Thong Nai Pan

This is where I'd base myself on Koh Phangan if the Full Moon crowd isn't the point of the trip. Two horseshoe bays sit side by side on the northeast corner, hemmed in by jungle hills on three sides. Thong Nai Pan Yai is the bigger southern one, with a village feel and family resorts. Thong Nai Pan Noi to the north is the smarter of the pair, where the island's more polished hotels sit behind a beach that genuinely looks like the brochure.

Swimming is calm most of the year in both bays, which isn't a given elsewhere on the island. Eating and drinking runs to low-key restaurants and beach bars rather than anything loud. That's the trade. You get quiet, and you give up choice. If you want a different bar every night and a dozen restaurants to pick between, stay south. If you want to read a book on the sand and swim before breakfast, come here.