Sunshine Divers Resort in Koh Tao - FEEDBACK NEEDED

[bubblegirl1976]

hi everyone

i am planning on going on a diving trip next april to thailand and we're staying at the sunshine divers resort in koh tao (i don't have a say on where we're staying). I am having trouble finding feedback on this resort. has anyone stayed there or have heard of feedback that they can share with me? be it positive or negative, i would like to hear it all! also, from anyone who has stayed on that island, did you travel to bangkok at all? i would really like to visit the city but i hope it doesn't take forever to get there....

 

[limbo]

Hi,

I know of Sunshine divers but that's about it, heard their name and that's about it.

From where are you arriving? It's easy to travel between Koh Tao and Bangkok. At both ends overnight buses run each day. Between Chumphon and Koh Tao it's a ferry and than between Chupmhon and Bangkok the bus.
If you want to fly to Koh Tao, you'll need to fly in to Samui and than take a ferry to Koh Tao.

 

[stiggy]

Sunshine is affiliated with BANS diving if that helps..From my understanding its a pretty cool team working there.(sunshine)

try searching for Bans Koh TAo they are huge.

 

[andshand]

The only way to travel from koh tao to bkk is by train, catch the fast boat from koh tao to chumpon then they will take you to train station in chumpon via a dive shop come bar come restaraunt as conection times are not great (3 hours i think). The train is a sleeper and will get u into bkk in the morning, its great u save on a nights accomodation and get some shut eye. it really is a nice pleasant journey.

The boat times are printed in the free koh tao tourist info booklet that can be found everywhere on koh tao, you want to get the boat that links up to the train leaving in the evening. Cant remeber the times but i did 2 dives in morning then got my bags from guesthouse and went by car to the pier and on and on. you will need to book the train though, do this as soon as u get to koh tao to make sure. there are little travel agency type places everywhere that can do all this for u. Price about 500B for boat 800-1200B for train depending on class. 800 was for second class sleeper which was just fine.

Hope this helps. . .

 

[eagleandy]

You can fly from BKK to Koh Samui and there's a few boats to Ko Tao taking about 2 hours. Flights not cheap though as Bangkok Airways owns the airport and therefore a monopoly on prices...

 

[andshand]

I went to thailand in march 07, i know thailand very well indeed but had never been to koh tao so of we went, we did the plane route via samui then ferry. We misse the afternoon ferry so ended up staying 1 night on samui which bumped the price up plus took a day out of our itinery.
We enjoyed it so much that we went back for our last week only this time went over land. I will shop rough costs below.
My overall advice on diving koh tao is no need to book b4 u get there just take a walk around, make sure u have small numbers 4-6 per instructor and u cant go wrong. Expect to pay7000-9000 for OW cert. great vis, lots of marine life, low current most of the time u will love it, its a great place to start diving!

Travel costs are aprox due to class of cabin on trains and avail and high season on planes:-

Air travel, bkk-samui 6000B-7500B Train, bkk-chumpon 700-1150B 1 way

Ferry, samui- koh tao 500B 1 way Ferry, chumpon- koh tao 500B 1 way

 

[victor]

Bubblegirl
Sunshine Divers Resort | Koh Tao of Thailand
I think this is what you are looking for.
Looks like at least 15+ hours to Bangkok via ferry and sleeper train.

 

[plonske]

You don't find any feedback?
Maybe nobody wont to go there!

 

[Arizona]

Bubble Girl,

I never dived with that outfit on Koh Tao, but don't worry. When you get there check it out, if you don't want to dive with them take a walk. There is a lot of competition on that little island. I would look early upon your arrival because you can buy a discounted rate on diving if you purchase a few together. Are you renting equipment other than tanks & weights? Look at the gear as well. I would dive Chumpon and Sail Rock if you can.

Keep in mind, season for diving right now is on the Andaman side not the Gulf. You may get good days, but the seas can be a bit rough.

The train to BKK may save money, but if time is your issue forget about it! The Sea Tran to Koh Samui takes about 1.5 hours. The airport is very close to Big Buddha Pier.

Check out bangkokair.com.

Once in BKK look for a metered taxis! You will be approached by many, but find the cab stand with the dispatcher. You really have to look, but it should be labeled near the escalators after your leave the baggage claim area. A metered cab into town (Sukhumvit area) should be in the 200-300 baht range with tolls. Knowing this you will soon realize why people that live in BKK despise the cabs in Samui. Good luck getting them to put the meter on while on Samui.

Good luck,

AZ

 

[bubblegirl1976]

Hi - thanks everyone for your feedbacks and your opinions! Not to mention the price listings and the advise on the cabs down there - very handy to know. Apparently the dive club that I belong to has already taken care of all the booking and the transportation from BKK to Koh Tao. I only have to take care of myself if I decide to visit a few days on my own in BKK. In anyones experience, hows travelling in BKK for a single woman? Any adivse?