Koh Tao - what we expected island life to be

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Koh Tao was not on our radar for this trip. From Ko Samui we had expected to return to the mainland and head south. We knew of Koh Tao because our good friends Andrea and Mark from Happy Days Travel Blog were supposed to go there to look after a hotel for a few months but Covid-19 got in the way and it never happened. We hadn't realised how close Koh Tao was to Ko Samui so we got in touch with Frank and Ai-mon at Sairee View Resort and they had a room available. That led to a quick change of plans and another booking with Lomprayah ferries. The catamaran called in at Ko Pha Ngan on the way but soon enough we were introducing ourselves to our new hosts as they collected us from the ferry pier.

The island was surprisingly busy considering our experience in other places. It's a haven for backpackers looking for some beautiful island life and apparently one of the best places to learn to dive. Our resort was a few kilometres out of town up a pretty challenging hill, especially after an evening out. Despite this, we loved staying there and it gets top marks for comfort and views, plus it has a pool when things get too hot and sticky. Of course, being away from the nightlife means it is very quiet but that suits us perfectly. It's only a 20 minute walk down to Sairee beach where numerous restaurants front onto the sand. On Frank's recommendation we thoroughly enjoyed Family Kitchen which served amazing Thai food at a very traveller-friendly price. The sunset view on their terrace was amazing, but that would be similar from any of the bars and eateries there. We did have some sundowner mojitos which were fabulous.

We only had three nights there, so that left just two days to explore as much as we could. We had a very strenuous hike on our first full day. It was truly exhausting despite only being around 7km each way. We walked along the road to Ao Hin Wong beach. On the map it looked so simple, but a steady rise from sea level up to 140m (according to Strava ) followed by a descent of the same number of metres in less than a kilometre left us with no illusions as to what the return trek was going to be like! The views were nice though, and as we reached the beach we were met by the sight of a busy port where dive ships come and go on a regular basis. We clambered over the rocks and boardwalks getting an excellent view of the tropical fish in the clear waters. There is a lovely beach too, and it's free to sit there. We did indulge in some fresh watermelon juice and Russ changed and snorkelled while Trish relaxed, no doubt mindful of the uphill section of the return walk that awaited us! Hills are not really a great problem if you take them slowly and steadily, but throw in a handful of very unfriendly dogs snarling and showing their teeth, and you soon wish you were that little bit fitter and able to quicken the pace to get away from them!!! We emerged unscathed though and rewarded ourselves with a wonderful massaman curry in the imaginatively named Pork Leg Restaurant! Back on the main road we bumped into Frank as he was returning to the resort after doing some chores in town and he saved us from the final ascent back to our room.

The next day was our full-day round-the-island snorkelling trip. As is so often the case with organised trips, it started with being collected by a mystery driver who then collected others before depositing us in an office where paperwork had to be completed before we could get onto a boat. It was a bit frustrating especially as we then had to wait about half an hour sat on the boat for some stragglers to arrive. We spent around half an hour on the water getting to Nang Yung island, which is actually three islands connected by sandbars. We had a bit of a wander around on the boardwalks but decided against climbing up to the viewpoint, settling instead for some time on the beach and some incredible snorkel experiences. The variety of fish was amazing in both size and colour. A couple of hours was allowed for exploring before we had lunch on the boat and set sail for a few remote spots around the island where the boat moored up and we launched ourselves into the waters to swim above coral reefs. It was great. The final stop of the day was at Shark Bay but it is not the season for reef sharks. Turtles are frequent visitors though, and the group set out snorkelling to find some. The skies were blackening and the seas were getting rough so we decided against it and stayed on board instead. We were happy with that move but those that went were rewarded with the sight of a huge turtle. Getting back to port turned out to be somewhat interesting. We sheltered in the harbour for half an hour as the wind increased and the heavens opened. The waves looked frightful out to sea but eventually a decision was made that we would set sail. It was, to be honest, a brutal journey and very unpleasant at times. We felt it was perhaps unwise to venture onto the open seas but we did make it back in one piece although getting off the boat was quite a challenge as it rose and fell by about six feet with every wave. Timing had to be perfect!

The weather did not get any better. Frank and Ai-mon offered to do a Thai barbecue for all the guests staying at the resort. It meant we were able to chew the cud over a few beers whilst being educated about the barbecue set up which combines the soup element of a Cantonese hot-pot with the open fire of a Korean grill. We feasted on all sorts of delights and everyone had a great time. The inclement weather led to a brilliant night.

Sadly we had to say our goodbyes the next morning. Frank took us down to the pier and once again we boarded a Lomprayah catamaran, this time straight to the mainland. There we were put on a bus to Hua Hin where we stayed a couple nights to get over the six hours on a bus!!

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Quiet locations
You filled your time with snorkeling and more. It sounds like a great place to stop.