Mookboonchu Guesthouse

The room was dirty, the sheets hadn’t even been changed, and the bathroom smelled. Staff also tried to charge more than the listed price for a room upgrade.

We took a private boat trip to emerald cave and around the island, and it was amazing, worth every penny. It let me see the island’s real beauty. We spent three days there, which felt too long to me. There’s too much tourism for the island to be environmentally stable, trash is everywhere, and people weren’t as friendly as in other parts of Thailand, understandably. The guesthouse is right in the middle of "town," with shops, bars, restaurants, and stores close by, but there’s no water view and it’s farther from the beach scene. It gets surprisingly quiet after 10 pm. The room itself was good, with plenty of space, comfortable beds, a large fridge, and a generous bathroom with warm showers. There’s also a little shared area with tables and chairs. Breakfast was disappointing, just three Western choices, and I would have preferred a Thai option.

It’s a decent, simple budget hotel, and the staff were lovely and helpful with everything from motorbike hire at ฿200 a day to ferry tickets and taxis. The breakfast was basic, with a few choices and a generous fruit platter. The room was clean, with good AC and a good shower, though the water temperature kept swinging between hot and cold. In Koh Mook’s heat, I stuck to cold showers, which were cool enough to feel great. The location is handy, two minutes on foot from the beach and Main Street. That bit of beach isn’t really swimmable, though, so you’ll need another five to ten minutes’ walk. The staff leave at 6.30pm and don’t stay on the premises. There are sunset cocktail deals at the neighbour hotel across the way, and you can watch the moon rise too. Spacious room, great price, nothing fancy, but a good spot for a budget traveller.

We loved the superior room with its big window, sea view, and thoughtful design. It was spacious and clean, with a beautiful outlook. The breakfast was delicious and huge, and the staff went out of their way to make our stay as good as possible. They were genuinely caring, and even provided a free taxi to Charlie’s Beach. We extended our stay twice and ended up staying at Mookbounchu much longer than planned. Thanks to everyone at Mookbounchu, we’ll definitely be back :)