Nigel: We had heard that Ko Tao was the nicest of the 3 islands on the East coast, so we decided to spend a little time there. It is well renowned for its diving in the seas around the coast, but with the little incident on the last island there would be no diving going on here. You have to get the ferry from the jetty in Koh Samui and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to get there. The journey started off fairly smoothly and the sea was reasonably calm. About 20 minutes off the coast of Ko Tao things changed for the worst. High winds, rough seas and the boat going from side to side were the conditions we were now facing. We shortly docked at the port and luckily for us the hotel we were staying in was there to pick us up. The room on first appearances seemed to be very nice and we thought we would be happy here. Then a quick look round and reality started to set in. The bathroom was situated, not only out side, but it also was missing the roof. The only privacy you had was by the four walls surrounding it. We also noticed that around the perimeter of the room there was a ventilation gap which was only covered by some wire mesh (Alison will tell more). This was the first place that we stayed in that Fay was sleeping in a separate room to us, but unfortunately for her, access to the bathroom was only possible through our room. These things did not deter us and we got ready to walk around the complex grounds. The swimming pool (which is now a requirement when booking) is located over 3 tiers, with 2 main pools and 1 small pool. There are many paths which lead to different areas of seating which is good to relax and have a drink in the evening. One thing you did have to watch out for, and we did have a close shave on a couple of occasions, was falling coconuts from the trees. If one of these would hit you on the head it could be fatal. In the evening we decided to go in to the small town that was near our hotel to get some food. We decided on an Australian bar that was situated by the sea front and we had literally sat down to look at the menu when a strong wind picked up and then out of nowhere the monsoon rain came flying into where we were sitting. It was literally like someone throwing a bucket of water straight at you. Everyone just ran as fast as they could to get undercover.

Alison: The hotel was really nice. In fact it was unbelievably nice for the price we were paying. As Nigel said, we were picked up from the ferry and when we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by smiling staff and a tray of drinks. The bungalow was outstanding to look at. It was set up on stilts and had a dining area outside on one balcony area as well as another balcony area with cushions to lie on. There was also outdoor tea and coffee making facilities which should have alerted us to the au natural, living at one with nature theme of this bungalow. Nigel has made the bathroom sound really grotty but I was made up with it......initially. The bungalow was built against a giant rock which formed most of the bathroom wall on one side. There was also a nice sink area which did have a small bamboo/wicker covering. The toilet and shower area had even less cover. We thought the bathroom was very novel when we first saw it and when we arrived in the storm it did make us smile watching the rain pour down in our bathroom but when it came to actually using it, the smiling ended and the screaming started! Giant centipede things invaded the rock face, beetles scuttled across the floor and wasps attacked you whilst sitting defenselessly on the toilet! The room was also a bit of a nightmare for bugs. Again, at first, I was very impressed with the room. Very nicely decorated and lots of complimentary things to use. The foot wide piece of mesh connecting the walls to the roof did make me uneasy but we had a mosquito net and I didn't anticipate anything too bad getting in. All was well until the sun went down. As soon as it grew dark, the chorus of crickets started which was very loud but was nothing I hadn't heard before. But then an even louder chorus of frogs began. It was ridiculously loud and very eerie. I was a bit freaked out by the close proximity of them but managed to stay relatively cool with the situation until I spotted a frog inside on the wall. This was the first of many visitors. We had an army of ants walking the perimeter of our bed, a cockroach and a lizard came to join us too! I have to congratulate Fay on her bravery with the bugs....I think her Bangkok experiences had toughened her up!