Koh Tao Hostel Review

CENTRAL STATION HOSTEL

Facilities 

Wifi was okay here. Not the worst but not the greatest either. They did have two routers and you can use Reef Bar's wifi but it's not always strong and you may have difficulty booking hostels. It is free though so can't complain too much! 

Security was okay here. You are provided with lockers that you use your own lock for. However it is only the main door which needs a key. The dorm room does not. There is also CCTV everywhere here...even in the bedrooms which I did not think was allowed but you know...Thailand rules and all that. 

There is no common areas here but most people in the hostel just go over the road to Reef Bar. This limits the social side of the hostel somewhat.

Showers and Toilets 

There isn't a nice way to say this...the toilets smell horrific. Truly awful. Although, this is related to a drainage issue I think because it's so clean in there, it's still very off putting. I was surprised because despite there not being many toilets of showers, you never had to wait. Although, this may be because no one could handle the smell. The facilities themselves are it bad although a little older but they were clean. This makes me think the odour issue was due to a drainage issue. 

Staff

The girl at reception is really helpful and is good with directions, dive shop recommendations etc. The man that gives out travel advice is hit and miss. When we first spoke to him, he was abrupt, rude and unhelpful. He makes out like by doing his job, he is going out of his way for you. He was better on subsequent conversations but to be honest if you don't need to book with him, use a travel agents. 

Breakfast 

Non-existent, although you can eat at Reef Bar. The options for supermarkets are very limited, it's 7eleven or nothing I am afraid. 

Value for Money

Koh Tao hostels are slightly more pricey anyway. If you are going to dive, get in on the hotel deals! This place was not too bad although it is not as good as the rating and reviews on Hostelworld make out.

Dorms

The dorms themselves were alright. The beds had a power outlet and light. However, the air con was freezing and you could not turn off all the lights at night. 

Location

Not far from the piers but further away from Sairee and the nicer beaches. So if you would prefer to not have to deal with your bag/get a taxi on arrival then stay closer. I on the other hand, like to keep a distance between my back and bag as much as possible especially when it's hot.

OVERALL, it is a good place to stay but not as good as the reviews or rating in my opinion. 

Love Imogen xoxo

Journey

So we booked a boat through our hostel with a pick up included. The boat itself was probably the least organised but we managed it! 

We didn't get as much time to explore Koh Tao as I would of liked but we are on a tight schedule in Asia so at least we got to go here at all. 

Sairee Beach 

This is a very popular and quite a touristy beach. There is music and bars and although maybe not the most beautiful beach on the island it is still great to chill at. When we were there, we spent most of our time in the water because it was so hot. We did bring snorkels however we didn't see anything, not one fish. I would advise you to check out the snorkelling trips around the island if you want to see more than we did!

Next 2 Bar 

Located in Sairee beach, we actually managed to end up here both in the day and at night. In the day, there's music and cushions and chairs to sit on. They don't expect you to pay for the seats and don't hassle you to buy drinks. 

I had read that Sairee Beach is where to go at night however when we got there everything had closed apart from this bar. It was only about midnight so we were a bit disappointed. Despite this, the bar had a good atmosphere and was busy (probably because everywhere was closed) and because it's on the beach even when this closed we could still chill on the beach. So all's well that ends well ay but maybe not necessarily the party island that it is made out to be.

Reef Bar

Along with several other establishments in the area, when staying at Central you get 10% off at Reef bar. They do cheapish meals and although there isn't a lot of variety they provide decent portion sizes. Plus you get a free drink in there when you arrive so you may aswell check the place out! 

Obviously, Koh Tao is known for its diving but because we had such limited time we were unable to really explore the beauty of the place but maybe this is an excuse to go back...

Love Imogen xoxo

Journey

The journey was actually pretty easy. Our hostel sorted a taxi pick up to Buddha Pier where we waited for about 10 minutes before boarding the boat for a 20 minute boat journey.  After we disembarked, we were met by a hoard of taxi drivers asking where we were going. When we informed them that we were going to ringside they pointed us in the right direction to he awaiting minibuses. The taxi cost us 100baht. 

Food Markets

As you have seen from previous posts, we have got quite in to checking out the local food markets for local delicacies and Koh Phangan was no different. The food market is just after Thongsula Pier. The first night, we went to a noodle bar where they cook the noodles etc in front of you. I mention this as this is the only store which does this. The others, have precooked it. I was disappointed by this pad Thai if I am honest, especially because it came with a weird omelette rather than being being egg fried. Although, it costs 50baht so I can't complain too much. 

The next few nights, we went to another store which provides drinking water and their own personalised mugs. They are actually adorable. They also let you try the curries before you buy them which is good because some are really fiery. I tried both the pork and tofu versions and they were really nice. Vegetarians are really well catered for here! 

We also tried spring rolls from another store which were really nice and they also provide sweet chilli sauce-BONUS! The dessert store is also really good, the brownie is nice but the real winner here is definitely the banana bread/cake. A definite must try! 

Overall, the market was nice but I don't think it was anywhere as nice as the Koh Samui one because there was less seating and choice. However, it is a cheap option.

Beach

The beach near ringside hostel is never going to win awards for being beautiful but there's sun loungers you can use for free. Be careful where you sit because some are linked to bars and they will expect you to either by something or not eat any outside food/drink or both. There are a lot of stray dogs knocking about here, so if you don't like dogs I would not necessarily recommend it. 

We also went to a really nice beach bar here which has a happy hour between 2 and 7 where cocktails are 140baht. We had a Passionfruit Punch and Yellow Dragon- both were really nice and had the balance between alcohol and flavour that a lot of places in Thailand cannot achieve. 

Half Moon 

So the main reason that we were on Koh Phangan in the first place was because we were attending the Half Moon Festival. Although the Full Moon Party is what it talked about a lot in relation to the island, the response from travellers that we met along the way said that Half Moon was better. Half Moon, fit in with our plans better so we thought we would give it a go. 

The good thing about Half Moon, is that although busy it is not heaving like Full Moon where you need to book hostels and ferries in advance if you want to stay anywhere half decent. Whereas, for half Moon is a lot more relaxed, we booked our ferry the day before and hostel not long before that. Unlike Full Moon, Half Moon is in the jungle rather than the beach, similar to the Jungle Jam party before Full Moon. 

The festival itself is really cool and so much fun. The jungle setting made it unlike anything I had ever been before! Especially, because we were at the Songkran edition so there were pistols and hoses everywhere!  I really enjoyed myself and could not recommend the Half Moon festival more. As I haven't been to Full Moon, I could not comment on whether it is better but I would not necessarily worry if you can't fit a Full Moon party in to your plans. 

Food Factory 

On the day of Half Moon, we just wanted to eat close by to our hostel to save us time. We saw this place and thought it looked good and we hadn't divulged in Western food whilst on the island so thought, why not!? I ordered a peri chicken burger combo which included fries and a drink. It was really good and you got a decent amount of meat and salad. They also play football games here, so if you are a fan you can guarantee that popular games willbe shown here. It's open 24 hours a day, so you don't have to worry about missing your favourite games. 

Songkran 

So whilst we were in Koh Phangan, we were there for their New Years aka Songkran. Songkran is basically a massive water fight and was perfect to sort my hangover out. We were at a party at our hostel which had a free bbq and music etc. It was such a good day. Although, unfortunately there was a power cut half way through the day across the whole island which was annoying as it lasted for a LONG time. I would definitely recommend being in Thailand for Songkran!

Beach Village Resort

At Ringside Hostel, although there is not a pool you do have access to the swimming pool at Beach Village Resort. It is a really nice resort and it has a bar and restaurant if you want to divulge. It is also right on the beach so it has a nice view aswell. 

What I wished we had done: 

Total Wipeout

We drove all the way out to the Total Wipeout challenge but it was shut due to a staff holiday. Absolutely gutting. It did look fun though, so I would definitely recommend checking it out! 

Love Imogen xoxo