Another happy stay at Mai Pen Rai.”

I have been coming to Mai Pen Rai for many years , and whenever I visit Koh Phangan always stay there. Hat Sadet is a fsbulous beach , and I love the family bungalows on the rocks that we stay in. The staff are great as is the food. A great place for those who are looking for a relaxing place to stay with an old school Thai feel.

Peace, quiet and prawn crackers”

These bungalows are some of the best value rooms on Koh Phangan. You can choose riverside, beachfront or ‘on the rocks’ – and each has it’s advantages. We chose to go up on the rocks again (our second stay here) as the views are great. We were lucky to get one of the newer rooms (43) which has a solid floor and a really nice bathroom – although take a torch because the power is on a generator and it goes off after midnight most nights. You’ll not want to navigate the bathroom floor in the dark I promise you as it is comprised of large loose pebbles and stones – some of which are quite sharp! Thansadet os somewhat off the beaten track – so don’t come here for nightlife. However it has peace and quite in abundance, and a nice walk up the waterfalls. When you arrive you’ll find the Mai Pen Rai bar and restaurant at the far right end of the beach (as you face the sea) – although a lot of people use the water taxis to get here, in which case its on your left. The staff are a real family, and you’ll get well looked after. They operate the normal system that is popular in a lot of Koh Phangan bungalows where you just get everything written down in your room book as you order food and drink so that you can pay at the end of your stay. Remember you can get cheap water refills here from the barrel in the bar. WiFi is available, but you pay for a password each day (150B). The power comes on around 10am each day and then goes off at about 4pm until around 6pm. Remember that this is the sunrise side of the island, not the sunset side – so take advantage of the sun at the start of the day before it drops behind the mountains. Try the prawn crackers and the Thai style cashew nuts – delicious!

My favorite place in all of Thailand!”

We have stayed at Mai Pen Rai five diferent times now- and it has never been better. With so much overdevelopment in the islands actually detracting from Thailand's natural beauty, THIS place remains unspoiled and so respectful of the natural location and setting. The food at Mai Pen Rai was consistently great and not overpriced despite its remote location. The family bungalows are worth the extra little bit of money as they are huge, have an upstairs, and stay cooler because they ate more open. This a place for nature lovers and artists- not people who need to be pampered or treated like kings and queens. There is a great relaxing energy here that is harder and harder to find. Highly recommended!

beautiful getaway, a real gem”

We ended up being a group of 3, my boyfriend and I plus a friend. We stayed for 6 nights over New Years and had hired a jeep from a place by the pier. When we arrived at Mai Pen Rai we were excited seeing the little beach, reception/restaurant set up and our awesome bungalow on the rocks. Little detail has been taken into account and the bungalow looked welcoming and comfortable. There are cold showers which was actually fine as after the hot day a refreshing shower before heading to dinner was lovely! All the food at the restaurant was delicious, we didn't dislike a single dish. The only thing for me personally was our very hard bed, but its honestly such a minor thing and I would most definitely go to Koh Phangan just to stay at Mai Pen Rai again. The staff were always helpful and friendly and it was just awesome

Long time returning customers”

I have been coming to Hat Sadet for nearly 20 years , and it is still the same fabulous laid back place it has always been. The staff at Mai Pen Rai are fantastic , the rooms are great and great value , and the beach is the best on the island for all year swimming , will come back again , and again.

A long time client returns.”

I have been coming to Hat sadet for over 20 years and is still the same amazing laid back place. I have always stayed at Mai Pen Rai and the fabulous staff and great food keep bringing me back . My favourite place in Thailand.

Very relaxed”

Great. It could get a little boring due to isolation if you are a very active type. Not much other than beach, food, sleep. Bring books or laptop. Wifi only at restaurant, and very flaky. Stay cliff/ocean side; river was more a shallow muddy creek, bungalows that side looked old and shabby. Mai Pen Rai is not for everyone. It is isolated, has no hot water, limited electricity, and climb to some bungalows is steep and uneven. No air con of course. Bungalows have small fans but very open design if you open all shutters and let breeze in (mosquito net provided). Bit like camping. If you want to get away from tourism, tuk tuks and peddlers and embrace an authentic tropical Thai experience, this is the place. Highly recommended for unwinding. Staff spoke "enough" English but were very accommodating and smiley.

Paradise for nothing”

We (two friends) booked a Riverside bungalow for two people, expecting a single king size bed, and were given a beautiful bungalow with a double bed and two single beds on the upper floor. The beach and surrounding beauty is outstanding and the food and drink is great for the price. Laying on the beds with the shutters open, looking at the majestically un-light-polluted sky was a highlight. Seeing giant lizards swimming in the river was also amazing. Puppies, dogs and cats made our day. For us, the lack of AC, the open structure of the bungalow (expect insects) and other stuff that people complain about were no issue - we were given a tree house in paradise for almost nothing. The most disappointing aspect were some of the other guests staying around, bossing staff around and expecting luxury when there is no reason to. This place is not for wimps - there is no room service and you should be comfortable with tropical nature. Thanks to Fiola and her staff for an amazing time!

Long time returning customers”

Another fabulous stay at Mai Pen Rai. the best beach on the island , laid back vibe , great food , what more can you want.

Rustic getaway ”

I'd been to Mai Pen Rai 12 years ago as a young adult and was happily surprised to see it had barely changed at all. This is a perfect getaway for nature lovers who want to escape modernity.

Great food, lovely staff, fantastic deep sea!”

Booked for 3 days but only stayed 2...flies were a serious problem and mosquito repellent didn't work, had to spray our bodies totally with flyspray all over. Owners were away but apparently they're awesome! We upgraded to the new bungalows and found them beautiful,great design and neat to be beside the restaurant. Food was yummy and would have stayed a lot longer if the flies weren't so sticky and annoying. Lovely deep sea and easy getting around to other beaches and sites with a longtail boat. Very easy to get the little ferry across form Koh Samui!

Very good”

Best ever location on Koh Phangan. Bungalow are basic, in the middle of nowhere, perfect to disconnect and relax. There is a river with wild animals, and a totally secluded beach. It's a beach where you're alone for great sunrises and somehow decent sunsets. I found cobra skin in my toilet, and left because was scared. Staff needs big improvement, a bit more smiling would be nice, as well as not just asking THB at any moment.

rude staff and greedy owner”

Than sadet is a precious special place but what a shame that Mai Pen Rai is treating tourist as cash machine. Prices are more expensive at the resort than on agoda...but if you get too good of a discount expect to be in the worst wooden bungalow: n52...the price was doubled by the owner overnight apparently because it s high season suddenly (2/3 of the resort empty but anyway...) It s hidden behind plants probably to hide the state of it and the door stayed 10 cm open even with the lock on.

It's all about the beach and ocean”

It's far from everything except its own beach; the food is a bit expensive; wifi is only at the main restaurant; the rooms are from so-so to not bad. In other words, you come here for an absolutely gorgeous beach, bay, and swimming experience. I was there in May and a few Germans and I had the place to ourselves. Nice and quiet, the way we liked it.

Very remote location”

Pros: very close to nature, rocks and trees are parts of the houses, very quiet and close to animals. Every bungalow has a sea view. All very close to ocean. Cons: waves are quite loud at night so hard to sleep, costs 1000 baht to get there unless you travel at 10am with hotel organized taxi for 200 per person.

Run down”

I heard good things about Mai Pen Rai from friends that have stayed there over 5 years ago but now it looks like the story has changed . We booked a family bungalow on the rocks but had to change to one on the beach because it was dangerous for young kids , trees had overgrown everywhere so no view , so hot we could not relax at all inside and it was filthy . The bungalow on the beach was better but also really dirty and the shower water was dark brown at times . Some of the staff were nice but others were completely useless . There was no water in the kids pool and the kids area consisted of one small slide . The place looked like no work had been done in years , what a shame and waste of a beautiful beach !!

Quiet and relaxing”

Fantastic stay at Mai Pen Rai! The staff are very friendly. It is quite some way away from the busy centres of the island, so go there if you are looking to unwind after a busy holiday.

Beautiful nature place with friendly staff”

it was an unforgettable stay. i staying in bungalows on the rock, which we need to climbed up around 50Meters to the room. The condition of the room is satisfying, if you like nature than you will like this place

Brilliant, unique and affordable ”

Excellent week by the beach. the room was a good size and clean and located on the side of a cliff overlooking the sea.

Spiders and giant lizards”

Located far from town but there are a few boat 'taxis' that leave a couple of times throughout the day. Felt kind of stranded though but great for people who just like to chill and relax on the beach. I just get bored easily, 2 nights was too long for me. I wouldn't recommended hiring a motorcycle as the roads are crazy windy and jungly to get there. You can get a taxi for 200 - 300 baht each from the port. Nice beach, peaceful and good for families. Personally I thought JS huts next door looked a bit nicer though and the food there was awesome. I would only recommend this place for the more adventurous/ relaxed people as there are huge gaps in floors of the hut and huge monitor lizards loose outside. One day we found a huge spider in our room too! Not for the feint hearted but pretty gnarly nonetheless. Cheap, good food.