Koh Tao comes of age

Once one of Thailand’s best-kept secrets, development has come fast to Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, 80 kilometres southeast of Chumphon province and 60 km north of Koh Samui. It’s a two-hour journey by speedboat but except for the area around Mae Haad, where the catamarans and boats tie up, Koh Tao still offers visitors a sense of peace and seclusion.

Many of the older residents moved to Koh Tao from Samui more than 40 years ago seeking new land for coconut plantations. The hilly, fertile land was sufficient for them to make a living and over the years, the island started to draw tourists, mainly the backpacker brigade.

While the island remains laidback, it also has a funky energy of its own, evidenced by the legions of beach bars that stretch along the sand that play a mish-mash of lounge music long into the night. A small though growing number of restaurants sell Italian, Israeli and Mexican dishes along with spicy Thai food. Next to them, a mammoth-sized stall sells handmade necklaces.

Not far from the main pier, plenty of comfortable air-conditioned rooms are on offer and visitors will find a few Internet shops, many convenience stores, seaside restaurants, small bars and Thai massage parlours.

There are also numerous dive shops and dive resorts all over the island. Just over Bt8,000 will get you an open water diving course plus a four-night stay in the resort’s own dive accommodation.

The amenities are, by and large, located on Sairee Beach, the longest and busiest beach on Koh Tao. Chalok Bankao is the second busiest and visitors who want to stay close to the nightlife but prefer a more chilled-out atmosphere, stay here.

Tourists continue to arrive on Koh Tao until the end of September, when the monsoon season begins in this part of Thailand.

 

      If you go

Ferries depart daily from Koh Samui and Thayang Pier in Chumphon province.