Myself and my family recently took a 4 night break in Koh Tao which is a small island in the gulf of Thailand. The island is easily accessible from Hua Hin and is a great spot for a family break.
Getting There
To get to the boat port / pier in Chumphon is a 3 and a half hour drive south of Hua Hin. We had pre-booked our ferry crossing and arrived an hour before departure. It was all very smooth and the journey across the gulf took 1 hr and 15 mins. Very easy to access an idyllic tropical island from our base of Hua Hin.
Snorkelling
I have always said that the gulf of Thailand is not quite as stunning as the Andaman but the ocean around Koh Tao is very clean and clear (they have strict rules and regulations regarding litter and pollution). We took 2 day trips while we were there. The first was with a company called Oxygen and it was great. There were a team of 3 or 4 guys and we were a group of about 20 people who got to know each other as the day went on.
The 2nd trip we took was a private boat charter company called Royal Mariblue which was outstadning. Obviously it costs more but they took us to some hidden spots away from the crowds and we had a great time exploring caves and coral gardens.
What did we see?
The highlight was seeing a black tip reef shark which my kids were extremely excited about. We also saw turtles, grouper fish, angel fish, parrt fish amongst many others and of course lots of beautiful coral.
One noticeable thing was how my kids built their confidence as the day went on. They were a little apprehensive at first about jumping into the sea (especially my youngest) but as the day went on they were diving down to see the turtles etc. My eldest did not need a life jacket and she was super proud of herself.
Summary
Koh Tao is such a great place to get away and have an adventure with a young family; you can be there in about 5 and a half hours from Hua Hin. The island is very laid back and has plenty of nice restaurants and bars. We stayed at the Koh Tao Resort -Paradise Zone which had a nice big family room for us with amazing views.
There were many easily accessible beaches and of course wonderful Thai seafood everywhere we went.
