Koh Tao: The “Other” Greek Isle

As I began researching for a place to stay on Koh Tao, I knew that I wanted to stay somewhere romantic, somewhere beautiful, and of course, somewhere safe. I didn’t want to stay too far from town as we were planning on diving frequently throughout our stay, yet I wanted to avoid staying right in the middle of the action on Sairee Beach as it can be quite loud at night thanks to all of the popular beach bars scattered along the shoreline. Hell, I’m getting picky in my old age, and I’m not even that old… 😉

After months of thoughtful consideration, we decided to book a room at the Aminjirah Resort. An island-favorite, family run, cliff-side resort located about ten-minutes north of Sairee Beach, this resort boasts 23 unique rooms ranging from basic backpacker rooms to spacious villas with your very own private plunge pool. We specifically booked the Sunset Ocean Dream Room because it was spacious, had an incredible cliff-side balcony, and was adjacent to the resort pool. It also included A/C and hot water (these are not always standard amenities in Thailand), had a mini-fridge, a large flat-screen TV, and included daily breakfast.

My communication with the resort staff was always prompt and helpful–from my first email to inquire about availability, to scheduling our pick-up at the Lomprayah pier–and during our stay, the staff continued to impress us as they were always happy to help, no matter the request. Stellar service and large pool-side rooms aside, this resort earns its island-wide reputation thanks to the incredible infinity pool:

The vast panoramic views leave you pondering if you accidentally walked through a portal and magically teleported to Greece. Although this location is much quieter (and a lot less crowded) compared to that famous sunset view in Oia. The views from the infinity pool were postcard worthy and let’s face it, every instagrammer’s dream. 🙂 Every afternoon as the sun inched closer to the horizon, we relaxed in the poolside loungers or on our private balcony, and watched the incredible sunset from one of the best viewpoints on Koh Tao.

During our stay we ate at the on-site restaurant multiple times, and although pricey for Thailand, the dinners were delicious. The breakfast buffet ranged from yogurt, to fried noodles, to omelets, and was just okay (although if I were paying for it, I would have looked elsewhere).

The only criticism I have for this resort is a few small maintenance issues–minor improvements that would instantly give the resort a more polished feel–things like hammering down the few nail heads sticking out of the baseboards, addressing the dim lighting in the bathrooms, and touching up the chipped paint around the resort.

When we booked this resort I was hesitant about staying so “far” from town, but at the time, I reassured myself that a ten-minute walk to town was manageable. What we didn’t consider was the smoldering heat…that ten-minute walk into town was pretty brutal (and we were going down-hill). The bright-side is that the resort provides a shuttle to town at 11am and 3pm daily, and there is also a vendor next door renting motorbikes.

The Aminjirah is not a five-star resort and does not pretend to be, however, if you like smaller, boutique, off-the-beaten-path kinds of resorts, you will also enjoy the charming Aminjirah. If you don’t feel like staying so far from town, visitors can enjoy the infinity pool and those instagram-worthy sunset views by spending 1,000baht ($30USD) at the on-site bar and restaurant.

When you travel do you like to stay in the middle of the action or off the beaten path?