Koh Tao tips please

[meysey]

We want to go to Koh Tao in August and are finding it hard to decide on which hotel or whether to get a villa. We'd like a pool if possible and also beach access or within walking distance of Sairee. Any tips? Some hotels only allow kids in the most expensive of their villas and we're medium to high budget rather than very top! Kids 11 and 8.

DH is in Tao at the moment. He is diving so not terribly interested in much else.
I will ask him when he gets back.

Presumably you are wanting to scuba dive. I am not sure that there's much else on the island. DH is very impressed by the people he is using for diving BTW.

I was last in Koh Tao a couple of years ago and it's really changed since my first visit in 2004. Koh Tao Cabana is very nice and is at the quieter end of Sairee beach - they don't have a pool though. www.kohtaocabana.com Sairee is generally quite lively at night and there are a few bars on the beach which can be noisy. The Cabana hotel is at the quieter end, however. The water at Sairee is not as nice as other beaches in Koh Tao mainly due to the number of boats and the tide is often low here.

I would recommend Charm Churee Villa which is a hotel ocated in Jansom Bay which is stunning. There is amazing snorkling straight from the beach there and the water is crystal clear. They have a good restaurant / spa there and you can easily get a taxi into town. www.charmchureevilla.com