The visit to the island will naturally involve a sea journey. It’s quite a short hop from Samui but if the journey is from Surathani, it is well worth packing some seasick tablets. The vessels used range from quite basic ferries to fast catamarans, but if the sea doesn’t agree with you then some tablets will help. It can get quite choppy, especially in the rainy season.

The island is largely jungle, so as in any tropical climate where there are lots of trees and water, there will be mosquitoes. Keep clear of stagnant water and always have a repellant handy. Many of the cheaper lodges will not be air conditioned, and its amazing how much a mosquito enjoys a nocturnal visit to a guests bedroom.

Nets are not seen so much these days and are often fairly useless any way. Good things to buy if the hotel does not supply them are the electric coils and other devices to ward off the nuisance. The coils can be bought at convenience stores such as 7 – 11. Other more energetic ways of seeing off the insect are the tennis rackets which have an electric current running through them. Take a swipe in the general direction and if it makes a cracking noise you know another one has gone.

The heat in the low season can be very draining, when the humidity is up around 80% and the temperature in the high 20’s. Any exercise can be very tiring, but to stave off any effects of dehydration, keep plenty of bottled water on hand. The better hotels usually have 2 bottles of complimentary water for guests, but at 7 Baht for a small bottle from a local store, it’s not going to break the bank to buy a few of your own. Walking and climbing in the jungle is very hard in some places so its then you will welcome a break and a drink.

In the clearer, cooler months, the sun will be very strong and as with all travel advice, we recommend a good sun blocker. For children this is very important, but no one wants to go home looking like the local lobster. A hat is always good to have in the strong sun and there are no shortage of hat salesmen in Phangan or Bangkok. If tempted by the local sunglasses, be aware they probably won’t make it to the end of the holiday. Look like Ray Bans they may, but being built of lesser stuff, they are almost guaranteed to break within two weeks or less. But they do look good and at 199 Baht (don’t pay more), it’s a bargain to look that cool for a couple of weeks.

The roads on Phangan are in some places, rudimentary. Like Samui, a track which looked OK where it left the main road can suddenly turn into a steep, rough ploughed up trail of dried mud. The cheaper jeeps such as the Suzuki Vitara will have an engine capacity of 850 cc, which is not enough to cope with some of these tracks. If there is a choice, try to get something with a bigger engine – it may cost more but it may save a slide down an incline, backwards. Check that the brakes are OK. At many Thai resorts, insurance is included, and that’s it is OK until there’s an accident.

Your rental man or lady will smile a lot and wish you well until you return the vehicle with a few bumps. Then the smiles will almost certainly disappear. On that note, there is a hospital on the island and Thai medical care is absolutely top quality. Most of the doctors and nurses have trained overseas. The medical service in Thailand is largely privately run (don’t leave home without a good travel insurance), and is of the highest standard.

The emergency number for medical services is 191, and the hospital direct number is 077 377034. In Thailand the whole number has to be dialed, even if you are within the national code area.

Police is 077 377114

Rescue services is 077 377500

If there’s a very serious situation, better facilities are available on Koh Samui at the International Hospital Tel 077 422722

It would be easy to say : Don’t drink too much alcohol at the Full Moon Party, but then this site would be something of a killjoy – have fun!!