Ko Tao Hotels

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tvdandy
Reviews: 291

2 out of 5 stars User Rating

O Chai Bungalows: very, very basic

Well, if you are a very young backpacker and on a budget, this could be allright. But I am a middleaged flashpacker type, so I was completely turned off about this place. I flushed the toilet and it almost fell apart. Cold water only. No mosquito net. Bugs abound. It had the personality of a prison cell. Having said all this, it was only 500 baht. So, as I said, for the young backpacker it might be fine. But for me, I like, at the very least, a toilet which is solid:)

Opinion of Price: least expensive
Related to: Budget Travel
Written February 6, 2012

orix
Reviews: 46

3 out of 5 stars User Rating

Poseidon resort: Poseidon resort

Poseidon is located in Tanote bay, they have a few rooms with fan (no A/C) located meters from the beach. The word resort not fully fitting - more like a guesthouse.

Good restuarant and especially 2nd floor chill-out zone

Opinion of Price: about average
Related to: Backpacking, Diving and Snorkeling
Written July 25, 2011

Tanote baech

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tiger62
Reviews: 2

4 out of 5 stars User Rating

Great stay at Sensi Paradise

There are top places to stay at Mae Haad indeed. Sensi Paradise Beach Resort at the southern part of the beach. Friendly staff. Resturant not that great, but a short walk along the beach to the village and you will have several options. Have to mention Cafe del sol. Great pizza and also very tasty thai food.
Bring your Mac/PC as there is wifi available.

Outstanding pools is a major plus. Bungalows in tradional thai style.

Opinion of Price: N/A
Related to: Beaches, Family Travel
Written February 13, 2011

planxty
Reviews: 1309

4 out of 5 stars User Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

Baan Tai guesthouse.: Clean and comfortable.

If you opt to stay in the quieter Mae Haad rather than head along the coast to the party town of Sairee, you could do worse than this place if you are on a budget. To be honest, there are no top end places in Mae Haad, they are all further along the coast. As you can see from the photo, the rooms are basic but spotlessly clean as is the ensuite bathroom which has hot water.

Like most guesthouses here, there is an attached restaurant downstairs which is good, and the staff who run both are friendly and helpful although English is at something of a premium. There is not much more I can say about the place but I was perfectly happy there the few nights I spent before moving to Sairee.

Opinion of Price: about average
Related to: Backpacking, Budget Travel
Written January 28, 2010

Room, Baan Tai guesthouse, Ko Tao, Thailand.

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planxty
Reviews: 1309

1 out of 5 stars User Rating

2.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

Sunsetburi Hotel.: A disgrace, avoid at all costs.

As I have said elsewhere in tips I do not like to give a really negative report on a place but I really cannot find anything good to say about the Sunsetburi Hotel. For reasons I won't bore you with, I arrived in Sairee quite late in the evening and this was the only place I could find to check in. Having roused the "security guard" from his bed behind the desk, I paid a whopping 1200 baht ( a large amount by local standards where rooms are available for literally a quarter of that. I think I can best sum up my feelings by reproducing a section from my blog, "For a whopping 1200 Baht it was extremely basic. The furniture looked like 1970's Ikea that somebody had taken to with a hatchet, the bedlinen was threadbare and I found two large dead cockroaches in the toilet. I suspect they had committed suicide having to live here (see photo of suicidal cockroaches!). The minibar fridge boasted a long list of inflated price drinks and contained well, precisely nothing."

At this so called quality establishment they did not even provide toilet paper. The slumbering man allegedly in charge of the security of my belongings did not stir when I left my key, and it had not moved when I returned some time later. He obviously had not awoken in the interim. I think I am right in saying it is the first time in some years of VT tipping that I have ever given the lowest rating, and in the case of this hotel, were there a lower one I would use it.

Do yourself a favour and stay well clear of this pit.

This place is uniquely bad, probably the owrst place I have stayed in on all my travels to Thailand.

Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
Written January 28, 2010

Dead cockroaches, Sunsetburi Hotel, Ko Tao.

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planxty
Reviews: 1309

4 out of 5 stars User Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

SBC Resort.: Excellent at the price.

This is an excellent place in the budget range that I happened upon after an unfortunate night spent in the vastly overpriced Sunsetburi Hotel nearby (see seperate tip). It is fairly standard bungalow accomodation, spotlessly clean with cold water only. I chose a fan room as I prefer it to AC and paid 400 baht a night, which is about standard for this type of place. It is well away from the main party area of Sairee so you are more likely to get an uninterrupted nights sleep. A great plus is the lady who runs the place and lives there. She is fron the Isaan region of Northeast Thailand and would do abolutely anything to help you.

In this price range, definitely recommended.

The friendliness of the staff deserves mention.

Opinion of Price: about average
Related to: Backpacking, Budget Travel
Written January 28, 2010

Bungalow, SBC Resort, Ko Tao, Thailand.

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planxty
Reviews: 1309

3 out of 5 stars User Rating

2.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

Lotus Resort.: Not the best but OK and convenient.

As part of my deal with the associated Siam Dive School I received four nights free accomodation here, although the bungalow I had goes for 400 baht a night (I stayed an extra couple of days). It is certainly basic with no hot water in a fan room but I prefer a fan to AC anyway, and it was perfectly adequate for my needs. In December, a cold shower was just what was needed most times and I rarely used the fan anyway. As is usual in Thailand, the place was spotless if a little threadbare.

One word of warning though. The palce is extremely central for all the nighlife, so if you are a light sleeper try to get a bungalow near the rear of the complex. I had one near the front and was serenaded to sleep every night by Johnny Cash at high volume from the nearby Office Bar. If this sounds a little bizarre, read my seperate tip on the bar for a full explanation.

The great plus in this place is the staff. As I have said in other tips, from cheap digs like this to expensive hotels, if you do not have the staff, you have nothing, and the people here are friendly to a fault in that typically Thai way. Always smiling, nothing is too much trouble for them.

As Koh Tao becomes more and more discovered, there are swanky beach resorts springing up but if you are looking for cheap and cheerful in a very central location, it is OK, although I would say the nearby SBC (see seperate tip) is a better bet for the same money.

Opinion of Price: about average
Related to: Backpacking, Budget Travel
Written January 28, 2010

Bungalow, Lotus Resort, Ko Tao, Thailand.

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mot32
Reviews: 1

5 out of 5 stars User Rating

2.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

Freedom Beach Resort Koh Tao: Beach Beach Beach

The Freedom Beach Resort on Koh Tao is the best beach resort I have been to in Thailand. Two Beaches, mid class priced bungalows with or without AC. Not expensive but spacious, clean with a stunning sea view. Very friendly staff, with a European management. Good kitchen, with a restaurant on the water. Spend little money for a perfect holiday. I will go there again.

Beach Beach Beach.
Privat Privat Privat.
Best ever beach, quiet nice small beach, with excellent snorkeling just in front of your bungalow.

Opinion of Price: least expensive
Related to: Backpacking, School Holidays, Beaches
Written November 11, 2009

Beach Beach Beach.

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bombill88
Reviews: 1

1 out of 5 stars User Rating

Sairee Cottage in Ko Tao: Dirty and Rude for both Diving and Hotel

I stayed at Sairee Cottage with my girlfriend in March 09 in order for her to get her Open Water diving certification (the hotel told us they would give us 500 Baht off each night's price if we did a Scuba Diving course there). We travel all over Thailand, and the service here is the worst. We booked for 5 nights, and the hotel reception refused to give us any soap or toilet paper after the first day (they told us that they will "sell" it to us for ridiculous prices). There were rats running around the cottages every night. The dive instructor that Sairee Cottage provided to my girlfriend was extremely rude, impatient, mean, and downright disencouraging to any beginner open water diver (not to mention he is an old, skinny, tattooed Italian guy with black, rotting teeth). The hotel's Scuba diving instructor refused to give my girlfriend her final test for her Open Water certificate (he says that "he didn't want to waste the other student's time by teaching her anymore". My girlfriend completed her Open Water certificate one week later in the Philippines without complaint). To top it off, Sairee Cottage then charged us an additional 2,500 Baht for our hotel bungalow because they refused to allow my girlfriend to complete her Scuba certification (they hotel said afterward that the 500 Baht/night room discount is only for people who "pass" their scuba course). Ko Tao is beautiful, but staying or diving with Sairee Cottage will be a disappointment to your visit to the island. I would stay around Shark Bay instead.

Opinion of Price: about average
Related to: Budget Travel, Diving and Snorkeling, Backpacking
Written September 8, 2009

Princess_Emily
Reviews: 181

4 out of 5 stars User Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars Helpfulness

Montra Resort: Koh Tao Thailand

Our room at this resort was large and very comfortable. The views from both balconies were fantastic. Even the bathroom is worth mentioning. The shower having ample room for 2 adults to use at the same time helped to conserve water. The bathroom sink is long and deep enough to hold a lot of dive gear for washing after a days usage.
Room service great, almost like being on a second honeymoon.

Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
Related to: Diving and Snorkeling, Family Travel, Spa and Resort
Written August 29, 2009

Montra Resort

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