Rocks Guesthouse, Koh Tao

• We're located in the heart of busiest area of the island, central Sairee so you can walk to pretty much everything you need. We're not right on the beach front, about 1-2 minutes walk away.
• This is actually a good thing though as most of the nightlife in Sairee is based along the beach, so being set back from the beach is good as this means that noise isn't an issue if you want to have an early night every now and again.
• When you arrive on Koh Tao we recommend you take a taxi from the pier to Sairee, this should only cost you 50-100 Baht per person if you are planning on diving with DJL then let them know your ferry arrival details in advance and they will pick you up from the pier for free. All of the taxi drivers on the island know where DJL Diving & Silver Sands Resort are and so tell them to bring you to one of those as we're almost opposite the restaurant and pool bar as we are on the same street as both of these. We are the big blue building just before the DJL Bar/Restaurant and swimming pool.
• How to get to Koh Tao
• Yon can book in your transport via the www.12go.asia website.
• Most people enter Thailand by flying into Bangkok. From Bangkok there are three main options for getting down to Koh Tao island.
• The fastest but most expensive route: Fly to Samui.
• You can pickup flights from Bangkok direct down to Koh Samui from around 4,000 baht, depending on the season and the time of the flight. From Samui take one of the high speed ferries across to Koh Tao island (Lomprayah Catamaran or Seatran) - these cost about 550 baht per person and take about an hour and a half.
• If you shop around you may even be able to get a flight direct from your country of origin to Samui, cutting out the Bangkok bit. You can book flights on the internet directly with Bangkok Air.
• NB. If you want to get to Koh Tao on the same day as you arrive in Samui ensure you have a flight arriving by noon as the last ferry over to Koh Tao departs Samui at 13:30.
• The compromise : Train to Chumphon
• Thailand has a great rail service. From the airport you need to get a meter taxi to the main Hualamphong train station in town (costing about 200 baht). From there you can catch a comfortable overnight train down to Chumphon. You can get a bed in an air conditioned carriage for less than 1,000 baht, waking up fresh at your destination in the morning! From Chumphon you take a high speed ferry to Koh Tao island the same morning. This will take about an hour and a half and costing about 550 baht. You can also book a combined train and boat ticket.
• This is my preferred way to travel, however you often have to book a couple of days ahead especially around weekends & holidays.
• The budget route : Bus from Bangkok
• Even this isn't too bad. From the airport get a meter taxi to Khao San Road (about 200 baht). At Khao San Road you can book a combined bus and boat ticket direct to Koh Tao. This will be an overnight bus ride to Chumphon, then boat the rest of the way and should cost less than 1000 baht all in.
• Look out - there are a few 'sharks' around the Khao San area, out for the nave tourist. My advice would be to go into one of the official looking travel agents and book with your ticket with them. Go for the Lomprayah or Seatran services, you should be able to book one of these in most agents. These are fast, comfortable services and usually show DVDs on the way down. You don't want to end up getting crammed on a mini bus or 'local' service.
• If you are coming from the south or the islands on the west coast
• You can catch a ferry from Surat Thani, or just outside at Don Sak pier. You can catch either a ferry with the Songserm Express company, which depart at 10:00 or take the new Lomprayah service which has started opperating from Surat Thani to Koh Tao, check their website for the schedule here, http://www.lomprayah.com/surat/surat.html. There are also night boats that run providing the weather isn't too bad which depart at 23:00. The cheapest option is the night boat, followed by the somewhat misleadingly named Songserm Express which takes about 6 1/2 hours. The Lomprayah catamaran service is the quickest but also the most expensive option, but is our recommendation for this trip. If you are planning on travelling through the islands and then onwards up to Bangkok then enquiring about the Lomprayah's Buffet Ticket is worthwhile as you will save money and be able to stop off at Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Hua Hin on your way to Bangkok.
• Booking in advance online links
• If you would like to book your travel arrangements before arriving in Bangkok, which is advisable especially in high season and around the Full Moon parties on Koh Phangan. If coming by Bus & Boat you can book online with either http://www.lomprayah.com, http://www.seatrandiscovery.com/home.php, http://www.songserm-expressboat.com/, if flying down to Samui you can book this online at http://www.bangkokair.com, to book train tickets in advance you can use http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm.
• NB. As general travel advice ensure to keep your valuables on you in your hand luggage as there have been numerous reports of people having things stolen especially on the overnight buses used by the Songserm company.