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Cookies's Salad Resort, way down the end of Salad Bay on Koh Phangan's northwest coast, looks like a tall, skinny box against the cliff, a little alien among the lowrise huts.

But get yourself to the entrance, and the yearold hotel turns out to be a nice mix - part simple Thai architecture and part Balinese beach house. It's actually rather stylish compared a lot of the other places on the island. 

The great thing about Salad Bay is that it's free of the fullmoon howling that haunts Had Rin. It's for people who prefer laidback beach holidays to rave parties. A couple of cocktails and you're happy to call it a night.

Guests at Cookies's (yes, they really spell it like that) have a bit of a climb when they retire for the evening, up a steep path. But the garden is lush and beautiful along the way, beckoning for a final dawdle of the day.

All the rooms offer a breathtaking view of the bay that no other hotel on the beach can match, and the cottages all have the same sea view.

The rooms have airconditioning, hot showers, safety boxes, television sets and DVD players, just Bt1,000 a night during the monsoon season, with breakfast included.

The larger cottages cost Bt1,400, and if you pay Bt1,600 for a beachfront poolside cottage, you get a minibar and a hammock on the spacious balcony.

In the main building the rooms on each floor are connected by a long, shared terrace. Some guests string a hammock out front. The terrace is wide enough, though, and there are partitions to provide privacy, along with a table and chairs for each room.

Through the sliding glass door, my room has clean white walls, a bare concrete floor, and a nice, comfortable bed clad in white sheets. The cotton curtain is too thin to fend off the morning sunlight, so my eyeshade is put into service.

Next to the beach is a small swimming pool with a Jacuzzi, a great place to hang out all day.

The restaurant has a pool table and its own pair of hammocks, presumably in case anyone eats so much they can't move. When it rains, guests gaze at the bay view from the lovely wooden balcony, quite cosy under the roof.

The staff members speak good English - they're all from Burma, from the manager to the waiters - and the guests seem to thoroughly enjoy the pleasant service.

There are two laptops available for use in the restaurant, at Bt1 per minute, which is the standard on Phangan. If you bring your own you can link up for free in the lobby.

Construction is just wrapping up on a big hotel right next door, but I don't hear much noise coming from the site.

When it opens, hopefully, it will have little effect on the peace of Salad Bay. This is where Quiet moved when the ravers took over the far shore, checking in with its old friend Nostalgia.

AT A GLANCE

High points: The best location on Salad Beach, with lovely accommodation and good deals

Low points: If you do want a party or a better selection of restaurants, you've got a long walk. The surrounding steep hills are not going to help you, especially in the rain.

Pay for it: Until the festive season begins, rates start at Bt1,000 per room per night.

Find it: Cookies's Salad Resort is on Had Salad, Koh Phangan, Surat Thani.

Book it: Call (077) 349 125 or (083) 181 7125 or email info@cookiesphangan.com.

Browse it: www.CookiesPhangan.com