I was only here for a few days which sadly meant I didn’t have time to do a PADI course which is still on my bucket list, one day I’ll get round to it. The island is well known for scuba diving and snorkeling, as well as hiking, rock climbing, and bouldering. Koh Tao is less developed than Koh Samui and Koh Pha-ngan, If you are not interested in the party scene, there are plenty of quieter spots away from the crowds.

Sairee Beach is the most popular and busiest beach on the island, and spans almost 2 kilometres (1.3 miles) down the western coast. During the day there is a range of great restaurants and bars that allow you to sit on the beach while enjoying your meal. We even stumbled across an old Singer Sewing machine which has a connection to my home town as Sir Isaac Newton (founder of said sewing machine) retired to Paignton, building the Oldway Mansion. At night Sairee beach is an ideal spot to watch the sunset, have a drink, and relax. It also has the sought after palm trees you can try and balance on for that perfect insta pic!

We stayed right next to Sairee Beach at the Seashell Resort which is ideally located to everything within an easy walking distance. We were put in a bungalow about a 5 minute walk from reception, but this meant it was nice and quiet at night away from the busy beach area. It was a very comfortable stay.

Surrounded by the almost deafening noise of the Cicadas bugs.

One of the weirdest things you will undeniably hear or can even ignore is just as the sun starts to set you’ll suddenly be surrounded by the almost deafening noise of the Cicadas bugs. I’ve honestly never heard anything like it and it can last for a good hour before they calm down and finally shut up.

While your here you have to at the very least go out on one of the snorkeling tours. You will have two options when looking for a trip around the island. The big commercial boats or the small long tail boats. We went with Oxygen2 Snorkeling Tour, one of the larger boats. This does mean more people will be along for the trip so you get to meet new people. If you would prefer a quieter trip just you and your friends or family then take a long tail, the bonus of doing this you can ask them to stop anywhere as they can land directly on any of the beaches.

Koh Nang Yuan, a picture perfect paradise

Just a fifteen-minute boat trip from Koh Tao, at the northern tip of the island lies Koh Nang Yuan, a picture perfect paradise which is actually three small islands connected by a white sandy beach running through the middle. We spent an afternoon here snorkeling and sunbathing. There is a walk up to the viewpoint, but we had had a heavy night drinking before and no one fancied the walk, which was a shame in hindsight. It is about a 20 minute hike up a lot of steps and along the way you will have to climb over a few big rocks.

Getting onto the island will cost you 100 baht for the day, and remember that no plastic bottles are allowed, as they are only using recyclable glass bottles. So all beverages and food will have to be bought on Nang Yuan. For the low budget traveler, this island is quite expensive and many say it’s a tourist trap, but if you are willing to pay all the fees you will have a wonderful experience. It’s 100 baht to rent two beach chairs for the day, 50 baht to use the showers, 50 baht for goggles and snorkel and the restaurant is also quite pricey, being the only restaurant on the island it can afford to be.

There are many view points at various points on Koh Tao, but most do have an admission fee which is usually 50 baht per person. I didn’t get a chance to explore the southern part of the island but talking to some people they say it isn’t easy ground to negotiate especially via moped, it’s best to go via taxi instead. But it is well worth it with the Banana Rock Bar, High Bar, Freedom beach and the John-Suwan Viewpoint all places that were being highly recommended, so you should try to get to them and let me know in the comments what you think.

As for the night life, there are plenty of bars around, the Leo Beach Bar is one that I remember well. With the tide out they set up seating on the beach and have neon and fire displays some of which you can join in with. You have to spend some time in Baby Rasta, this is a reggae bar and it’s basically a giant tree house with bits seemingly being added with lots of nooks and crannies to sit and chillout with a beer. We actually came here twice. There is only one night club that is open late into the wee small hours, the downside is that it’s not walkable and you’ll need a taxi to get there.