Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Canuck Teacher]

greets:

im doing a lil dive trip to ko tao (first week of june) via bangkok. any advice on hotels (clean and "best bang for the buck" being the biggest concern) travel routes and most do's and don�ts would be appreciated. thanks.

[Binch Lover]

I've been there twice and can't remember any hotels there. It's mainly cottages and guesthouses. Have you booked your dive trip already? Most operators have a deal where you get free or discounted accommodation. If you want to find your own, think about where you want to stay. The boats leave from the port which is about a 20 minute walk from Sairee beach. Sairee is where most beachfont bars are but it's not at all crazy like Ko Pha Ngan. Very good atmosphere there. We stayed at Sairee Cottages, which was very nice and not expensive (can't remember the exact price). There's also a beautiful beach on the other side of the island called Ao Nang, but that wouldn't be convenient if you're diving.

[haute 4 teacher]

I stayed and dove at Crystal?. It is the one closest to the pier. Good people. "Safe" (by thai standards). A little pricey but I don't like to take a chance with gear when you're 50 ft down. Taking my GF there to get certified in December.

Don't take the night boat. Sleeping on the floor. Though the 10 tiger beers, nice british gay man and 1/2 a kolanapin made it interesting...Like I almost fell off the boat in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand interesting.

Anywhere you go in Thailand rocks!

F in A.

[MrMr]

The most expensive but fastest and most convenient way is to fly to Samui and take the boat from there. Takes about 90 minutes

[Canuck Teacher]

thanks all.

[Enigma]

I was just diving in Ko Tao in January. I bought a bus/ferry ticket just off Kao San Road, I think for 900 baht (about $30) one-way. I think buses left Bangkok twice a day, at about 6 or 7 am and another in the afternoon. The bus was about 5 or 6 hours to just south of Chumphon (spelling?), and then the high-speed ferry was around an hour I think.
I stayed in the southwest part of the island because it was a little quieter, and dove with Buddha View. Diving prices are pretty standard across the island. If you do enough dives, I think you can get it down to about $25 a dive.

[oxfordstu]

Try to book ahead if you can. The problem with accommodation on Koh Tao is that often there isn't enough of it. We were there about a year ago and there were people walking around at 9pm still looking for a place to stay. We also found that many of the hotel/guesthouse operators just don't answer their phone.