So we arrived at Palm Tree Resort on Sunday morning. I had stayed at the sister resort Bow Thong in 2007 and really enjoyed it's position at the northern end of Sairee Beach, as it's a little quieter, away from the loud bars on the main beach section and streets. The resort was pretty much as I remembered, though the Palm Tree section was nicer and newer than the Bow Thong part we stayed in previously. There was a mix up with our room, the one I had booked online had been double booked for the first night, so the lovely receptionist upgraded us for the first night to the premium beach front bungalow. It was really cool staying there that first night.. being right literally on the beach was very cool.. we could sit on the porch and relax while Avalon played in the sand right in front of us.
Avalon 'appreciating the view' from behind closed eyelids upon our arrival
First order of business: breakfast! We were starving!
Sol was pretty impressed with 'paradise'
The view from our balcony!
We didn't do a whole lot during our stay in Koh Tao, we spent each of the 5 days going to the beachside restaurant for breakfast, then we would go for a walk and swim. Most days we went for a walk to the shops in Sairee Beach as we always seemed to need something, either water or nappies or wipes! Sol and Avalon made a friend on day while I was checking out the Havianas shop.. a lovely lady who runs a small fruit stall in the main street. She was obsessed with Avalon's curly hair and hair colour and every time we saw her, she gave Avalon a piece of fruit to make her smile. She has been there 15 years and it was really interesting talking to her about how much Koh Tao has changed since I was there last in 2007. Back then, there were plenty of backpacker, but they were mostly there to do the scuba diving certification, or just to chill out on one of Thailands quieter islands. These days the island is completely overrun with backpackers (there were only a few families travelling there, the overwhelming majority was 20 year old backpackers looking for a tan and a good time). They all hire motorbikes, so walking down the street with a toddler in a stroller was a bit nerve wracking as most of the young girls especially doubling their friends didn't look overly competent at riding them and the sheer number of bikes was hugely annoying.
The beach itself was still beautiful, the water still just as blue and the good thing about Sairee is that the bay is really shallow, so it was perfect for Avalon and Solomon. The downside to the tourism boom though is the amount of rubbish that washed up on the beach every day was really disappointing. Each morning Thai workers sweep the beach, picking up all the beer bottles and rubbish that floats in on the tide and only an hour later when we would go for a swim, much of it would be back! While swimming, you would see plastic bags and bottles etc floating around you.
On the 4th day, I made the silly decision to get lunch at one of the Mexican restaurants on the island. Badddd move!!! The whole experience was shoddy, actually. I ordered a chicken quesadilla for Avalon and really tried impress upon the waiter that we wanted NO jalapenos as it was for the toddler. I even mimed it to him, so there would be no mistake. Of course, when it arrived, it had chopped up jalapenos all through the cheese, Avalon took 1 bite, screamed and spat it out in her hand, then proceeded to wipe her eyes with her hand. More screaming ensued.. I tried to talk to the waiter about it but he just shrugged and walked away, leaving us to pick out the tiny bits from the cheese. By that afternoon I was sick as a dog with food poisoning.
Next morning we had to check out and wait around for an hour or 2 before we could catch the ferry back to Chumphorn, ready to catch the train back to Bangkok at 9pm. It wasn't a great experience for me, seeing as I had been up all night throwing up and all I wanted to do was lie down and die a little bit. All the rocking that day on the boat, bus and train didn't help! We also had quite a wait at the station for the train. I was VERY glad to get on the train to find the beds already made up and slept really well. The next morning we arrived at Bangkok at 7am and went straight to our hotel expecting to have to wait around all day for the 2pm check in time, but the amazing staff pulled out a floor map, let us choose which room we wanted, took our bags, sent us next door to the restaurant for breakfast and by the time we got back had our chosen room ready! All before 8am! and it's not that they were quiet either, the hotel was booked out! Tara Place is my fave hotel of anywhere I have stayed, ever. It might not have resort style facilities, but it is spotless and the service of every single member of staff is incredible from reception, to the door men, to the cleaning staff and the restaurant staff! Can't say enough good things about it and boy did I appreciate that room at 8am when I was sick and exhausted.
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