Where should I stay on Koh Tao for a diving course?

Sairee Beach. Most dive schools are based there, many bundle accommodation with courses, and being able to roll from bed to briefing to boat is exactly the convenience you want mid-course.

Which part of Koh Tao is best for non-divers?

Chalok and the southern bays for calm swimming and an easy pace, or an east-coast cove like Tanote if snorkelling is your thing — some of the island's best reef sits within fin-kick of the beach.

Is Koh Tao good for families?

Yes, with the right base. Chalok Baan Kao and Shark Bay offer sheltered, shallow water and a quieter scene than Sairee. Just note the island is hilly and taxis are pricey, so pick a bay you're happy to mostly stay in.

Do I need a scooter on Koh Tao?

Not if you stay on the west side — Sairee and Mae Haad connect by an easy flat walk. For the east and south coasts you'll want wheels or boat rides, but be honest about your riding: Koh Tao's hills are steep and its roads unforgiving for beginners.

Where to Stay on Koh Phi Phi: Village, Beach or Bay

There are no roads, so walking distance is everything

Phi Phi Don has no cars at all. Everything is either walkable from the pier or reached by longtail boat, and that single fact organises the whole island. The flat isthmus in the middle holds Tonsai village, squeezed between two bays: Tonsai Bay where the ferries dock, and Loh Dalum on the other side.

The twin bays of Phi Phi Don seen from the viewpoint

Away from that isthmus, the bays are separated by steep jungle. Reaching them means a boat transfer, so the choice is not really about which beach is prettiest. It is about whether you want to walk out to dinner, or be delivered to it.

Transport

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Quick guide

Which area

Tonsai village — cheapest, most choice, loudest
Long Beach (Hat Yao) — good swimming, walkable to town, calmer
Loh Dalum — the party bay, right behind the village
Loh Bagao — quiet resort bay, boat transfer
Laem Tong — the upmarket north tip, clear water, remote

Tonsai village: everything, including the noise

Tonsai is a dense little maze of guesthouses, dive shops, tattoo studios, bakeries and bars. It has by far the cheapest rooms, all the choice in food, and every boat leaves from its doorstep. If you are here to dive, to meet people, or to stay out, it is the obvious base.

It is also genuinely loud. The bars on Loh Dalum run fire shows and music until the early hours, and the sound carries across the flat ground to most of the village. Rooms at the edges and up the hill are quieter, and earplugs are not a joke here. Long Beach (Hat Yao), twenty minutes' walk or five by boat to the south-east, is the compromise: still walkable to the village, with better swimming and far less volume.

Good to know

Before you book

There are no cars on Phi Phi. Pack so you can carry it — porters cost extra.
Loh Dalum empties almost completely at low tide, so it is a bay to look at rather than swim in.
Boat transfers to the northern bays are charged per boat, and stop running after dark.
The viewpoint above the village is a steep twenty-minute climb and the best thing on the island.

The quiet bays: Loh Bagao and Laem Tong

North along the coast are the resort bays. Loh Bagao is a long, curved beach with a handful of larger hotels and almost nothing else. Laem Tong at the northern tip is the most upmarket corner of the island, with the clearest water and a small sea gypsy community as its only village.

Both are reached by longtail from the pier, which takes twenty to thirty minutes and is charged per boat. That is the trade-off: perfect quiet, but every dinner is either at your hotel or a boat ride away. For a honeymoon or a week of doing nothing, they are exactly right. For a first visit with a limited budget, they are not.

Frequently asked questions

Where should you stay on Phi Phi to avoid the noise?

Long Beach for a compromise, or Loh Bagao and Laem Tong in the north if you want silence and do not mind a boat transfer.

Is Tonsai village worth staying in?

If you want the food, the dive shops and the nightlife on your doorstep, yes — it is also the cheapest part of the island. Just expect music until late.

Is Koh Phi Phi good for families?

The northern bays are, with calm water and space. The village is not: it is crowded, noisy at night and has no beach worth the name.

How do you get around Koh Phi Phi?

On foot in and around the village, and by longtail boat everywhere else. There are no cars, motorbikes or taxis on the island.

Travel guides

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Koh Phi Phi

Where to stay on Koh Phi Phi