Daya Resort

We only stayed one night because Songkran left no other places available. Daya Resort is a lucky budget find on an island that's beautiful but pretty expensive. The small, simple bungalows come with or without air conditioning. If you're out in the water all day and just need somewhere to sleep, they do the job, though the bed was concrete and the hardest I've ever slept on. The small blanket helped a bit. Without air conditioning it wasn't very comfortable, but bearable. The resort sits at the end of the island's main beach, in what might be Koh Lipe's most beautiful bay, with gorgeous turquoise water views. A wooden bridge nearby leads to a secluded private beach. There's free drinking water at reception and coffee in the café each morning. The resort also has a restaurant that was packed every evening, which seemed promising, though we didn't try it. A simple, cheap base that lets you enjoy the island's beauty. I'd recommend it to backpackers, or for a first night while you work out where you'd rather stay next.

I spent 25nights at Daya, and the location was beautiful. The reception girls were very nice, as were some of the girls in the restaurant. Still, I found it poor value at about 45Euros a night, and most people didn't say hello, maybe that's their culture. The worst issue was the smell in my bungalow. They'd put some white balls in the bathroom that smelled so bad I could barely enter the room. I complained and nothing was done, so I cleaned the bathroom myself. I felt better after that. At breakfast, nobody brings you a menu when you want to order. You have to ask for everything. I had a great time because I chose to, but I'd only recommend this place for its lovely setting and a short stay.

The beachfront bungalows are cheap compared with the rest of the island and have what you need for a holiday, with a stunning view. Facilities are limited, but enough for island life. The fresh seafood barbecue right on the beach is a huge bonus every night, especially the prawns. They're to die for!

Waking up in the beach bungalows to a view of the Andaman sea made the stay feel special. The atmosphere and surroundings are amazing. The bungalows could use some maintenance. A few things were broken or didn't work, and floorboards in front of the bathroom were broken in two of them. One still felt load bearing, but we didn't dare step on the area in the other. They did have a refrigerator, which was really useful, and a small shower at the bottom of the stairs for washing sand off your feet or rinsing snorkelling gear.