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PANVIMAN RESORT KOH PHANGAN - A GOLDEN OLDIE BETWEEN THE BEACHES NAI PAN NOI AND YAI
The beautiful Panviman Resort opened back in 1987 and has been around for several decades now. In July 2022, 35 years later, we were guests there and still this resort in the northeast of the island does not disappoint. The resort still looked good for its age. Of course, there are signs of use here and there and certain elements are in need of renovation. Remember that Covid-19 played a part in this too. It all takes a bit longer now for a resort like Panviman Koh Phangan to be fully renovated again. They are now also on the right track with the renovation of the resort. Panviman has some amazing restaurants and the spa is superb. In our opinion, this resort is definitely one to stay at if you want to have a quiet and relaxed time on koh Phangan.
LEARN THAI
Panviman literally means like paradise.
Pan means like and Viman means paradise.
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Image: Thailand Magazine
Where on Koh Phangan is Panviman Resort located?
The Panviman Resort was built in the 80s on a headland in the east of Koh Phangan. The resort is surrounded by lush nature and because of its location on a high cliff, you overlook the two very pretty beaches of Thong Nai Pan. In terms of location, Panviman Koh Phangan is one of the most beautiful resorts on the island. A perfect accommodation for families, couples and nature lovers. From several points on the property, one overlooks the large Thong Nai Pan Yai with the smaller Thong Nai Pan Noi on the other side.
LEARN THAI
Yai means big and Noi means small.
Panviman is located in a quieter part of Koh Phangan. Totally different from Haad Rin, known from its Full Moon Parties or Thong Sala, the island’s ‘capital’. To get to Thong Sala’s pier, you’re half an hour away by taxi or scooter. There is still plenty to do around Panviman, as fortunately there are two nice little villages just around the corner. The larger Nai Pan (Yai) even has a 7-Eleven and plenty of nice bars, restaurants and shops. To get to Nai Pan Yai you still have to walk quite a long way, assuming half an hour minimum. By scooter or car, you can get there in less than ten minutes.
The smaller beach, Nai Pan Noi, is much closer, a five-minute walk from Panviman Resort. This is also a great place to eat and have a drink. We once ate delicious Mexican food at a cute little place called Hacienda Happy Days. Say hello to the friendly owner from us! Of course, you can also have a delicious meal at Stone Beach Restaurant, Panviman’s high quality restaurant right on Nai Pan Noi beach.
DID YOU KNOW?
The four-star resort is one of Koh Phangan’s very first accommodations. Slowly, Panviman Resort grew from a few bungalows into the amazing complex it is today.
Welcome in paradise alike!
After being dropped off at the gate of Panviman downstairs by a friendly staff member at Mandalai Hotel on Chalok Beach, we were immediately greeted by the resort’s ‘gatekeeper’. The best man arranged an electric buggy to drive us and our backpacks up the hill. A ride of max two minutes, but just enough to soak in the beautiful surroundings and unobstructed views the resort offered. We drove past beautiful landscaped gardens like the Love Tree garden, where trees are planted by (just) married couples. Not surprising as Panviman Resort is, in fact, a much-booked resort for honeymooners, or in our case pre-honeymooners.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
After we were dropped off at the lobby, a kindly man named Khun Poom met us. He offered us a cold drink and refreshment towel and asked us to take a seat. With passion, he told us more about the resort, its features and what the area had to offer. “What time do you want the couple massage?” he asked, “If possible, around an hour or two, we want to check out the grounds and our pool villa first” we replied. He noted 2 p.m. and just before we wanted to go for a walk around the grounds, Christoph, the resort’s general manager, stood in front of us.
“You will soon get married and as a wedding gift from us at Panviman we arranged a candlelight dinner on the beach” he said smiling “Is 6:00 p.m. tomorrow for you okay?”. A bit overwhelmed we nodded yes, thanked him and walked out of the resort lobby all happy. Panviman lives up to his name.
Image: Thailand Magazine
The playful Panviman grounds
Our backpacks had already been brought to our pool villa by the resort team and it gave us the opportunity to explore the vast Panviman grounds first. We walked along the spa towards the infinity pool and passed the Pan Sea Restaurant. What we noticed was that there are elevations, platforms, steps and the like built all over the grounds. This makes the large grounds playful and very fun to explore while walking.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
In the several tropical gardens many of the trees and plants have name tags. A fun way to learn about the flora and fauna of Thailand. After walking all the way to the end, room number 6110, we asked an oncoming baby carriage driver if he could drop us off at our bungalow. “I will take you back to the front desk, your bungalow #112 is very close to the lobby sir”, replied the kind man.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Our amazing pool villa, number 112
From the resort lobby it was a short walk of a few minutes to get to our beautiful Pool Villa. We opened the doors of our gate and stood in our garden including the pool and jacuzzi. What a sense of luxury gives such a private entrance to something, which does come very close to paradise. After walking a few meters along a path with large stones, we stood in front of our lovely cottage. The huge private pool with a round whirlpool next to it, greeted us. We stepped up the small stairs to the terrace and stood in front of the sliding doors of our perfect Panviman Pool Villa.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The living / bedroom
Upon entering, we immediately saw that our spacious double bed was romantically made up with flowers, swans made from towels and a letter with a sweet text on it for my future wife. The wonderful manager of Panviman had notified my (Riel) request (Thanks Christoph!).
The layout of our villa is as follows; on the left, a small desk with a professional coffee machine and kettle. The coffee from the Segafredo capsules tasted very good and we even received a small packet of milk with it, something we have not received in an accommodation before. Per day, in addition to extra coffee cups, six half-liter bottles of water were also placed in the room. Another kind of attention was the fruit basket of fresh fruit we received on the day of arrival. Only comment I would make about that is that apples are placed in the basket. We almost always see this which is strange, an apple totally not Thai and does not even grow in Thailand. Time for a change haha!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Further on, next to the desk, in the middle of the left wall is a piece of furniture containing the minibar and stereo. Above the wooden furniture hangs the 42 inch flat screen television and further down is a hairdressing table. Items such as a mosquito plug and hair dryer are also present, from this you can tell that this is a quality accommodation. On the other side of the room, next to the spacious bed are bedside tables. Unfortunately, the outlets are a bit outdated, our chargers kept falling out so we couldn’t charge our phones properly. We are sure that this will be worked on, the resort is old, but is really beautiful and in our opinion, with some adjustments, it could last for years to come.
The wooden furniture and beautiful teak floor is frequently seen and used in the northern regions of Thailand, very nice and of very good quality. The air conditioning and Wi-Fi did a great job in our spacious 50 m2 pool villa, we even had range outside in the pool.
DID YOU KNOW?
Panviman Resort has a pillow menu, from anti allergen to super soft feather pillow, there are many options. At one point, we had eight pillows on the bed, save them all…
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
If you want to book a stay at the Panviman Resort, we recommend you ask for room number 112! A great choice if we do say so ourselves.
Image: Thailand Magazine
The bathroom
Our villa’s bathroom was fine, but a tad outdated, and large, very large. To the left, next to the entrance is a large cabinet that houses a safe and bathrobes, among other things. Opposite the door is a wooden washbasin, where various bathroom accessories such as comb, toothbrushes and so on had been laid out next to it.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Further on, under the window with partial privacy over our swimming pool, a large freestanding bathtub is placed and in the other corner is the fine rain shower. Both the hot water and the water pressure are fine! By the way, as you may already know, we value (luxury) accommodation that takes the environment into account. Towels in the bath mean: ‘give us a new one’. Points for Panviman!
Image: Thailand Magazine
The private garden with pool and jacuzzi
We spent much of our stay at the Panviman Resort on Koh Phangan relaxing outside on our terrace and in our garden with a private pool and jacuzzi. We had brought two inflatable floating hammocks with us from the Netherlands because we would have quite a few pools at our disposal. An excellent plan as it turned out. So too in the pool of Pool Villa 112, while floating we looked out over neighboring Thong Pai Nan Noi. Our villa was located quite high up on the cliff, giving us an incredibly beautiful view of the beach and sea.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Every morning we woke up to a delicious cup of coffee on our adjoining terrace in front of the room. Further out in our garden was a parasol, a small table and two sunbeds with soft cushions on them. An ideal spot to enjoy a fresh coconut and the beautiful weather. We enjoyed our last day in Koh Phangan to the max.
In fact, a day later we left for our next island destination, Koh Samui. We spent the first three nights at Villa Chi and then would travel to the venue of our wedding, Villa Purana, part of Panacea Retreat. For those last few super relaxing days on Phangan, Panviman was the ideal accommodation, we couldn’t have wished for a better resort! The location, the staff, the food and beverages, our pool villa, everything was perfect and very well organized all together!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The other type of ‘rooms’ that can be booked at Panviman Resort
The Panviman Resort has a total of 72 ‘rooms’, consisting of 11 different types. There are 18 ‘Superior rooms’ of just under 35 m2. This is followed by the 10 ‘Deluxe rooms’ of 44 m2 and then no less than 21 ‘Deluxe Cottages’ of 51 m2.
While the Superior has a shower, the Deluxe rooms and Cottages also have an extra bathtub in the bathroom. Would you prefer a room with a double bed and jacuzzi? Then book one of the 17 Deluxe Jacuzzi Grande rooms. From this neat 66 sq m room, you’ll overlook the sea from your bed and bath (jacuzzi).
All four rooms above have a balcony and, of course, a comfortable double bed. Prefer two separate single beds? The Superior and Deluxe rooms have these as an option.
Image: Thailand Magazine
For families and larger parties, there are five Family Cottages of 80 m2, four Family Jacuzzi Grande rooms of 100 m2 and a Family Pool Villa of 99 m2. The Family Cottage consists of two floors and in addition to a king-size bed, it also has two separate single beds placed in the living room downstairs. The Family Cottage’s large windows and spacious terrace offer extraordinary views of the sea.
The two-bedroom Jacuzzi Grande looks a bit more modern than the other family rooms and is also ground-floor. Finally, there is the Family Pool Villa. An exclusive villa with its own pool overlooking the bay of Thong Nai Pan Yai.
Of course, a private pool villa under the tropical sun of Koh Phangan is the very best thing to book. Therefore, apart from that one Family Pool Villa on the Panviman property, there are four other options with private pools to book. Let’s start with the resort’s most luxurious option, the Presidential Pool Suite of a whopping 121 m2. This two-storey house has a terrace with a large pool, a free-standing jacuzzi and a balcony. A residential hideaway for two, if we do say so ourselves.
The Panviman Resort’s 14 Pool Villas are very nice. We can attest to this as we have slept in these ourselves. The Pool Villa Grande is, as the name suggests, even a tad bigger than the ‘regular’ Pool Villa , namely 90 m2, which is just short of twice the size we had. There are two Grande Pool Villas to book, so be there in time. Not enough with just your own pool? Want to add your own steam room too? Then opt for the Executive Pool Suite, two of which can also be booked.
All room types come with a flat-screen TV, minibar, tea and coffee making facilities, safe, air conditioning and much more. Find out more about the rooms on Booking and/or Agoda.
Panviman facilities
The Panviman Resort has some very good facilities. These include electric buggies, which take guests around the grounds from hot to cold. The resort is built on a cliff and therefore getting from the entrance below to the rooms upstairs is a huge undertaking. Apart from this valuable addition, Panviman has a fantastic infinity pool and a spa with professional massage therapists. Panviman Resort is the perfect holiday destination for peace seekers, romantic couples and families with (small) children.
Infinity Pool
Despite having our own pool villa at our disposal, we also spent time at the Panviman infinity pool. There are plenty of sunbeds with umbrellas placed around the pool with a phenomenal view of the sea, with the large beach of Thong Nai Pan Yai on the right. Besides the wonderful infinity pool there is also a separate jacuzzi to chill in.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Not only is the pool itself great, but also the terrace around it. There are a number of terraces and plateaus built with vegetation and water features, very nice all around! The adjacent Pool Deck restaurant offers delicious snacks and drinks as well as a relaxing seating area in the shade. What a blissful pool Panviman has, as I write this I want to go back again!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The gym
The gym, all the way downstairs and near the entrance, is a bit dated. There are plenty of machines, but they are not the latest high-tech devices of today. Despite that, there is enough variety and you can still work out just fine on it. What probably didn’t help either was the lack of clarity regarding lights and fans. We turned each of the many possible switches on and off to test which worked best. Perhaps there could be a little more explanation of this or a small chart showing which switch is for what could be put up.
Apart from a gym, it also has a ping-pong table and guests can rent kayaks there. Great for exploring the sea and paddling to the main beach.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Panviman Spa
One of the nicest locations we’ve ever had a massage is in one of Panviman Resort’s massage rooms. Fortunately, the massage itself was also very good! Two professional massage therapists gave us an hour-long quality Thai massage.
To get to the Panviman Spa, we had to take a small walk across the resort grounds. At one point, we walked along a path of large stones placed in a sort of small ditch. Another example of what we call playful grounds.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The spa consists of a ‘lobby’ and six rooms built high up on the cliff. Not surprisingly, the spa offers phenomenal views. Upon signing in at the lobby, we were immediately offered a towel to freshen up and a cup of tea. We were introduced to our massage therapists and went over some details about our massage. What needs extra or no attention, whether we have medical complications and so on. Very recognisable for a professional massage session. From the lobby, we walked outside to a beautiful room with a great sea view. We felt it was almost a sin to lie down and close our eyes….
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
While checking in for our massage, we had already chosen one of the four massage oils. We chose peppermint and lemongrass, these oils smelt delicious. The one-hour Thai massage seemed to fly by, as it often does. We were reborn and ready to get on with it. If you plan to stay at this resort, book a Thai massage with it. The professional team knows what they are doing and the spa itself is situated in one of the most beautiful places on the property.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Tours and Transfers
The Panviman team at the lobby can arrange several fun tours for you. By land, but also by sea. They will also help you organize transport to Koh Tao or Koh Samui, for example. Panviman Resort even has their own speedboat at their disposal, taking guests from their own pier to Koh Samui in 35 minutes. Pick-up is, of course, also possible. Ask about it at the lobby or via email, the details are in the general information at the bottom of this article.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Good eats and drinks
To say that you can eat delicious food at the Pansea Resort is an understatement. Our breakfast in Pan Sea Restaurant was delicious and very varied, lunch at the Pool Deck Bar was exquisite and the romantic dinner on the beach at Stone Beach Restaurant was one to remember.
DID YOU KNOW?
Panviman Resort has a special “wine cellar” with numerous quality wines.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Pan Sea Restaurant
Every morning we enjoyed a full breakfast to the max at the Pan Sea Restaurant. A striking round building with a large oval terrace at the back. The view from this location is amazing, lovely early spotting different species of colorful tropical birds, yep, Panviman is an earthly paradise.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The breakfast buffet has more than enough choices including Western items like sausages and pancakes to hot Thai dishes like curries and Kao Tom (rice soup). During our pleasant stay, we Westerners chose some delicious egg dishes prepared in front of our noses. With that, we opted for a healthy bowl of yogurt with granola and dried fruit. For the coffee lovers among us, the coffee was top notch! Good cappuccino and strong black coffee were served. Guests of the Panviman Resort can go for breakfast between 07:00 – 10:30 am.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Pool Deck Bar
After chilling by the Panviman Resort’s infinity pool for an hour, we decided to order a light lunch at the Pool Deck Bar next to the pool. At the Pool Deck Bar, guests can enjoy snacks and drinks such as cocktails from 11am to 6pm. In our case, we enjoyed a serving of deliciously crispy truffle fries and a pad see ew with pork. What a nice spot on the Pool Deck Bar’s terrace! Curious about this restaurant’s menu? Check out the menu here.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Stone Beach Restaurant
In the corner of Thong Nai Pan Noi beach is Stone Beach Restaurant. An attractive restaurant with a large terrace and views of the beach and sea. At Stone Beach, resort guests can feast on tasty Western and Asian dishes. One can choose from grill dishes straight from the barbecue or, for example, typical Thai dishes such as pad thai and a variety of curries. The night we ate there, we enjoyed the ultimate Thai dinner, with the exception of the Western Cheesecake.
As an added bonus, fire shows are regularly organized on the beach opposite the restaurant. By the way, guests not sleeping at the resort are also welcome at Stone Beach Restaurant. View Stone Beach Restaurant’s menu.
PLEASE NOTE
Between 15 September and 15 December, Stone Beach Restaurant is closed depending on weather conditions (monsoon period).
Private Candlelight Dinner, a unique experience
The second day we stayed at Panviman, we spent quite a lot of our time chilling on our own terrace or in our own pool at our private pool villa. It was so good to be there and we more than deserved this relaxing day. After a couple of days exploring Koh Phangan, including a nearly four-hour trek over inhospitable terrain because we had walked the wrong way at a waterfall, a paradise stay at Panviman was most welcome.
As we looked down at the beach below while floating in our floating hammock, we saw the staff of Stone Beach Restaurant placing a table opposite the restaurant in the middle of the beach. Jokingly, we said to each other “that’s for us, that’s what Christoph the manager was talking about”. Guess what… afterwards, it turned out that that conspicuous table in the middle of the beach was really meant for us.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Downstairs, out on the beach, we found that the striking table was really for us, we didn’t know for a moment how to react. A little despondent and with the red on our cheeks, we slid into the table. Everyone looked at us and seemed to think, “that young man is definitely going to propose marriage tonight”.
Too bad dear audience, that one had been done already on 20-12-2021. That date, we were guests at the extraordinary Rayavadee located in Railay. To be precise, over dinner at The Grotto on Phra Nang Beach, our favorite beach destination in all of Thailand. Over dinner at one of Thailand’s most exclusive restaurants, she said “YES”. Uhm, I digress… back to Stone Beach Restaurant…
The table was decorated with lights and with a lit candle and the sound of the sea behind us, this dinner felt very romantic. The chef from southern Thailand introduced himself and told us more about our surprise dinner that he and the team were preparing in the kitchen.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Meanwhile, we had already been offered drinks and some appetizers, such as Miang Kham, spring rolls and a tray of chili cashew nuts. After this first course came a super tasty som tam (a favorite) with fantastically prepared squid, our compliments! Things really took off from there, the friendly chef kept bringing us food. We were served a soup similar to tom kha gai, but with squid instead of chicken. Along with it came a trio of smaller dishes including pork, a crab salad and chicken.
Just when we thought we had got all our dishes on reserve, another load of fragrant dishes arrived on the table. A fish curry, squid in coconut milk with peteh beans and a dry curry in banana leaves with crab. All very tasty, but far too much and enough for a large family including grandparents.
Needless to say, we couldn’t finish it all, but after kindly insisting we also said yes to a piece of mango cheesecake, “only if it’s lek lek, meaning tiny tiny in Thai” we replied. “That will be up early to work out tomorrow morning again” we said to each other as we took a sip of our cocktail. What a fantastic experience on a beautiful beach in the northeast of Koh Phangan, another memory to remember forever!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Thanks!
Big thanks to the entire Panviman Resort team and of course to Khun Christoph, Khun Poom and the chef (Noi ) and F&B Manager (Khun A name please) and Khun Gai , the restaurant manager of Stone Beach Restaurant. The ambience and luxury that Panviman Resort on Koh Phangan offers its guests is unparalleled. We were very pleased to end our last days on Koh Phangan with this fine resort. We will definitely come back when we visit the island again! THANKS!
Image: Thailand Magazine
General information
Check-in at Panviman Resort on Koh Phangan is possible from 14:00 and check-out must be before 12:00. For current prices of this extraordinary floating resort, it’s best to check Booking and/or Agoda. In addition, you support Thailand Magazine by booking through our partner links. This is because we receive a small commission on the booking you make. This costs you nothing extra and this allows us to continue working hard on our great passion, sharing our deep-rooted love for Thailand and thus promoting the land of smiles.
Address: 22 22/1 หมู่ 5 หาดท้องนายปานน้อย, Ban Tai, เกาะพะงัน, Surat Thani 84280, Thailand
Address in Thai: 22 22/1 หมู่ 5 หาดท้องนายปานน้อย, ตำบล บ้านใต้ เกาะพะงัน, สุราษฎร์ธานี 84280
Phone number: +66 7744 5101
Website: https://www.panvimanresortkohphangan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PanvimanResortKohPhangan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/panvimanresortkohphangan/
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