Koh Tao: January 2006

One of travelling's greatest challenges is finding the right accommodation.  Our property correspondent, Des Rezz, gives us an update on how Ray and Nikki have been getting on since they arrived in Thailand and gives us the ultimate checklist for finding the right room!

When you first arrive in a foreign country, the prospect of looking for budget accommodation can be quite daunting.  Typically, you will be carrying heavy backpacks and will not have transport so you can easily get worn out in a few hours if it is very hot (which it usually is)!  Like everything, people get better at something with the more experience they have and this is certainly true for Ray and Nikki as they refine their requirements for the ideal accommodation whilst on the road.

"When I first arrived, I was still very much in my Parson's Green mindset" says Ray. "I had just sold my house in England and although I was keen on travelling, I really wanted to hang on to my London lifestyle a little bit longer, so I rented a private villa with it's own pool and maid service, at around 90 pounds per night, so that Nikki and I could enjoy a bit of luxury before living strictly on a budget.  After four nights of bliss, we left to find something more affordable and rented a room for one night at The Hacienda guest house in Bo Phut village.  This had it's own rooftop swimming pool, and at a more reasonable 15 pounds per night was great value" said Ray.

Our own plunge pool at Lamai Villa's - luxury for our first four nights!

The rooftop swimming pool at The Hacienda, Bo Phut village (Ray is the one on the right!)

Ray and Nikki have now been travelling for over two months and have continued to adjust their expectations, but without necessarily having to compromise on features that really make a place special and memorable.  For example, both of them wanted to have the hut on the beach experience over Christmas and managed to find a bungalow right by the ocean at Haad Yow in Koh Phangan. "It was my first experience of living without hot water - something I would not have contemplated in England - and I avoided taking a cold shower as long as I could, but eventually had to go for it!  Now, a cold shower is something I actually look forward to as it can get very hot during the day" said Ray.

The first cold shower; Ray and Nikki's beach bungalow in Haad Yow -  a steal at only seven pounds per night!

Haad Yow provided the ultimate location for Christmas Day celebrations (see Life is a Beach) with plenty of barbecue's on the beach and a great party atmosphere everywhere.

By the time Christmas was over, Ray and Nikki were keen to experience some real isolation. Being on a small island in the middle of the ocean, completely alone, is something that few of us ever get to experience in our lives.  They chose a small remote beach on the island of Koh Tao, called Aow Leuk, and rented one of only a handful of bungalow's in the tiny, windswept bay.

The remote bay at Aow Leuk (above) - it can only be reached by boat or a long trail through the forest

"While we were looking for this place, it suddenly dawned on us that we had inadvertantly made a kind of mental checklist of things we were looking for" said Nikki. "For example, the room at Aow Leuk had to overlook the sea so that we could see the sunrise from our bed every morning.  We also wanted the added benefit of the strong, cooling sea breeze blowing through our room every night" said Nikki.

"One of the best experiences at Aow Leuk is watching the sunrise in bed every morning (see sequence below) - it makes you feel glad you have woken up" say's Ray and Nikki

Having an open bungalow by the sea can sound lovely, but can also be very uncomfortable without insect protection, which is why it works to make sure you have a mosquito net when you stay in these types of places. 

Ray and Nikki enjoy the protection of their mosquito net at Aow Leuk

Next on the list of desirable features is making sure the noise level is acceptable. This may not seem relevant on the remote beaches, but it can be a sleep stopper in towns where there is a lot of development going on, and there are now quite a few places like this in Thailand.

Try and avoid properties with construction sites nearby if you want a good night's sleep

All properties in the Tropics come with friendly creatures of all descriptions and it is more a case of getting used to their company as there is nothing one can do to avoid them.

All creatures great and small - Ray and Nikki share their accommodation at Aow Leuk with a giant spider (above) and a ghekko (below)

So what else would influence your choice of accommodation?  One thing may be the local entertainment and restaurants and of course these can vary enormously.  Another may be smaller features like a hammock on your porch.

"This was just too good to miss" (above) say's Ray!

The beautiful restaurant at Aow Leuk (above) contrasted hugely with other local fayre on offer (below)

"It is fantastic if you can find a bungalow with a hammock, like the one we found in Haad Yow" (above) says Nikki.  "Especially if you have had one too many" (below)

Other important features for the traveller includes easy access to the Internet, mobile phone networks and provisions.  "Without these, it becomes very difficult to operate sometimes" said Ray.  "Our favourite Internet cafe so far was the Red House in Bo Phut village as the coffee was so nice, but at 2 baht per minute, the Internet was one of the most expensive.  We spend more on Internet connection than our accommodation" reflected Ray.

The Red House - our favourite Internet cafe on the beach in Bo Phut village (above)

Access to the mobile networks is essential for communication; Nikki and Ray enjoy a long awaited conversation with their friend Laura Jacobs in London, whilst on Sairee Beach, Koh Tao

There are literally hundreds of 7/11 stores on the islands (like this one in Mae Haad below) and these provide a welcome sight for the traveller who can escape for a few moments from the heat and enjoy the air conditioned environment inside

Editors Note: Great feature, Des. Thanks for providing us with the ultimate guide to finding the right place whilst travelling.  Of course, there are always feautures one can find which are not expected, like the one's Ray and Nikki found below:

A little elephant in the bush...

Always have a line to dry any fish you catch!

Happy Travels!   MOZZIE BYTE

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