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Region: Southern Thailand> Province: Surat Thani> Location: Ko Pha Ngan/Ko Pha Ngan East Coast
White Wind
Basic with great views
Thong Nai Pan Yai, Ko Pha Ngan
Surat Thani Province
Description
At the northern end of Thong Nai Pan Yai, White Wind is cut off from the beach by a canal that can be crossed most of the time with minimal sloshing but can be a real pain when the water levels are higher. If you don't feel like a slosh, take the road past the school and temple to get here. The simple yellow painted wooden bungalows sit at various angles and elevations climbing up the the rocky hillside, some with nice views, others without. The huts with shared bathrooms are particularly inexpensive here, though accessing some requires a perilous ascent along a rocky path. This sketchy path continues around the rocky headland on the way to what signs indicate is another beach, meaning Thong Nai Pan Noi -- probably not the best or safest way to get there. The staff here are friendly but usually too relaxed to do much more than tell you a price and point you towards your room. As of May 2007, the restaurant is closed for construction, and a good-sized building is going up at the base of the hill, so expect some noise from this operation. Overall, though, this is a cheap and extremely laid-back place.
Bungalow fan share b'room
200 THB (low season)
200 THB (high season)
Bungalow fan private b'room
300 THB (low season)
300 THB (high season)
Added to Travelfish on: 31st March, 2004
Last visited or updated on: 22nd June, 2007
Guest feedback
Top View - Good Value. - 
By tezza ( total comments: 21 
) Stayed here 3/2006
That photograph from on high up along the beach on Travellfish’s introductory page to Thong Nai Pan was surely taken from White Wind (and lower down than many bungalows too) so if you want one of the best views a 200 baht bungalow can give you, go to this place.
I was impressed by the bungalow itself, clean, solid, nice big verandah, double bed, mosquito net in good condition, fan, just enough room for two people and their gear. It was wooden construction with exposed internal frame which gave plenty of horizontal mini-shelves for stuff, plus there were lots of hooks and lines. The outside bathroom was okay although I had to ask to have the partially blocked drain to the sink cleared and the overflowing paper receptacle emptied. This was surprising because the staff were super efficient on keeping the steep stairways and grounds clear of rubbish and leaf litter.
The restaurant has the same super view, and the food is very good. Prices for Thai stuff were mostly towards the lower end, although some western dishes were a bit higher than bottom budget. They have an espresso machine (the place is Thai-French owned). Service was pretty efficient and friendly.
The beach has plenty of sand at full tide, has no exposed rocks at low tide and you don’t have to go out too far to swimable depth at this time. There are few dogs! Longtail noise does not tend to be a big issue. Actually these bungalows are pretty quiet in general, being too far from the bars further up the beach to hear all but the occasional faint background of bass at party time - at night the most dominant sound is the waves sloshing on the rocks below which is pretty nice.
This place also has a few 400 attached bathroom bungalows but I didn’t get to check them. They are higher so the views are more spectacular again. Although those steep stairs may be a challenge to the less fit.
Note the track to Thong Nai Pan Noi goes up through White Wind - there is a sign “NEXT BEACH” pointing the way up past the water tanks into the rainforest over the headland. In only 3 minutes you pop out on one of the access footpaths in the luxury Panviman Resort and work your way north to Noi. This seems to be an official right of way and is marked on most of the maps I checked.
My value for money ratings give 8/10 for the bungalow, 7/10 for food (althought the restaurant views should probably be taken into account to make this 8.5), 9.75 for location, 8 for staff and 7.5 for grounds/landscaping.
Overall an 8.
Treehouse fun - 
By vkbobo ( total comments: 6 ) Stayed here 8/2005
Very very basic- as in sleeping in a treehouse. The views are outstanding (be sure to purchase a hammock from the general store and have a beer on the little porch!), but most don't have their own bathrooms and the facilities are not the cleanest (I swear our bed had fleas- eek!) The restaurant, however, is fantastic with great ambiance and for the price, you could always get some bug spray I guess. I saw people with their own bedding (who were obviously staying a while) so that may be a good idea if you're looking for a long-term seriously cheap option. We moved after an itching/hot/but nonetheless fun three days here.
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