Phuket to Koh Tao

Lomprayah runs the whole trip on one ticket, and it's the one I'd book. The coach leaves its office in Wichit, just west of Phuket Town, at 09:30 (the office opens at 06:00), crosses the peninsula to Donsak pier near Surat Thani, and the catamaran calls at Nathon on Samui at 15:45 and Phangan at 16:30 before landing at Mae Haad on Koh Tao at 17:45, for ฿1,600. If you're staying on the west coast, the hotel pickup collects you at 07:30 in Patong, Kata, Karon, Rawai or Nai Harn for ฿1,800, and if you're flying into Phuket, the 10:00 pickup at Gates 1–2 of the airport meets the same boat, also ฿1,800.

There's one departure a day, so book a few days ahead in the high season. The same ticket stops short at Samui for ฿1,300 or Phangan for ฿1,400, and plenty of agencies resell it with their own hotel pickups from about 06:00 for ฿1,600–2,050.

Bangkok Airways flies Phuket to Samui six times a day, at 09:45, 11:00, 12:55, 14:15, 16:35 and 17:30, in 55 minutes, for about ฿3,900–4,600 on a November weekday and more in December. Samui's airport is close to Bangrak pier, where the fast boats leave for Koh Tao, 1.5 to 2 hours for ฿700. The 11:00 is the relaxed choice, and the 12:55, landing at 13:50, is the last that connects comfortably, with Lomprayah's 14:30 from Bangrak landing at 17:45 or its 15:00 airport pickup landing at 17:00. The 14:15 leaves you 20 minutes for the last 15:30 boat, which is too tight to plan on.

It saves a few hours over the coach, and it's the way to go if you want a night on Samui first. Our Phuket to Koh Samui and Koh Samui to Koh Tao guides have every flight and boat.

If you can't make the morning, go overland in the afternoon and sleep on the boat. Buses and vans leave Phuket Bus Terminal 2 for Surat Thani town through the morning and early afternoon, about 4.5 to 6 hours for ฿375–425 with Phantip, Ramon and the 465 company, and the 13:30 departures are the last that reach town comfortably before the boat. Get off in town, not at the train station at Phun Phin, which is 14 km from the pier. The night boat leaves the Ban Don riverfront at 21:00 and lands at Mae Haad at about 05:00 to 06:00, with mattresses on an open deck, for about ฿770–1,040.

The booking sites also sell the bus and night boat together from Bus Terminal 2, leaving between about 11:00 and 13:40, for about ฿1,375–1,500. Our Surat Thani to Koh Tao guide has more on the night boat.

Going back, Lomprayah's 09:30 catamaran and coach reaches its Phuket office at 18:30 for ฿1,600, and agencies resell it with drops at Patong hotels from about 19:30. Songserm's 11:30 speedboat with a van reaches Phuket Bus Terminal 2 at about 19:00 for about ฿1,800. The night boat leaves Mae Haad at 21:00 and connects with buses that reach Phuket around midday the next day, for about ฿1,250–1,550.

To fly, take a morning boat to Samui, and Bangkok Airways flies back to Phuket at 08:15, 11:10, 12:30, 15:05, 15:50 and 18:15, in about an hour. The afternoon flights are the ones a morning boat connects with. In the Gulf's rough season from October to December, leave a spare day before a flight home.