Koh Tao - week 3 in Thailand -

“No plan, go with the flow” — that’s our travel principle. It worked on this island… although it also caused a bit of chaos. Looking back, I reckon the journey itself was even more fascinating than staying there.

We had a long bus ride from Khao Lak to Surat Thani, then boarded an overnight boat to Koh Tao — all without booking any accommodation. Since it was the Christmas peak season, everything was fully booked online. So, once we arrived, we decided to knock on guesthouse doors and hope for the best.

We got off the boat at around 6 a.m., and it took almost the entire morning to find a place. We camped at a café near the pier for breakfast and tried searching online again, but every Airbnb was either fully booked or never replied to our messages — such a scam.

Finally, just when we were losing hope, my partner spotted a small sign: “Room available, please contact xxxxx.” And that was it — the very last room. We made it. The café staff had started to worry about us since we’d been sitting there for hours, so when we finally told them the good news, they were just as happy as we were.

The sleeping ferry. It was quite comfy and our spot was the top bank. Welcome to 8 hours ride.

See?
The top screenshot was taken on the morning we arrived, when we were desperately searching for guesthouses… nothing at all.
And the bottom photo is our room. It was simple and old, but it was more than enough for us.

This photo captures us drinking and chatting with a lovely noodle shop lady while enjoying her fish noodles. She didn’t mind at all that we were drinking beers we’d bought from a convenience store — in fact, when my partner was about to head out, she even asked him to grab one for her too. It was such a wonderful way to pass the time while waiting for our boarding.

The island itself was incredibly packed, mostly with European tourists, and it was hard to find any hidden gems. On top of that, some of the more tucked-away beaches turned out to be private, which made it even more challenging to find places that suited our taste. Still, despite the bustling atmosphere, the ocean was crystal clear and absolutely breathtaking. On our last day, we finally discovered a spot we truly loved and ended the trip watching the sunset — the perfect closing moment.

This was a private beach so we only took a picture and then drove off.

The photos were taken on the way to Mango Beach, there were giant rocks and steps to reach.