silent: the village bars and the nightly fire shows run all month. For a calm night near the party beach, the Sunset side, Leela Beach or a bungalow at Haad Yuan across the headland are the usual choices.

How do you get to Haad Yuan and Haad Thian?

By taxi-boat from Haad Rin (about 500 THB, more in rough seas), by 4x4 over a rough track when the sea is too high, or on foot along the jungle trail to Haad Yuan in about an hour.