Secret Garden Village

I had a great stay and would come back to Ko Tao. The little garden is beautiful, with cosy bungalows that are clean and comfortable, including comfortable beds. Each bungalow has a balcony that’s nice for sitting and relaxing, and the price is low for this standard of room. It can be a little tricky to find, but any taxi driver knows where it is. The center of sairee is a 10-minute walk away, and the manager can arrange a motorbike if you want one.

We moved here because we couldn’t sleep at the loud bars, people and pub crawls in town. It’s quiet here, and we preferred that. The staff are really lovely and helpful, the place is clean, the wifi is very good, and I felt completely comfortable. There are quite a few ants because it’s up in the hills, but nothing too bad. It is a trek to get here, around 15-20 minutes walking from the main road. Google Maps has the directions wrong: go up, then up again, turn left and keep going, take a left at the cute sign, continue, turn left and cross the bridge. In the daytime there’s a shortcut to the beach, about 10 minutes. Bring a flashlight if you want to walk back at night after a beach sunset. If you’re renting a bike, the distance isn’t a problem, but not everyone is comfortable riding one, so please don’t dismiss people who mention the walk. I recommend staying here if you want quiet, but not if you want to party.

The room was clean and the bed was comfortable, with tea and coffee, a mini fridge and a kettle. Air conditioning was strong, though quite loud at night, and the staff were friendly. It’s a nice, quiet bungalow hotel, about a 10-20 minute walk from town and the beach. Check-in is at 11am and checkout is at 10am. If you’re on foot, there are comparable places to stay. This one makes more sense if you have a moto. If I return to Koh Tao, I’d look elsewhere.

We’d stay here again in a heartbeat. The bungalows are spacious and clean, and the place is tucked away from Sairee Beach’s loud nightlife. The owner Claudio is a great person and made our stay even more enjoyable. He also owns La Pizzeria, where we had the best pizza and pasta we’ve eaten in Thailand.