Montra Resort & Spa, Mae Haad, Koh Tao

Montra Resort & Spa, Mae Haad, Koh Tao

The brand new Montra Resort & Spa in Mae Haad on Koh Tao is finally completed and it looks beautiful. It's a nice upscale boutique resort next to the Seatran pier on Koh Tao, just a 2 minute walk and on it's the other side is Sairee beach, just a 10 minute walk away, a beautiful scenic walk.

Montra resort is specially designed to pamper the needs of indulgent leisure travelers. The hotel is also popular among water sport enthusiasts who can indulge in scuba diving and snorkeling very nearby. The June Juea Beach, Ao Leuk and Thian Og Bay are some of the other unspoiled tourist spots within close proximity. Accommodation options are varied and there is something to suit every budget ranging from deluxe rooms to suites and all are equipped with cable TV and private balcony. The restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine and the poolside bar is a nice place to relax.

The pool is gorgeous but you may find a few divers in it, as they are hard to avoid anywhere on Koh Tao.

If that's not enough, within a few minutes walks the Mae Haad and Sairee beaches offer plenty of excellent food options, covering a wide range of tastes and budgets.

At the moment of writing this review, the Montra Resort has a special offer which is very tempting. If you're looking for comfort and some luxury in a central location, the Montra offers just that.

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Deluxe room

Deluxe room

Superior room

Exterior view

Relaxing at the pool with a view on the beach

Panviman Resort, Thong Nai Pan beach, Koh Phangan

Panviman Resort, Thong Nai Pan beach, Koh Phangan

Panviman Resort is highly recommended if you are looking for an idyllic romantic setting for two. Set on a steep hillside overlooking Thong Nai Pan beach, the luxurious Panviman Resort gives you the most incredible views of the beautiful Thong Nai Pan beach. The resort is most suitable for honeymooners, couples, and young families who want to enjoy a luxury holiday, away from the noisy beach crowds. The premium villas and cottages come with a private second floor terrace, complete with sun loungers and even an outdoor bathtub! A handful of beach side restaurants and bars within walking distance from the resort offer fresh seafood and fantastic value cocktails.

Be aware however that the resort is located in a real far away location, it's fairly remote and shuttle transfers are not easily available and taxi rides can be expensive around Koh Phangan. Another thing to consider is that the resort is build on a hill, so reaching your room can be a bit of a timely exercise.

The resort boosts 10 Superior Cottages, 26 Deluxe Cottages, 10 Deluxe hotel rooms, 4 Family cottages, 3 Spa Villas and a Presidential suite.

The swimming pool is massive and spread out over various layers and a real treat to use.

Room features Air – Conditioning, private bathroom with hot and cold shower, private bathroom with bathtub & hot and cold shower, bathtub with Jacuzzi in the open – air terrace, mini-bar & refrigerator, tea & coffee facilities, satellite TV in room, individual VCD, IDD telephone in the rooms, electronic safe in all rooms, beach sandals, towels and umbrellas in the rooms and daily make-up of the room.

The resorts has two restaurants, the Pan Sea and Stone Beach restaurants but there's also good food available in the nearby village.

A very nice and luxurious retreat almost in the jungle with a fair price tag, not cheap but affordable in the medium to higher end price range.

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Superior Cottage

Superior Hotel room

Family Cottage

Stone Beach Restaurant

Swimming pool

Lanta Nakara Resort, Koh Lanta, Krabi

Lanta Nakara Resort, Koh Lanta, Krabi

Lanta Nakara Resort is a beautifully landscaped tropical resort offering a relaxed atmosphere. of Long Beach, the longest beach on Koh Lanta. Located only 70 kilometers from Krabi, the family-operated, beach side Lanta Nakara Resort offers complete relaxation in beautiful surroundings.

Dining options include a restaurant featuring the chef who helped make Relax Bay Tropicana famous.

Water temperature remains at 28-30 degrees all year and the three kilometer beach invites long lazy walks.There is excellent swimming and a rock reef for snorkeling five minutes walk away.

Nakara Resort offers 3 types of guest rooms with a total of 74 rooms; 8 Beachfront bungalows, 32 Luxury bungalows, 19 Deluxe bungalows and 15 Superior Bungalows.

A medium ranged priced resort, well worth visiting on a long stretching beach of lovely Koh Lanta.

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Deluxe bungalow

Luxury Bungalow Bedroom

Swimming Pool

Koh Lanta scenery

Long Beach

The Centric Ratchada Hotel, Bangkok

The Centric Ratchada Hotel, Bangkok

Stayed in this hotel in Bangkok since it was conveniently located for me during that specific trip. It is around the corner of the Fortune Tower IT Mall and it's located within a 5 minute walk from Rama 9 MRTA subway station.

Being located at the corner of Ratchadapisek and Ding Daen and very near Asoke junction on Sukhumvit, the location is central and very good.

It's also close to Bangkok's Suvarnabumi airport, it took me 30 minutes during the day time from the hotel to the airport.

The staff was very friendly, helpful and accommodating. Upon arrival I was transferred to 3 different rooms before I finally had a room with wifi connection. Only certain floors have wifi, so make sure you get on to the right floor, the 8th floor is one of those floors that supports wifi. At the reception cards can be purchased.

The hotel seems to be popular with Asian travel parties, Chinese mainly but there were plenty of other Asian travellers in the hotel when I was there.

Breakfast was very Asian but had also toast and eggs to offer, a bit meagre on the Western side.

The rooms were ok but all 3 rooms that I got to see smelled very strongly of tobacco, a typical Asian feat it seems.

The rooms itself were pretty non descript although rather spacious with a separated shower/bathroom/wardrobe (with safety box) area.

The lobby was big but lacked atmosphere.

The hotel is located in a small soi which may be hard to find, although Bangkok taxi drivers tend to know it. The soi has a few interesting small shops and restaurants to show.

The room rate was good, just below 1.500,-THB including breakfast and all taxes.

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Mango Bay Grand Resort, Koh Tao

Mango Bay Grand Resort, Koh Tao

As a diver living on Koh Samui, see my dive blog for my dive adventures, I've been diving Mango Bay and Koh Tao since I arrived on these shores, in 1999. Mango Bay was a popular spot for it's shallow but beautiful waters. It's always been a snorkelers paradise and for entry level dives it's an excellent training location.

Over the years this beautiful bay on Koh Tao has seen a bit of development and one of the results is Mango Bay Grand Resort. The bay can be reached by long tail boat by means of a free shuttle service or when weather conditions won't allow this, by an unpaved road and from the parking lot it's just 400 steps down to the resort!

Similar to the resort, all building materials had to be brought in by boat!

The views here are spectacular and you can literally drop from the mooring point into the clear water.

Things to keep in mind that it is very isolated, so bring all you need (cash, books etc) and electricity is only available from 6 pm to midnight, so it can get very hot and sweaty in your room. Back to the basics on Koh Tao!

Rooms are fairly priced and if you're looking for a (very) quiet and relaxing environment, this may be it!

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Room with fan

Bungalow with aircon

Bungalow on the slopes


Sea view

Sea Lodge, Koh Tao

Sea Lodge, Koh Tao

This is the place where I usually stay when I'm on Koh Tao and I'm there quite a lot, for work when I accompany my IDC candidates for moral and logistical support for their their PADI IE's. Possibly I'm there 5 or 6 times a year at least. After Koh Samui where I live since 1999, this must be the place in Thailand where I spend a lot of time.

The Sea Lodge only has 4 rooms, a family room with 3 beds, accommodating 4 people, a room with 2 beds and 2 rooms accommodating two people, one room with a twin and one room with a double bed.

Breakfast is optional but all rooms are fitted with air conditioning and ceiling fans, hot water shower, mini bar, 40 channel satellite TV and free wifi.

The location is excellent! Coming off the Seatran ferry, it's straight ahead, 50 meters from the pier, the building you will be facing walking off the ferry, smack downtown Mae Haad, so to speak. Plenty of good restaurants in walking distance and all dive boats leave within a 100 meters from the Sea Lodge.

Convenient and easy if you're diving on Koh Tao or just for a couple of days on business or a short breakaway.

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The family room

Sunset on Koh Tao viewed from the Sea Lodge

Novotel Centara, Hat Yai

Novotel Centara, Hat Yai

The Novotel Centara Hat Yai Hotel, is in the heart of the city's commercial and shopping districts, within easy reach of the airport, connections to Bangkok, and the Malaysian border.

With this in mind, it's ideally located if you're doing a visa/border run or if you're just visiting this bustling Southern Thai city.

With five meeting rooms able to accommodate up to 300 people, the Novotel Centara Hat Yai Hotel offers an ideal venue for business and social gatherings of every kind. The business center provides Internet access, fax/photocopying services, translation facilities, and secretarial services. The four restaurants and the bar at the Novotel Centara Hat Yai Hotel serve a variety of different cuisines. The 237 well-appointed guestrooms and suites offer a range of amenities to ensure a relaxing stay. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool, a fully equipped fitness center, a sauna, and traditional Thai massage treatments.

If you don't want to try out some excellent restaurants, lining the bustling city streets, you can try one of these indoor restaurants;

Lobby Lounge Enjoy cocktails and live music. Opening hours: 4pm-1am on weekdays, 4pm-2am on weekends.

Cappuccino Corner Relax with coffee, tea, fruit juice or delicious baked goods. Opening hours: 9am-9.30pm.

Saneha Cafe Restaurant Authentic Thai and selected international cuisine. Open hours: 6.30am-11.30pm.

Hagi Japanese Corner Fine Japanese cuisine. Opening hours: 11.30am – 9.30pm.

Ginger Authentic Thai, Japanese and Chinese cuisine with a wine bar and live music. Opening hours: 11.30am - 2pm for lunch and 6pm to 11pm for dinner.

Good rates and great location, if in Hat Yai, definitely worth wile looking into with affordable rates.

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Deluxe room

Dynasty Club Room; Spacious 36 sqm. room featuring air-conditioning, private bathroom bath/shower, Satellite TV/ Movies, Minibar, In-room safe, Internet Access, etc. Dynasty Club lounge and benefits included.

One of the restaurants

Exterior view of the Novotel Centara Hotel in Hat Yai.