Haad Tien Beach Resort

Haad Tien Beach Resort, also run as The Beach Club by Haadtien, is a boutique resort on Ao Thian Ok, the bay everyone calls Shark Bay, on Koh Tao's south coast. The resort holds most of the beach, so the sand stays quiet even when snorkeling boats anchor in the bay.

Rooms are villas, from hillside hideaways to family villas, pool villas and beachfront pool villas, spread through gardens down to the water. There's a pool, a spa, a restaurant and a dive center. The reef runs right off the beach, and reviewers keep coming back to the snorkeling, with young blacktip reef sharks and turtles in clear water a few strokes out, along with the service and the setting. It's a favorite with honeymooners.

The road down to Shark Bay is steep, so arrange the transfer from Mae Haad pier when you book rather than riding it on a rented scooter.