Chabalay Resort

The rooms at Chabalay Resort range from 36 to 107 m², and every room has a private bathroom and a mountain view. Bathrooms come with a shower, toiletries and towels, and hair dryers are provided in every room, so the bathroom is ready for use on arrival.

The villa sleeps up to four guests and has a choice of bed set-ups, with bathrobes and a hair dryer in its bathroom. Rooms set up for two guests come with a king bed, air conditioning, a private entrance, a fan and a mosquito net, and each of them also has an electric kettle.

The resort has its own private beach, where canoeing and snorkelling are on the list of activities, and a garden and a terrace on the grounds. The bar, the restaurants and a coffee shop cover food and drink, and a kids meal is available.

Laundry service, safety deposit boxes and private check-in and check-out are available, 24-hour security is in place, and English and Thai are spoken.

Free parking is available at the resort, and WiFi is also available in public areas, with free WiFi in all rooms. Non-smoking rooms are available, and the bar and the coffee shop are on the grounds, so a drink or a coffee is never far from the rooms.

The resort sits on Ao Leuk Bay on Ko Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand that is reached by boat from Koh Samui and Chumphon. Life here is slow and centres on the sea, with diving and snorkelling as the main draws. Ko Tao is small enough that most of the sights lie within a few kilometres of the resort, and the resort's own beach is close to the rooms.

A short walk from the rooms is Ao Leuk beach. Cindy's Tower, a viewpoint 400 m away, looks out over the coast, and Shark Bay lies 750 m along the shore. Sun Suwan Viewpoint is 1.4 km away, and Freedom Beach is another beach on the island's coastline. Sairee Beach, the island's best-known stretch of sand, is 2.4 km away. Samui Airport is 63.2 km away on Koh Samui, so the last part of the journey is by boat.

A day could begin with a swim and snorkelling at the resort's beach, then a walk up to Cindy's Tower for the view over the coast. In the afternoon, Sun Suwan Viewpoint or Sairee Beach make an easy outing on the island. When the sea is rough, boats can be cancelled, so it helps to allow some flexibility on the way in and out.