Koh Tao from above — boulders, jungle, and turquoise bay

A Personal Guide

Kevin's
Koh Tao.

Places and things I like.

Prologue

Your stay.

Check-in & Check-out

Check-in is from 2:00 PM. If you're arriving earlier, message me and I'll store your bags. Check-out is by 11:00 AM. Late check-out can sometimes be arranged. Just ask the night before.

Getting Here

Search 'Slowdown Homestay' on Google Maps. The pin is accurate. From Mae Haad pier, grab a taxi (฿400 is a fair rate, up to ฿500 is reasonable with fuel prices where they are) or rent a scooter at the pier and ride over. Small island, everything arrives by boat, so a ฿500 fare here doesn't cover the same ground a Bangkok taxi would, and prices in general run a touch higher than the mainland. If you'd prefer a pre-arranged driver, message me on WhatsApp and I'll share a trusted local number to coordinate pickup directly.

Getting Around

A scooter is the easiest way to explore. Rent from any shop near the pier or from our neighbours (฿200–350/day depending on model and rental length). Please drive carefully. There are no songthaews on Koh Tao, so taxis are the only alternative: ฿300–500 per ride, best split between 3–4 people. ฿400 is a fair standard price.

Food & Water

Don't drink the tap water. I provide green refill jugs of filtered Koh Tao water in your unit (the same water I drink myself). Downstairs at KD Genetics you'll find cold-pressed juices, soft drinks, and a small drinks menu. Sun & Moon and Horizon, both on Tanote Bay, are my favourite beach restaurants, a short walk away.

Air Con & Fans

Your room has air conditioning. Please switch it off when you leave to help me keep costs down and reduce my footprint. A fan is also available if you prefer it.

Reach Us

Message Kevin on WhatsApp anytime, before, during, or after your stay. Taxi numbers, restaurant picks, late check-out requests, local tips. Whatever you need, response is usually within the hour.

Chapter One

Eat & Drink

My honest list. The places I actually return to, from 5am Thai breakfasts to late-night date dinners. Sorted by mood, not cuisine.

Thai Breakfast

Jok & Patongko

If you want to eat like a local, go early. Most spots open around 5:30am and sell out by 9. Look for patongko (fried dough twins, dipped in sweet condensed milk) and jok, a rich rice porridge usually made with pork balls, soft-boiled egg, ginger, herbs, and a splash of fish sauce and chilli. Wash it down with a strong Thai-style coffee. The two spots I personally go to are both in Mae Haad: the patongko stand on the main road opposite the gas station, and a great little local breakfast place a short walk further along, on the same side as Chaiwat Supermarket. The whole stretch around there has good Thai spots worth wandering.

Breakfast & Brunch

Baan Talay Yoga Resort

Run by a lovely, health-minded family I know well. One of my favourite breakfast spots. Go for the Baan Talay breakfast, the bacon & cheese omelette, or one of their bowls (avocado-salmon, quinoa, salads, all genuinely good). It's a full wellness space too, overlooking Aow Leuk Bay.

Zest Cafe

Long had the best English breakfast on the island. Portions have shrunk recently (I'll be honest about that), but it's still really good. Proper eggs, proper beans, proper hangover fuel.

Koppee Cafe

A beautiful little café space right on Chalok Baan Kao bay, directly at the beach with a nice pool. Chill background house music, beach-club vibe without being loud. Easy to sit and lose an afternoon. Run by the same family behind Baan Talay.

Gift Organic Clothing & Cafe

A creative little spot from my friend Gift. She makes the clothing and jewellery herself (a lot of it designed for women), plus really good coffee, brunch, and smoothies. DIY postcards on the tables, a warm, arty vibe. Gift is also a beautiful singer, and sometimes she jams there too.

Sunrise Coffee

Probably the best coffee on the island. Small spot, no fanfare, just properly made coffee. My go-to when I want a serious cup.

Thipwimarn Farm & Cafe

My pick for the best view on the island. A beautiful little farm-cafe perched above Tanote Bay, with a properly tended garden of thousands of plants and flowers you walk through on the way to the main cafe and the view. Homemade carrot cake, a small bakery, real care in every detail. Strong recommend.

Thai

Treehouse

Halfway between Slow Down and Mae Haad, on the right side of the road. Run by a super kind Thai lady. Authentic, hearty cooking, big portions. A reliable go-to whenever you're heading to town.

Nong I-Tim Thai Food

Search it on Google Maps and go. Small spot, near-perfect rating, proper Thai food without the tourist filter. The real version of the dishes you've been ordering all trip.

Tra Kul Kao's Kitchen

Down in Chalok Baan Kao, right next to Okotan. Small, local kitchen worth knowing when you're spending time on the south side. Honest cooking, no frills.

The Duck 995

Everyone on the island will mention it eventually, and they're right. My order: dry yellow noodles with roasted duck, sauce and soup served separately, two soft-boiled eggs on top. Easily my favourite duck on Koh Tao.

Chef's Table by Mama

In Sairee. Authentic, properly local Thai cooking, adapted just enough that Westerners can enjoy it but the flavours stay real. Only a handful of tables and a handful of seatings per night, so you have to book in advance. Worth the planning.

International

Asia Mood

A Japanese spot near New Heaven Dive School. Small menu, quality is really good. Worth a visit when you want something different from Thai food.

Little India

Small, unassuming Indian spot. Short menu, which is usually a good sign. Solid masala chicken with lentil sauce, fresh naan, yellow rice. Not the best Indian food you'll ever have, but really decent and hits the spot.

Brewhouse

Proper German food, Brauhaus style. If you want a schnitzel, a bratwurst, or a serious beer, this is where to go.

French Market

A European-style deli and market. Nice change of pace, with some genuinely good deals when you catch them.

The Rose Garden

Looks like nothing from the outside. I drove past it for years before a friend dragged me in, and the food really surprised me. The menu spans both proper Thai and international cooking. There's a beautiful duck dish I remember well, for example. It's a small place, so not everything is always available on the day; if there's something specific you want to try, call ahead so you don't land on the day they're out.

La Pizzeria Da Claudio

The best pizza I know on the island. Proper, not a compromise. If pizza is the craving, this is where to land.

Onions

Small bar and eatery on the Sairee Walking Street. Nice architecture, clean food, good coffee, and open into the evening too. Useful when you want something a little more grown-up than the strip's usual options.

Meat Lab

A lunch pop-up usually set up in front of Sunrise Coffee. The meat is the real story: grass-fed beef and pork sourced from up north in Thailand, properly raised, properly handled. Worth timing a midday stop around it.

Dinner Dates

Whitening

On Sairee Beach, beautiful setting on the water. Strong dinner-date pick: calm to start, then it tips naturally into a more lively scene as the night runs on. Good if you want one place that covers both halves of the evening.

Charcoal Bay Wine & Grill

My go-to for the kind of dinner you plan for rather than stumble into. Calm, thoughtful food, a real wine list. Worth the effort.

Barracuda Rooftop Bar

I've been back many times, and the food is the real reason, not just the rooftop view and the drinks. Proper dinner-date energy, calmer than the strip below.

A walk along Sairee

Beyond my three picks, the Sairee strip rewards a slow evening walk. Restaurants line the beach, including a Spanish tapas spot that's not bad. Easy way to find your own pick if nothing above lands.

Sunset

Mama O'Chai

At the northern end of Sairee Beach. One of my favourite ways to land into an evening when I want to really feel the sunset. How I usually do it: finish Muay Thai around 5 or 6 (depending on the class), walk or ride down, jump straight in, and sit in the water for a long time. People-watching, reading, music, sometimes a quiet meditation. Sairee is the busiest beach on the island, but the northern stretch stays calm. Best angle on the sunset, calm evening vibe.

Markets & Street Food

Sairee food stalls

Mid-Sairee, near the big 7-Eleven on the road from Mae Haad. A cluster of food stalls that comes alive in the evenings. Busy, cheap, local.

Bamboo market

A newer bamboo-built food market further down Sairee that's established itself well. A good mix of stalls in a calmer setting.

Leisure Park street food

Not a proper market, but a reliable stretch of Thai street food around the Leisure Park. Good for a quick, cheap meal on the way somewhere.

Mae Haad main street

Around the gas station and along the main street. Nice local food spots and fruit stalls. Always something honest to eat.

The Sandwich Lady, Chalok

A small sandwich stall in Chalok Baan Kao that's quietly famous on the island. Ask anyone in the area and they'll point you at her. Worth tracking down for a quick, good lunch.

“Finish Muay Thai at 5, walk straight into the water, then a book on the sand. That's the evening.”

Kevin

Chapter Two

Beaches & Swimming

Koh Tao has a dozen beaches, each with its own character. These are the ones I send guests to, from my own Tanote Bay out front to the hidden corners most people never find.

Tanote Bay

My home, and my favourite. Big beach, good snorkelling, the famous rock to jump from, a few beach restaurants, and still quiet and laid-back. It has a little bit of everything, and you're already here.

Aow Leuk

A relaxed beach for a lazy day. Grab a coconut, swim, unwind. Great depth for swimming. If you snorkel, head to the left side of the bay. There's often a family of baby sharks around the reef there (totally harmless, properly cute), and turtles passing through too.

Sairee Beach

The longest and most lively beach. Great for swimming, people-watching, and sunset drinks. The strip is lined with restaurants, bars, dive shops, and cafés. Busy but fun, especially in the evening.

Freedom Beach

A quieter, more secluded alternative to Sairee. Calm water, soft sand, far fewer people. Accessible by boat or a short hike. Bring your snorkel; the reef just offshore is excellent.

Chalok Baan Kao

Great vibe. Quieter than Sairee, still plenty going on. Good base for a more relaxed south-side day. Also the start of the John Suwan hike.

June Juea

A small, pretty bay tucked next to Chalok Baan Kao. You don't get the postcard sunset (the angle isn't perfect), but it's quiet, beautiful in the evening, and a lovely place to just sit at the end of the day.

Sai Nuan

A small, hidden beach most visitors miss entirely. From Sai Nuan you can walk further to a tucked-away resort, and eventually toward Jansom Bay (I haven't fully traced the connecting path myself, but the area is worth exploring on foot).

Jansom Bay

Another hidden-resort bay, small and private. Quiet even in high season. Worth the detour if you like the road less travelled.

Thao Thong 1 & 2

Two tiny side-beaches in the Thao Thong Villa area. Not proper beaches in the grand sense, but that's the point. Private, almost always empty, and surprisingly beautiful if you take the time to get there.

Laem Thian

A hidden bay on the east side that most visitors never find. Two ways in: by water from Tanote (kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, 15–30 min, check the waves first), or on foot from Sairee side. Drive past Tarna Resort, turn right up the mountain road (not the Hin Wong turn), follow the track as far as you can, park, then walk straight about 45 minutes. At the one intersection, stay straight (left heads to Ao Mao). Quiet, almost private.

Chapter Three

Snorkelling

Mask and fins rent for ฿100–150/day from any dive or beach shop. Koh Tao's snorkelling is as good as anywhere in the Gulf, and for me the east coast usually has the more beautiful reefs (water clarity does shift season to season, but the east is where I send people first).

The east-side route

Work your way down the east coast: Mango Bay in the north, then Ao Hin Wong, Ao Mao, Laem Thian, and finally Tanote. Each has a different reef and almost none of the tour-boat crowds. Tanote and Aow Leuk are my favourites for casual snorkel-from-the-beach sessions.

West-side basics

If you're staying west, Shark Bay (off Sairee), Freedom Beach, and the reef off Mango Bay give you good access without a boat. A snorkel tour to Koh Nang Yuan runs around ฿500 if you want the classic postcard moment.

Diving

Koh Tao is one of the cheapest, best places in the world to get your PADI Open Water certification. Budget around ฿9,000–12,000 for the full course. Fun dives start at ฿1,000. Top schools: Ban's Diving, Crystal Dive, New Heaven.

“For snorkelling, the east coast is where I send people first.”

Kevin

Chapter Four

Hiking & Viewpoints

A dozen viewpoints, plus the wilder hikes on the north and east side where almost nobody goes. A scooter gets you to most trailheads; the rest is on foot.

Viewpoints

John Suwan

The classic. A 20-minute hike up from Chalok Baan Kao leads to panoramic views over Shark Bay, Twin Peaks, and the open sea. Free entry. Best just before sunset.

Eden Viewpoint

The one with the famous rock and the Koh Nang Yuan photograph. If you've seen a picture of Koh Tao, you've seen this angle.

Two View (West Coast)

One of the highest points on the island. You can see both the east and west coasts from the same spot. Often quiet.

Ozone Viewpoint

A personal favourite. Less hyped than John Suwan, still beautiful. If you enjoy viewpoints, the surrounding area has a few more worth finding.

The rest

Grape, Mango, Coconut, and Wooden Rock are all worth a look. Check them on Google Maps and plan a half-day scooter loop. Every side of the island has a different angle.

Hiking

The wild north and east

Still fairly untouched. Not much development, not many people. Walking routes to Laem Thian or Ao Mao are some of the best hikes you can do here. The single most important thing: bring enough water. There's nowhere to buy any out there, and running dry can ruin the whole day. Give yourself time too.

Chapter Five

Training & Wellness

Training is a big part of my island life. Whether you want to throw kicks, lift heavy, or float in a tank, here's where to go.

Muay Thai

Four gyms, three stadiums

Four gyms on the island. Three of them (Monsoon, Pancom, and Koh Tao Muay Thai) also have stadiums that host fight nights most weeks. Entry is usually around ฿800. Koh Tao Muay Thai has the biggest arena, but the smaller ones have a packed, heat-box intensity during a live fight that's hard to beat. Island Muay Thai is a smaller street gym without its own stadium.

Where I train

Koh Tao Muay Thai. ฿400 for a drop-in class, ฿700 for a private session. Ask for Kru Kaaw, Kru Dew, or Coach James (kru means 'teacher' in Thai). Each one brings a different style and depth, all three are great coaches and worth seeking out depending on what you want to work on.

Gyms & Fitness

Baan Talay

The biggest and best-equipped gym on the island. Full floor, properly kitted, open to walk-ins. Where I train outside of Muay Thai.

Knockout Gym

Small but the closest to Slow Down, over in Mae Haad. Good for a quick session.

Monsoon Gym

Small fitness setup, Sairee side. Solid basic option if you're staying nearby.

Boot Camp

HIIT-style group classes if you prefer structured group training over free-weights.

Wildwood Beach Fitness

On the beach in Sairee. I haven't trained there myself yet, but it looks fancy and very Instagrammable: wooden fitness gear, open air, right on the sand. Worth a look if you want a workout that doubles as a morning on the beach.

Yoga, Qigong & Wellness

Baan Talay Yoga Resort

Beyond the restaurant: yoga, qigong, sometimes animal flow or fitness classes, plus half-moon and full-moon ceremonies. An ice bath and a flotation tank too, if you want to go deeper. The sala overlooks Aow Leuk Bay and the view alone is worth the trip.

Shambhala Yoga

Friend's pick. She's a yoga teacher with more years on the mat than me, and she rates Shambhala as the best yoga in Sairee. Strong recommendation by proxy if you're serious about your practice.

Koh Tao Yoga

Right by the Mae Haad pier (50m or so), opposite Echo Hostel. Climate-controlled studio plus a rooftop shala, classes from Vinyasa to Yin, and they sometimes weave in breathwork, ice baths, or sound healing. Easy spot for a class on your way in or out of the island.

Healers, teachers & deeper practice

Koh Tao quietly attracts a lot of interesting people: healers, meditation teachers, longer-term spiritual practitioners. If that's your thing, ask around once you arrive. What's available shifts month to month, but there's almost always something happening.

Other

Rock Climbing

Koh Tao has excellent climbing on natural granite rock faces. Secret Garden and Mek's Mountain near Sairee are the most popular spots. Guides and rentals available, suitable for all levels.

Thai Cooking Class

Learn pad Thai, green curry, and tom kha. Thai Cooking with Joy near Sairee Beach is well-reviewed. Typically 3 hours, ฿800–1,200 per person including ingredients and recipe card.

“Move, sweat, reset. Koh Tao is built for it.”

Kevin

Chapter Six

Experiences

Not every visit needs to be about the beach. These are the experiences guests tell me made the trip feel bigger.

Coco Pups Dog Rescue

A friend's initiative. Lara looks after the dogs and takes really good care of them. You can visit and walk the dogs if that's something you'd love. A small, meaningful way to spend a morning.

Sea Turtle Conservation

New Heaven Reef Conservation Program runs volunteering and educational sessions focused on sea turtle and reef conservation. A meaningful way to learn about what's happening beneath the water.

Wat Koh Tao Temple

The main Buddhist temple on the island, downtown near Mae Haad. Beautiful modern architecture, ocean-facing, free to visit. Dress respectfully. A peaceful place early in the morning.

Queens Cabaret

A cabaret show on the Sairee Walking Street. I haven't been personally, but friends who've gone absolutely loved it. Proper show, big personality. Worth a look if you want a night out with a different flavour.

Chapter Seven

Nightlife

Low-key or full-send. Koh Tao has both. Here's how to find your night.

Party Spots

The Sairee strip

Fish Bowl, Leo Beach Bar, AC Bar, and Lotus Bar are where most people end up. The Walking Street area is the main nightlife artery, and Choppers is the long-running institution. Always packed, always playing something loud.

Festivals

The big nights

Hii Festival, Jungle Party, Secret Party, and Leo Beach Music Festival are the biggest events on the island. Full sound systems, big crowds, memorable nights. Ask me when you arrive and I'll know what's coming up.

Chapter Eight

Practical

The small things that make settling in easier.

Supermarkets

Chaiwat Supermarket

My top rec if you want to support local. Solid selection, reasonable prices.

Pen Pen Market

The other main local option, the biggest of the independent shops.

Smile Mart

A smaller local option in Sairee.

Lotus

The big chain, convenient and well-stocked. Useful when you want a one-stop shop, though I'd always try the locals first.

Services

Have a Good Day Barber

In Sairee, just around the corner from The Duck 995. Small spot, but he does great work. My barber on the island. Ask for Korn (with a G sound, Thai pronunciation).

For Guests

The Pocket Guide.

When you book direct, I'll send you a printable version of this guide, plus a few extras I don't publish online: my WhatsApp, personal intros, and a small perk from KD Genetics downstairs.

Book Direct & Get the Guide

Slow Down Homestay

Tanote Bay · Airbnb Superhost

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