AVA Hostel & Guesthouse

Rooms at AVA Hostel & Guesthouse run from a single bed in a mixed dormitory to a family room with two king beds, a balcony or terrace and a partial sea view. Air conditioning is fitted in all the rooms, and two of them have a private bathroom with a shower, a flat-screen TV and a refrigerator.

Between them are the Balcony Room with a queen bed and a nature view, the Deluxe Room of 30 m² with a queen bed and a coffee and tea maker, and the Deluxe Quadruple of 40 m² for up to four guests. The Standard Studio and the Economy room are for up to two guests each.

Guests can use the bar and the restaurant on site, and a massage service is available, with treatments including traditional Thai massage and aromatherapy. A shared lounge with a TV area gives you a place to relax with other travellers, and the hostel offers daily housekeeping, laundry service, luggage storage and express check-in and check-out.

Wi-Fi is free in all rooms, and it is also available in the public areas. Parking is free on site, with bicycle parking as well, and the hostel offers boating, diving, snorkelling, fishing and tours. The facilities also include a convenience store, shops and ticket services, and tours and a taxi service are also offered.

Mae Haad is the village around the main pier on Ko Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand that most travellers reach by boat from the mainland or from Ko Samui. The village has a busy but relaxed feel, with the pier, a cluster of dive centres and small shops close together. Ko Tao is known for its diving, and the village has a steady flow of people through the day.

Haad Ao Mae beach is 100 m away, close to the pier, and the Rama V Shrine sits 150 m from the hostel. The Turtle Monument and the Lomprayah pier are a short stroll from the beach, and Ao Mae Hat bay is 550 m away. Across the water, Nangyuan Island is 4.4 km away: three small islets joined by sandbars, known for their viewpoints and snorkelling, and reached by boat.

A good day here starts with a swim at Haad Ao Mae, followed by a boat trip for snorkelling or diving from the pier. Many of the places around Mae Haad are reachable on foot, so the village is easy to explore without a plan. In the evening, the hostel's bar and its massage service are there for you, and the shared lounge with its TV area offers a place to finish the day.