Taatoh Seaview Resort

There are a lot of stairs around the resort, but we expected that after staying in hotels on Samui and Phangan. A view usually comes with a climb. The walk down to the beach is very steep, as expected, but it’s a great snorkeling spot, and it takes only about three minutes to walk back up to the room. The resort is fairly far out, so another restaurant means walking, renting a bike, or getting a taxi. They do offer a convenient shuttle to the ferry. Our seaview family room was nice, though the toilets really need an upgrade. It’s hard to find a good family resort on Koh Tao, and this one was decent. I’d also seen comments about the key deposit: deposits at check-in are common in Thailand, and this one was less than half of what we’d paid at other hotels there. You get it back, too. Breakfast was decent, with cornflakes, bread, jam, pancakes, omelets, fruit, some Thai dishes, and coffee. There was no coffee machine, and we didn’t like the powdered coffee. The restaurant service gets quite slow when there are lots of orders, but the food is great, the portions are huge by Thai standards, and the prices are very reasonable. Compared with Samui or Phangan, it’s pricey for what you get. Still, family rooms are limited on Koh Tao, so it’s good value for money here. With older kids, consider two rooms or the double family room, which has the best view.

We stayed one night and had a really bad experience. We’d booked a junior family room, but were given a room under the restaurant and toilets. It smelled bad, and everything was old and broken. The pump made noise all night. The furniture was old, the shared space and restaurant weren’t clean, and the bathroom stank. I paid 3800 bath. When I gave the owner feedback, he smiled and treated me disrespectfully. Please read this and avoid the hotel.

The full moon party on koh pangang was cancelled after the queen passed away, so we had to change our plans. We were one day too late to cancel our stay with them through whatsapp, and they didn’t give us a full refund. They didn’t respond for days to whatsapp or email. People in this country honor their queen a lot, and it causes many changes, but they weren’t willing to help us. That says a lot about this place. Hotels.com 72061985591762

Our Good Seaview Bungalow 6 had a stunning view, much better than the photos suggest, and I’d happily book that same room if we return to Koh Tao. We loved the two decks, one shaded with seating and another with loungers for sunbathing. The best part was the private staircase down to Shark Bay. At high tide we could snorkel right from the steps, and going toward the ocean along our side of the coast was phenomenal, much better than elsewhere in the bay. The room was comfortable, with a good bed and pillows, but it was compact and had limited storage, so it’s better for light packers. The outdoor bathroom may not suit everyone, though we were fine with it. Getting there means climbing about 20m worth of steps. If you’re fit it won’t be an issue, and if you can walk you’ll probably forget about it once you see the view. With mobility issues, this likely isn’t a good choice. The electric shower got hot enough to burn your bum. They clean the room every second day unless you specifically ask. The onsite restaurant was subpar, overpriced, and not very good, so I wouldn’t eat there unless you really can’t be bothered. Still, we had a fantastic stay in an unbeatable location.