Ko Tao
With five types of rooms, this popular, small choice, a short walk from the pier, is nearly always full so book upfront. The owners are responsive,…
Must-see hotels in Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
Hat Yai
With four-bed female dorms and eight-bed mixed dorms that are clean and tidy, this cheap hostel is conveniently close to the train station and a decent…
Ko Pha-Ngan
This relaxed, chilled-out 11-bungalow (fan and air-con) teak nest, tucked among jungle foliage, is attractive with fantastic views and a fine pool, but it…
Ko Tao
Go for the smaller dorms at this busy, clean and cheap hostel attracting a good backpacker crowd close to Sairee Beach. Staff is really helpful and there…
Ko Tao
Located conveniently close to the pier, this cool, little joint has a great, laid-back atmosphere. Dorms are nice and clean, and every week there's a…
Ko Tao
This friendly place offers basic, low-rise units peppered across a sandy, shady garden campus with fleeting glimpses of the blue ocean between fanned…
Ko Tao
Like many large diving operations on the island, Buddha View offers its divers discounted on-site digs in a super-social atmosphere.
Ko Pha-Ngan
With its tranquil, elegant setting, Green Papaya's polished wooden bungalows are a clear, albeit pricey, standout option along the lovely beach at Hat…
Ko Pha-Ngan
This solid and decent Thong Sala choice offers clean and simple tiled bungalows in the shade of bamboo and coconut palms along a breakwater above the…
Ko Samui
Programs at this friendly, practical and simple spa include colonics, massage, aqua detox, hypnotherapy and yoga, just to name a few. With rattan…
Ko Pha-Ngan
This remote outpost perched on the rocks south of Hat Rin has simple, good-value fan options and air-con bungalows with sweeping views of the sea; plus…
Ko Pha-Ngan
The world-famous Full Moon Party was first hatched on the plot occupied by this hostel – one of the three properties run by Paradise, and staying here…
Ko Samui
The big, bright cement rooms all with attached hot-water bathrooms and balcony in this nondescript apartment block are a steal. The Pott's staff is super…
Ko Tao
Above a boulder-strewn sea, these decent enough but basic corrugated roof huts are scattered across a lot of untamed tropical terrain. A rickety dock,…
Ko Samui
In the heart of Fisherman's Village, the Lodge feels like a colonial hunting chalet with hardwood floors and dark wooden beams across the ceiling, except…
Ko Samui
Resembling a multicoloured tower block, the Verticolour is reasonably priced and well located. There's a pool near the entrance, a small gym and a decent…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Home to the Black Moon Party (another lunar excuse for Ko Pha-Ngan to go wild), pleasant Mac Bay is a sandy slice of Ban Khai where even the cheaper…
Ko Pha-Ngan
As well as clean four-bed dorms with outside terrace and garden-view doubles, there's lots of outdoor space at this hostel-cum-health-gym, with a fully…
Hat Yai
There is helpful staff and plentiful information about onward travel at this no frills hostel tucked away between a series of shopfronts and stalls on a…
Ko Pha-Ngan
A small, quiet operation away from the centre of Thong Sala. It's cheap and one of the few places available even at the last minute during the Full Moon…
Haad Yao See Through Boutique Resort
Ko Pha-Ngan
This towering polished cement double-storey complex with elongated Chinese-style wooden doors has a long but uninviting pool that's hard to access and the…
Ko Pha-Ngan
Slap bang in the centre of Hat Rin, friendly Delight offers decent lodging in a Thai-style building that comes with subtle designer details (such as…
Surat Thani
On the river south of the TAT office, the 230-room Wangtai is a smart, marbled choice in the centre of town, offering pleasant and comfortable, if rather…
Ko Tao
This family-run scatter of hillside bungalows is a so-so choice for solitude-seekers. Strap on a snorkel mask and swim around with the fish at your…
Ko Tao
Poseidon keeps the tradition of the budget bamboo bungalow alive with basic but sleepable fan huts scattered near the sand. There's a reasonable…
Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
The security is efficient (if you're the nervous type), but midrange rooms are rather scuffed for the price. It's a few hundred metres east of the train…
Ko Pha-Ngan
This full-service retreat along the sands of Hat Salad has decent enough rooms with tasteful and understated grounds – especially around the pool, but…
Ko Samui
A two-minute walk to the beach, this excellent-value small hotel has two storeys of big, tastefully furnished, tiled rooms encircling the lobby and an…
Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
This respectable, welcoming hotel has big, comfortable rooms and an OK attached restaurant, while staff speak some English.
Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
Decent-sized rooms have seen better days, but some have fine river views and this remains the best budget choice.
Ko Samui & the Lower Gulf
Fixtures and furniture from a different age, but clean and handy for the train station.
