The Island of Love

Koh Phangan is the perfect romantic setting. With its lustrous jungle, white sandy beaches and turquoise seas, once in a lifetime stunning sunsets, beautiful weather, crystal energy and spiritual air, this island is what you used to dream of whilst looking at books.

A lot of people fall or find love on Koh Phangan, whether it be that perfect bearded hipster traveller with the girl in the flowers and neon, when they share the same hostel and are reading, coincidentally, the same book.
To the man on holiday with his two children who keeps bumping into the lone woman taking a break from her high power job, at the breakfast buffet, it can happen to us all.

Frank believes that 'relationships here are enhanced by the sun, holiday mood, and quartz vibration, outside of Phangan the same people look so different...'.

As we were writing this article, a good friend popped into Phanganist HQ so we asked his opinion of falling in love on Koh Phangan -

‘It’s beautiful to fall in love but it can be short here, I prefer to ‘get in love’ rather than fall.

I want to fly in love!

Falling in love is short, it’s better to ‘be’ in love but it’s hard to keep a long term relationship here.

I think it’s better to be in love with more than one person, it doesn’t fit here for one on ones because we interact with many people. But if you want it to work then you cannot be jealous, you must wish for that person to be happy, you can’t hold someone here’.

This is just one opinion, it depends what your own morals and ethics are when it comes to love.

Here at Phanganist we know many couples who are together and going stronger than they ever have, whether they met here or not.

Our friends Alice and Florian at The Magic Wave are what people should aspire to! They are great friends, so very still in love, they work together and have lots of fun together as well.
Antonio from Fellini Restaurant met his wife thirteen years ago and are still together and still on Phangan

Musician Tez and his wife Pedge got married on Koh Phangan, in fact this island is popular for weddings of course, many people dream of getting married on a beach.

Nadine who runs ‘Phangan Weddings’ says - ‘You are just working with happy people. You are helping someone to organise one of the most important and happiest days of their lives! Best job I have ever done’.

A lot of people we have met recently have even been using Tinder, the dating app whilst here.

This may or may not find you love, but it could cure a short term problem for sure.

Raffaello runs workshops on conscious relationships so we asked him what he thought about love on Koh Phangan - 'On Koh Phangan it just makes it even more of an "altered state of consciousness”. Easier to fall in love, easier to fall out of love. More fleeting if anything, Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because it can teach us non-attachment, which is good'.

Some people have told us that one of the problems of finding love here is if you live here and meet someone, you never know how long they will stay. A lot of locals get to know each other as friends so then love may (or may not) be out of the question.

We asked another long term resident their thoughts -

‘Ha-ha don’t listen to the first person you asked although it is not easy here.

There are a lot of temptations, especially for newcomers, they get here and their eyes are like wow! With all the glamour etc and everyone telling their ‘hero stories’.

It’s always nice to have a girlfriend to share this island and your thoughts with. If you’re here and work and have your life here and don’t party much anymore then it might be more suiting also.

People who work daily here work super hard, they are still enjoying their life but you have to work hard to make a living here, so a partner can be a big help and support and you can go down the same road together.

As much as the island is fun and amazing, it’s also lonely as it’s so strong, the happy and sad times come strong so it can be nice to have someone’.

If you are lucky enough to be in love on Phangan then try to make the most out of it!

Go on adventures, watch beautiful sunsets, try snorkelling for the first time together, hang out on your balcony and get to know each other even more over a couple of ice cold beers and a game of cards, lounge around on the beach one day and support each other after a hard day's work or a hard night's partying.
Make some memories together to share forever, or if the love is short lived you can still look back with joy in your heart.

If you are here on holiday then please be careful though, remember that people are here to have fun and may not be around forever, don’t get your heart and hopes broken.

Be safe and take the appropriate measures when taking things up a level (if you get what we mean) and just be cautious and use your common sense.

Enjoy the island of magic and love, if you don’t find your own love here then just enjoy the love you will get from the people around you and the island itself.