Destination guide
Where to Stay on Koh Tao
A small, steep island, so the bay you sleep on shapes every day
Koh Tao is about 7.5 km from end to end, but it's steep, and the roads to the far bays are rough, so where you stay matters more than the size suggests. Sairee, on the west coast, is the easiest first base, with the island's longest beach, most of the dive schools, the restaurants and the sunset bars, about 10 to 15 minutes' walk from the pier at Mae Haad. Mae Haad itself suits an early boat and a tight budget.
Chalok Baan Kao, on the south coast, is quieter but still has places to eat, Shark Bay next door has the best snorkeling off a beach, and the east-coast bays like Tanote are for people who want to disappear. If you're taking a dive course, the simplest answer is often your dive school's own rooms.
Arriving in Koh Tao
Where to stay in Koh Tao
This route ends in Koh Tao. Search Koh Tao hotels with your dates, or narrow it to the area you're heading for. Filter for free cancellation if you want to hold a room and decide later.
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Quick Picks by Traveler Type
First visit → Sairee
The long beach, the dive schools, the restaurants and the sunset are all along one walkable strip, with the quieter end to the north.
Early boat or a tight budget → Mae Haad
Every ferry docks here, the cheapest hostels are here, and the banks and ATMs are a few steps from your bed.
Quiet with restaurants → Chalok Baan Kao
A calm south-coast bay with dive resorts and open-air restaurants, about 10 minutes' drive from the pier and close to Freedom Beach.
Snorkeling and honeymoons → Shark Bay
Villa resorts above a bay where green turtles and small blacktip reef sharks swim off the beach, best early in the morning.
Getting away from everyone → the east-coast bays
Tanote and the smaller bays have snorkeling off the sand and very little else. Take a taxi boat or arrange the transfer.
Learning to dive → your dive school's rooms
Many schools give you a free or discounted room while you're on a course, so book the course first and the bed with it.
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My Hotel Pick in Each Area
One well-reviewed stay in each of the areas below, with your dates on Booking.com. The fuller shortlists for each area come further down.
Koh Tao
Koh Tao Cabana4.2 (674 reviews)
Sairee pick, cottages and villas at the quiet north end of the beach, a walk along the sand from the village.
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Sensi Paradise Beach Resort4.4 (737 reviews)
Mae Haad pick, teak bungalows and an infinity pool a few minutes' walk from the pier.
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View Point Resort4.6 (806 reviews)
Chalok Baan Kao pick, cottages and pool villas on the headland at the quiet end of the bay.
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Sai Daeng Resort4.4 (1,265 reviews)
South-coast pick, a beachfront resort with a pool on Sai Daeng, next door to Shark Bay.
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Lub d Koh Tao Tanote Bay4.4 (1,288 reviews)
East-coast pick, bungalows on Tanote Bay with snorkeling straight off the sand.
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Koh Tao's Areas Compared
| Area | Best for | From Mae Haad pier | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sairee | First visits, the beach, dive schools, nightlife | About 1 km, a 10–15 minute walk | Noise from the bars at the south end |
| Mae Haad | Ferries, a low budget, banks | On the doorstep | A busy harbor by day and a small beach |
| Chalok Baan Kao | Quiet, dive resorts, swimming | About 2 km, about 10 minutes by taxi | Shallow water, not much snorkeling in the bay |
| Shark Bay and Sai Daeng | Snorkeling, villas, honeymoons | About 2.5 km by a steep road | Few restaurants outside the resorts |
| The east-coast bays (Tanote and beyond) | Seclusion and snorkeling | About 2.7 km over the hill, or by taxi boat | Rough roads and little to do at night |
| Koh Nang Yuan | One special night | About 3.7 km, by boat from Sairee | One resort and the day-tripper crowds |
Distances are straight-line, from our records' map pins. A shared pickup-truck taxi from Mae Haad to Sairee is about ฿100 a person, more to the south and east coasts, and taxi boats to Tanote cost about ฿150–200. Nowhere on the island is more than about 15 to 30 minutes from anywhere else by road.
Sairee, the Easiest Base
Sairee Beach runs about 1.85 km up the west coast, the longest beach on Koh Tao, with calm water, the sunset over the sea and most of the island's dive schools along the sand. Sairee village, behind it, is the center of the action, with the restaurants, bars, shops and guesthouses. The south end of the beach, nearest the pier, has the party strip, and the bars can carry late into the night. The north end is quieter, with bigger resorts climbing the headland, and the village is still a walk along the sand. Pick the end that matches your evenings.
1. Koh Tao Cabana, The north end of Sairee
The best beach stay on SaireeCottages and villas in the trees, along the sand and up the rocks at the quiet end of the beach, many facing the sunset, with a pool, a restaurant and a spa. Reviewers praise the size of the villas and the snorkeling off the beach. The higher villas mean steep stairs, and some rooms are a little dated.
2. Blue Tao Beach Hotel, Sairee, toward the south end
Mid-range on the sandA beachside hotel steps from the water, close to the dive schools and the restaurants, with reception open around the clock for a late boat.
3. Ban's Diving Resort, Sairee
Divers who want a social sceneOne of the island's biggest dive schools, run as a whole resort on Sairee, with pools, restaurants and rooms from backpacker to hotel standard. Course students get discounted rooms, and the nights out are part of the appeal.
4. Sairee Cottage Diving, The middle of Sairee
A room with the dive schoolA beachfront dive school with rooms, two pools and a restaurant, for people who want to be in the water by nine. The rooms are straightforward rather than luxurious.
5. The AVA Resort Koh Tao, The hillside north of Sairee
A view over the GulfSpacious rooms and a pool looking west over the sea, on the road north of the beach, so you'll want a scooter or taxis for dinner. Reception closes in the evening, and rooms near the garden pond can be loud with frogs.
6. Lunar Villas Koh Tao, The hills at the north end
A private pool villaPrivate pool villas above the north end of the island, for couples and small groups who want privacy and are happy to ride or take a taxi into Sairee.
7. Nomads Koh Tao Hostel, Sairee village
BackpackersA sociable, well-rated hostel in the village, the easy way to meet people on an island that runs on group dive trips. It's popular, so book ahead.
8. Sairee Sairee Guesthouse, Sairee village
A cheap private roomA small, no-frills guesthouse in the middle of the village, with the beach, the dive schools and the bars all a short walk away.
Mae Haad, for the Ferry
Mae Haad is the island's port and its main village, where every ferry and speedboat docks. It's busy by day, when the boats come and go, and quiet in the evening. It has the most practical things on the island, the banks, ATMs, shops and the cheapest hostels, and the beaches either side of the pier are small but pleasant, with shallow snorkeling and a small wreck off the south end. Sairee is 10 to 15 minutes away on foot along the beach or the road.
1. Sensi Paradise Beach Resort, The south end of Mae Haad Bay
The best resort near the pierTeak bungalows in a hillside garden above the bay, with a saltwater infinity pool and a restaurant, a few minutes' walk from the pier. A few of the older bungalows are dim or fan-cooled, so check the room type.
2. Sunrise Koh Tao, Beside the pier
The shortest walk from the boatA well-rated hotel on the pier road, close to the dive shops, the restaurants and the boats. It's the easy choice for one night before an early ferry.
3. Koh Tao Beach Club, The north end of Mae Haad
A pool and a quiet stretch of beachA relaxed resort with rooms and bungalows, a pool and its own stretch of sand by the headland between Mae Haad and Sairee. Reception keeps daytime hours, so tell them if you're arriving late.
4. The Hidden Gem Poshtel, Mae Haad village
A hostel with more comfortA small, well-rated poshtel in the port village, with the social side of a hostel and more polish, a short walk from the pier.
Chalok Baan Kao, for Quiet
Chalok Baan Kao is the big bay on the south coast, about 10 minutes' drive from Mae Haad. Its water is calm and shallow, better for swimming than snorkeling, and the bay is lined with dive resorts and open-air restaurants, so you can eat out every night without a taxi. Freedom Beach and the climb to the John-Suwan viewpoint are at the east end, about ฿50 each to get in, and Shark Bay is just beyond. It's the best base if Sairee sounds too busy but you still want restaurants on foot.
1. View Point Resort, The headland at the west end of the bay
A resort to stay put inCottages and pool villas climbing the headland, with a stone-edged pool over the sea, a restaurant and a massage hut. Reviewers praise the breakfast and the quiet, and warn about the many stairs and the pricey dinners.
2. Assava Diving Koh Tao, On Chalok Baan Kao Bay
A dive course with a roomA PADI 5-Star career development center with rooms on the bay, so the classroom, the kit and your bed are in one place. It's one of the best-reviewed places on the island in our records.
Assava Diving Koh Tao | PADI 5* CDC Scuba Diving Centre & Hotel Beach Resort, Thailand4.9(2,642)Daily 08:30–18:00
3. Hydronauts Diving Resort, Inland from the bay
Divers on a budgetA small dive resort with a pool, private rooms and a dorm, about ten minutes' walk from the bay and close to Freedom Beach and Shark Bay.
4. KohTao Relax Freedom Beach Resort, Above Freedom Beach, at the east end
Wooden cabins over the waterSimple wooden cabins with terraces facing the Gulf, on the slope above Freedom Beach. Reception closes at 21:00, so arrange the check-in if your boat lands late.
Shark Bay and Sai Daeng, for Snorkeling
Shark Bay, Ao Thian Og in Thai, is the small bay east of Chalok where people snorkel with green turtles and small blacktip reef sharks straight off the beach, best early in the morning when the water is calmest. Most of its sand belongs to Haad Tien Beach Resort, which charges outsiders about ฿200 to come in, so staying here gets you the bay without the day-visitor fee. Sai Daeng, next door, is a longer, quieter beach with only a few places to stay. The road down to both is steep, and there's little to eat outside the resorts, so this is an area for staying put.
1. Haad Tien Beach Resort, On Shark Bay
Snorkeling from your villaA boutique villa resort holding most of the beach, with pool villas, a spa, a restaurant and a dive center. Reviewers keep coming back to the reef sharks and turtles a few strokes out, and it's a favorite for honeymoons.
2. Cape Shark Pool Villas, The cliffs above Shark Bay
A private pool and a viewVillas with their own pools on the cape above the bay, with free snorkeling gear, paddleboards and a shuttle, which you'll use, because it's high on a steep hill. Several reviewers call it good value for a pool villa.
3. Jamahkiri Dive Resort & Spa, Between Shark Bay and Sai Daeng
A spa resort with divingColorful rooms and suites by the sea, with a pool, a spa, a Thai restaurant and its own dive center.
4. Sai Daeng Resort, Sai Daeng Beach
A beachfront pool on a quiet beachA beachfront resort with a pool, a hot tub and a bar on one of the island's more sheltered beaches, a short walk from Shark Bay's turtles.
Tanote and the East-Coast Bays, for Seclusion
The east coast is a string of small bays reached by steep, rough roads over the island's spine, with bungalows on the hills around each one and snorkeling off the sand. Tanote is the biggest and easiest to reach, about ฿150–200 by taxi boat from Mae Haad. North of it, Ao Leuk, Hin Wong and Mango Bay are smaller still, with a handful of basic places and not much in the way of comforts. Arrange a pickup from the pier when you book, because nobody wants to ride these roads with a backpack. Once the sun sets there's very little to do, which is exactly why people come.
1. Lub d Koh Tao Tanote Bay, Tanote Bay
Quiet with comfortsThe former Montalay, with bungalows from shared-bathroom huts to tree-top nests with a bathtub, a pool, a restaurant and a beach bar. Reviewers like the clean rooms and the snorkeling off the beach.
2. Tanote, Tanote Bay
A simpler bay stayA smaller resort on the same sheltered cove, for divers and snorkelers who want the bay on the doorstep and an early night.
Koh Nang Yuan, for One Night
Koh Nang Yuan is the trio of islets joined by sandbars off Sairee, packed with day-trippers through the middle of the day. Staying the night is the way to see it empty. Day visitors pay ฿250 to land, plastic bottles aren't allowed, and taxi boats from Sairee cost about ฿100–150 each way.
1. Koh Nangyuan Resort, Koh Nang Yuan
The sandbar to yourselfThe only place to stay on the islands, with bungalows in the trees and on the beach, a family suite, a pool villa, a dive center, a restaurant and a beach bar. Reviewers love the evenings once the boats leave. A few say they didn't get the room category they booked, so confirm a beachfront room if that's what you're paying for.
Staying Where You Dive
An Open Water course on Koh Tao costs about ฿11,000–12,500, and many schools give you a room free or at a discount while you're on it, so it often makes sense to book the course first and take the school's bed for those nights. Crystal Dive includes four nights' accommodation with its course, and Ban's discounts its rooms for students.
The dive resorts cluster where the schools do. Sairee has the biggest, like Ban's and Sairee Cottage, Chalok Baan Kao has Assava and Hydronauts, and Jamahkiri, Haad Tien and Koh Nangyuan all run their own dive centers. If you'd rather not sleep at the school, stay in the same bay, because the course days start early and end late. Many people who come for a course end up staying for weeks.
Hills, Stairs and Noise
Koh Tao's roads are steep concrete, with sand and gravel on the turns, and the tracks to the east-coast bays are rougher still. Scooters rent for about ฿200–300 a day, but if you haven't ridden much, pick a base you can walk around, like Sairee, Mae Haad or Chalok, and use taxis and taxi boats for the rest. The hillside villas with the best views often mean a lot of stairs, which matters with heavy bags or small children.
On Sairee, the south end has the beach bars and the parties, and the music carries at night. If you want sleep more than nightlife, stay at the north end, in Chalok or on the south coast. Wherever you stay, the tap water isn't safe to drink, so buy bottled or refill.
When to Book
Koh Tao is on the Gulf side, so its seasons run differently from Phuket and Krabi. February to September is the best time, with calm seas and the clearest water, and February is the driest month, with about 64 mm of rain at the Koh Samui weather station. July and August are busy with the European summer holidays, so book the popular resorts and hostels well ahead for those months.
October to December is the monsoon here. November is the wettest month, with about 445 mm, the boats can be rough or canceled, and dive visibility drops. Rooms are easier to find then, but leave a spare day in your plans in case a ferry doesn't run.
Getting to Your Hotel
Every boat to Koh Tao docks at Mae Haad pier on the west coast. Pickup-truck taxis wait there, about ฿100 a person for the short hop to Sairee when they're shared, and more to Chalok, the south coast and the east. For the east-coast bays, a taxi boat is often easier, about ฿150–200 to Tanote. Several resorts on the south and east coasts, including Haad Tien and Cape Shark, offer the pier transfer, so ask when you book. If you're staying at Mae Haad or the south end of Sairee, you can walk.
Plan the rest of Koh Tao.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Where to Stay on Koh Tao.
Sairee for a first visit, because it has the long beach, the dive schools, the restaurants and the sunset within walking distance. Chalok Baan Kao for quiet with restaurants nearby, Shark Bay for snorkeling, and the east-coast bays like Tanote for seclusion.
Sairee if you want the beach, nightlife and the most choice, staying at the north end if you want to sleep. Chalok if you'd rather have a calm bay and an early night, with restaurants still on foot. They're about 10 minutes apart by taxi.
Shark Bay, for Haad Tien's villas or Cape Shark's pool villas above the bay, View Point Resort on the headland at Chalok, or Koh Tao Cabana at the quiet north end of Sairee.
Sairee or Chalok, where the water is calm and the restaurants are walkable. Avoid the hillside villas with long stairs if you have small children, and the remote east-coast bays where everything needs a taxi.
Often at their dive school, because many give you a free or discounted room during a course. Ban's and Sairee Cottage are on Sairee, Assava and Hydronauts at Chalok Baan Kao.
Mae Haad, for the cheapest hostels, and Sairee village, for simple guesthouses. Dive-school rooms during a course are often the best value of all.
No, if you stay on Sairee, Mae Haad or Chalok. Taxis and taxi boats reach everywhere else. The roads are steep and catch out a lot of riders, so only rent one if you've ridden before.
Four suits most people who aren't diving. Add about four days if you're taking an Open Water course, and a day or two after it to fun dive or rest before you fly.
Where to stay in Koh Tao
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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