Ao Tanot Bay
Ao Tanot Bay
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4.5
629 reviews
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Springer114
Herefordshire, UK581 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We went on a boat tour from Koh Samui it was along way about 90 minutes and the sea was rough but still well worth the trip to see this island. Very beautiful beaches with a relaxing atmosphere. Excellent for snorkelling,sunbathing and diving and I’m sure lots more. There are so many different types off fish to see and although as with the rest off the world plastic sea pollution is visible as is coral bleaching the island is doing its bit to raise awareness and try and protect what it has ......
Written March 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iliana D
Turin, Italy275 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
What an amazing bay. It’s a must go place for snorkeling and relax. There are also restaurants and diving centers. Easy to reach - we stayed at Coral View and arrived by motor bike in 10 min.
Written August 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
namabeer
Toronto, Canada489 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
it's a long ride from Sairee beach
we bite the bullet and paid 800 Baht to hire taxi for drop off and pick up from hotel (4 people). i'm sure you can prob bargain harder for better deal
I could not go there just because of price. Advid snorkeller so i bit the bullet. I would hate to scooter there as up hills and downhills are brutal. The roads are paved but extremely steep. It was worth the $$$ at the end
nice cove and some resorts there. Nice feel there - more Europeans (Spanish/Germans) there. I was surprise that there was a number of people there. Not lots but thought it would be empty. Of course the snorkeller boat would not dock and just let guest jump off boat from Ocean.
Beach is wide but it's sooooo hot to walk on
Did snorkelling. Bit shallow so you had to path your way to enter... Far Right end is easier near cliff rock. Very easy shallow snorkelling in sheltered cove when you have monsoons on West Side.
More fish before rocks. As around rock bigger fish but also drops off very deep to 40 ft when in open water side. Could not see as much snorkelling due to depth. Focused between beach and rock.
lots of reef fish - reg stuff, sargent major, rabbit fish, damsel, clams, parrot fish, gar fish, damsel, chrismas trees, the odd anenome and fish.
Good visibilty in water
the thing that really stood out was Shoals of fish near shore by a boat. I thought i was seaweed but as i got closer it was thousands and thousands of tiny fusilier fish (yellow stripe), then it changed to thousands of sardines. This was cool and fun swimming into it.
Good place to eat is at the end - Lai Beach restaurant at the end by the rock... busiest place. Food good - bit pricer but acceptable. Chicken burger was really good at 100 Baht and filling. Mango sticky rice pricey but good at 150 Bht, big beer was 110 Bht. Good just to chill and view people jumping from rock or admiring bay.
Overall good day trip from Sairee
(hint if you want shade hide behind a bouider or under trees
seems like a nice place to stay if you want peacefullness.
There are a few dive shops there and people did Shore diving.
we bite the bullet and paid 800 Baht to hire taxi for drop off and pick up from hotel (4 people). i'm sure you can prob bargain harder for better deal
I could not go there just because of price. Advid snorkeller so i bit the bullet. I would hate to scooter there as up hills and downhills are brutal. The roads are paved but extremely steep. It was worth the $$$ at the end
nice cove and some resorts there. Nice feel there - more Europeans (Spanish/Germans) there. I was surprise that there was a number of people there. Not lots but thought it would be empty. Of course the snorkeller boat would not dock and just let guest jump off boat from Ocean.
Beach is wide but it's sooooo hot to walk on
Did snorkelling. Bit shallow so you had to path your way to enter... Far Right end is easier near cliff rock. Very easy shallow snorkelling in sheltered cove when you have monsoons on West Side.
More fish before rocks. As around rock bigger fish but also drops off very deep to 40 ft when in open water side. Could not see as much snorkelling due to depth. Focused between beach and rock.
lots of reef fish - reg stuff, sargent major, rabbit fish, damsel, clams, parrot fish, gar fish, damsel, chrismas trees, the odd anenome and fish.
Good visibilty in water
the thing that really stood out was Shoals of fish near shore by a boat. I thought i was seaweed but as i got closer it was thousands and thousands of tiny fusilier fish (yellow stripe), then it changed to thousands of sardines. This was cool and fun swimming into it.
Good place to eat is at the end - Lai Beach restaurant at the end by the rock... busiest place. Food good - bit pricer but acceptable. Chicken burger was really good at 100 Baht and filling. Mango sticky rice pricey but good at 150 Bht, big beer was 110 Bht. Good just to chill and view people jumping from rock or admiring bay.
Overall good day trip from Sairee
(hint if you want shade hide behind a bouider or under trees
seems like a nice place to stay if you want peacefullness.
There are a few dive shops there and people did Shore diving.
Written July 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
englishpeninsula
London, UK42 contributions
Dec 2012 • Couples
We stayed just above this bay for three weeks and I can honestly say we had the most amazing snorkeling experiences!
My partner even swam with a blacktip reef shark and in Tanote Bay you can see "cauliflower" shaped jellyfish in the loveliest shades of pink, clown fish, butterfly fish, trevallies, sea cucumbers, a beautiful array of corals, parrotfish, unicorn fish, different wrasse, bannerfish and so much more...the colours are stunning and the coral is (still) healthy...
Please be careful and don't step on the coral: they are living organisms and quite fragile!
We did a boat trip around KT with different stops for snorkeling (Mango Bay, around Shark Island, Nangyuan Island amongst others) and saw many bays where the coral had gone white (=dead) and very few fish were around for feeding / shelter. This is a great shame and will only get worse as KT is getting far too busy and overcrowded for its small size and fragile eco-system, so treat it with care and take your rubbish with you! (Sounds so basic but it seems so difficult for some...).
We were fortunate enough to experience different types of weather (storms and very high waves and blue skies with a mirror-like sea) and Tanote Bay was always nice.
Just one note of caution: unfortunately KT like many other places around the world has a serious problem with rubbish disposal and a lot is dumped in the sea. Unfortunately we had a couple of days where the winds / currents brought in a lot of plastic / general waste to the beach which made it rather unpleasant to snorkel and the visibility was very low, unlike most days. If you see a day like that, don't despair (well, we should all despair when we see plastic in the sea but that's a different story) but I mean don't despair and do come back, the winds / currents will change and you'll have better conditions on another day.
Depending on the tide the water can get very (!) shallow and when you swim you'll be swimming very close to the coral, so be careful and it's razor-sharp and will break easily!
There are a number of places to eat in this bay, I'd recommend to stay away from the food in the restaurant located in the centre of the bay (I don't know the name it has white plastic chairs placed in the sand) as the food was exceptionally greasy, drinks were fine though and they serve fresh coconuts if that takes your fancy. There is a new-ish place on the far end of the beach (NOT the Montalay Hotel side, the other side) with a large green terrace that certainly made up in the deliciousness of the food what it might have lacked in the welcoming attitude of the host.
There's also a restaurant in the Montalay hotel but I don't know anything about the food, we just bought icecream from their reception area!
A short swim off the beach is a very large rock for brave people to jump off from and you can rent snorkels and kayaks in this bay should you be bored of sunbathing...There's also a diving school at the Montalay hotel if you're interested in more than just snorkeling!
This is obviously a beach on the East coast of KT so you won't see any majestic sunsets here as the sun sets behind the palm tree covered hills. However, Sairee and Mae Haad will impress you with colourful skies in the evening!
Have fun and be nice to the fish & coral, it would be a shame to see it disappear so quickly...
My partner even swam with a blacktip reef shark and in Tanote Bay you can see "cauliflower" shaped jellyfish in the loveliest shades of pink, clown fish, butterfly fish, trevallies, sea cucumbers, a beautiful array of corals, parrotfish, unicorn fish, different wrasse, bannerfish and so much more...the colours are stunning and the coral is (still) healthy...
Please be careful and don't step on the coral: they are living organisms and quite fragile!
We did a boat trip around KT with different stops for snorkeling (Mango Bay, around Shark Island, Nangyuan Island amongst others) and saw many bays where the coral had gone white (=dead) and very few fish were around for feeding / shelter. This is a great shame and will only get worse as KT is getting far too busy and overcrowded for its small size and fragile eco-system, so treat it with care and take your rubbish with you! (Sounds so basic but it seems so difficult for some...).
We were fortunate enough to experience different types of weather (storms and very high waves and blue skies with a mirror-like sea) and Tanote Bay was always nice.
Just one note of caution: unfortunately KT like many other places around the world has a serious problem with rubbish disposal and a lot is dumped in the sea. Unfortunately we had a couple of days where the winds / currents brought in a lot of plastic / general waste to the beach which made it rather unpleasant to snorkel and the visibility was very low, unlike most days. If you see a day like that, don't despair (well, we should all despair when we see plastic in the sea but that's a different story) but I mean don't despair and do come back, the winds / currents will change and you'll have better conditions on another day.
Depending on the tide the water can get very (!) shallow and when you swim you'll be swimming very close to the coral, so be careful and it's razor-sharp and will break easily!
There are a number of places to eat in this bay, I'd recommend to stay away from the food in the restaurant located in the centre of the bay (I don't know the name it has white plastic chairs placed in the sand) as the food was exceptionally greasy, drinks were fine though and they serve fresh coconuts if that takes your fancy. There is a new-ish place on the far end of the beach (NOT the Montalay Hotel side, the other side) with a large green terrace that certainly made up in the deliciousness of the food what it might have lacked in the welcoming attitude of the host.
There's also a restaurant in the Montalay hotel but I don't know anything about the food, we just bought icecream from their reception area!
A short swim off the beach is a very large rock for brave people to jump off from and you can rent snorkels and kayaks in this bay should you be bored of sunbathing...There's also a diving school at the Montalay hotel if you're interested in more than just snorkeling!
This is obviously a beach on the East coast of KT so you won't see any majestic sunsets here as the sun sets behind the palm tree covered hills. However, Sairee and Mae Haad will impress you with colourful skies in the evening!
Have fun and be nice to the fish & coral, it would be a shame to see it disappear so quickly...
Written January 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
muirjs
Liverpool, UK15 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
We got to Ao Tanot by scooter which was a little hairy but definitely manageable (I recommend at least getting a scooter with knobbly tires!) and it was worth the effort. The beach is nice if a little exposed, there are a couple of cafes with hammocks to relax in, the water has some excellent snorkelling right at the shore and for the adventurous there is a great cliff dive - a huge rock just off the beach with a slightly scary looking rope to help you scramble up to the top and jump off the other side into the deep water. Lots of fun.
Written August 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mo1t3
Edmonton, Canada16 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
Tanote Bay is a more peaceful beach area on the east coast of Koh Tao. The beach had fine sand and was not overcrowded. The marine life I saw here snorkeling was just as spectacular as on my 12 m deep SCUBA dive at Japanese Gardens at the northwest corner of the island.
If you're up for it, there is fantastic cliffjumping from a huge rock a 2 min swim offshore from the beach. The water on the swim is quite shallow, so I recommend bringing goggles or a snorkel mask so you can see underwater and avoid cuts and scrapes from the coral. To get to the top of the rock, there is a 3 m rock climb with some good hand and foot holds, then a 5 m rope climb. The rope is sturdy. See the attached photo! The jump is well worth the effort to scale the rock.
Tanote Bay is a nice change of pace from the other beach areas on Koh Tao. I highly recommend coming here for at least half a day.
If you're up for it, there is fantastic cliffjumping from a huge rock a 2 min swim offshore from the beach. The water on the swim is quite shallow, so I recommend bringing goggles or a snorkel mask so you can see underwater and avoid cuts and scrapes from the coral. To get to the top of the rock, there is a 3 m rock climb with some good hand and foot holds, then a 5 m rope climb. The rope is sturdy. See the attached photo! The jump is well worth the effort to scale the rock.
Tanote Bay is a nice change of pace from the other beach areas on Koh Tao. I highly recommend coming here for at least half a day.
Written June 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Weri00
Manchester, UK193 contributions
Jul 2012 • Couples
Stayed at Tanote at the end of July and this beach had amazing snorkelling and some nice places to eat and drink. Even where the coral is dead the number of fish is incredible! Like a big aquarium, a great place to stay or to visit on Koh Tao
Written October 8, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yoav H
39 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
Steep road that is worth the hassle! Amazing beach, for isolated and the snorkeling there was amazing, highly recommended. We were in quite a few beaches in Koh Tao, this one is rated #1 (with Ao Leuk which is very close as #2 and then - Freedom Beach as #3)
Written September 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Godofwater
Roma25 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
one of the 2 best places to dive and snorkel in Koh Tao. Best fauna of the island and beautiful corals.
Written August 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Urša K
10 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
We stayed at the nearby guesthouse for 5 days and everyday we came here to swim, sunbathe and snorkel. We were in September 2017 and there was not so many people, what made our beach stay only better. You have many restaurants at the beach, so you can buy water or eat something whenever you want. This beach was the most beautiful in our 1 month stay in Thailand, and we saw some of them in this time.
Written July 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hola.somos 2 personas y estamos cerca del.puerto hospedadas.cual sería la mejor forma de en un día tener opción de hacernos a la idea de como es la isla?
Written July 23, 2024
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