Chalok Baan Kao

Chalok Baan Kao is the bay at the south end of the island, with enough restaurants and dive shops to be self-sufficient and none of Sairee’s volume.

Averaged across our six picks, it is the strongest area on the island: the highest average overall score, the highest floor, and the tightest spread, which together mean there is no bad choice here. It also has the best value-for-money scores on Koh Tao, averaged and at the floor.

Of those with a January price: Aukotan Place is around ฿1,395 a night, Greenery Resort around ฿2,376, and Koh Tao Relax Freedom Beach Resort around ฿3,900. Karo Villas is around ฿3,950, View Point Resort around ฿2,674 and MAR24 Koh Tao Hotel around ฿1,334, all for 15 to 18 November 2026 (there was no price for 12 to 15 January 2027).

The evidence behind the scores is uneven. View Point Resort carries over 6,000 combined reviews, more than any other Koh Tao property we list, while Karo Villas carries 159, the fewest. Aukotan and Greenery sit in the village; View Point and Koh Tao Relax sit on the headlands either side.