We’ve enjoyed staying at Hutcha, although we haven’t spent that much time actually on the site. The pool is fantastic with a small pool-within-a-pool which doubles as a jacuzzi and children’s area while the remainder is a good size for swimming. The restaurant has partial views of the beach and sea beyond and offers a good value menu. The gardens are well tended and bungalows are very attractive and in excellent condition. Just don’t get one at the far end of the site which is close to the main road and noisy as a consequence.
The Sumui Pier Beach Resort is not a patch on the Hutcha but is convenient for the airport and the ferry terminal. So we are here for convenience only. The room is small, the bathroom tiny and the drains smell. There is a small pool, an over-priced restaurant all set in well-kept gardens overlooking the beach and two wooden piers from which ferries run to Koh Pha Ngan half-an-hour’s ride away. The pier for Koh Tao is less than a kilometre further round the bay and the ferry company provides a free pick-up service
We’ve been tracking the boy’s progress on line and their flights have been on time so far, so we are expecting them to arrive around 10.30pm. We are relaxing with a drink on a bamboo platform in the garden when they arrive and after settling into their room (and lots of grumbles about no air conditioning) we make our way to a local bar for drinks and pool.
Tomorrow we head for Koh Tao on the 1.30pm ferry (changed at the last minute from the 8am sailing as the boys wanted more time to catch up on sleep after their 17 hour flight).