Koh Tao · Gulf of Thailand
The island gateway
Mae Haad
Everyone arrives in Mae Haad. The ones in the know stay for dinner, and end up staying for the week.
Koh Tao · Gulf of Thailand
The island gateway
Everyone arrives in Mae Haad. The ones in the know stay for dinner, and end up staying for the week.
Mae Haad is where Koh Tao begins. Step off the boat and the whole island is within a short, flat walk: dive shops, cafes, the pharmacy, the ATMs and some of the best food on Koh Tao.
Sitting dead-centre on the west coast between Sairee and Chalok, Mae Haad is the island's most practical and affordable base. Less party than Sairee, less sleepy than the south, it's where locals eat and where a lot of divers quietly base themselves.
Where the island eats
For its size, Mae Haad punches well above its weight at the table. This is home to Cafe del Sol, a Koh Tao institution serving French and Italian dishes since 1999, and The French Market, where the croissants, bread and cheese are the real thing.
Start the morning with coffee and pastries at Croissant & Ko, grab a beach picnic from the deli, and come back for a long, candle-lit dinner. You can eat very well here without leaving the neighbourhood.
The island's front door, and its best-kept dinner secret.
Below the surface
Mae Haad puts you minutes from the pier, which means minutes from the boat. Dive centres like Master Divers, a PADI 5-Star Career Development Center, run trips to Koh Tao's best sites every day, from your very first breath underwater to professional training.
Stay in Mae Haad and your morning commute to the dive boat is a two-minute stroll, coffee in hand.
Central, walkable and easy on the wallet, Mae Haad is the base you keep coming back to. Here's how to spend your time.
Book a course or a fun-dive day with Master Divers and roll straight onto the boat from the pier, no scooter required.
Fresh croissants and real bread at The French Market, or coffee and pastries at Croissant & Ko.
Book a table at Cafe del Sol for French and Italian plates that have kept the island coming back since 1999.
Mae Haad faces west, so the pier and the little waterfront bars are a front-row seat for the sun dropping into the Gulf.
Everything on the island is a short scooter ride away: Sairee's nightlife to the north, Chalok's calm to the south, and the viewpoints in between.
Where to stay in Mae Haad
Mae Haad is the smart-money base: guesthouses, mid-range hotels and a handful of sea-view spots, all within walking distance of the pier, the dive shops and the restaurants. It's often better value than the beachfront at Sairee, and you're never more than a short ride from anywhere.
Here's what's available in Mae Haad for your dates.
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