Baan Talay Resort & Yoga in Koh Tao Island

I do NOT recommend this place. It ruined my vacation. I was not informed about the construction next to my bungalow. The room was directly facing it, with constant noise and a strong unpleasant smell, making it impossible to stay or relax. When I politely raised the issue and simply asked to be moved to a quieter room further away, the response was completely disproportionate. They tried to offer me a replacement accommodation in another nearby hotel, but there was no clear availability, and not the standard I paid for. Finally I was told that “management decided” I had to check out by 11 a.m. the next day after unsuccessful “negotiations.” The atmosphere at the resort itself was extremely strange and unsettling, especially for a place advertising itself as a wellness resort. There was absolutely no sense of calm, care, or “yoga/wellness” vibe — quite the opposite. I was treated in a very dismissive and unprofessional way, which made the whole experience even more distressing. In reality, I stayed only a few hours and did not spend a single night there, despite having booked four nights. On top of that, I still have not received a refund. I was told I would need to come in person to collect it, which is unreasonable and unprofessional. They also tried to refund only three nights instead of all four, even though I never stayed at all. Overall, a very disappointing and unprofessional experience. I would strongly avoid this place.

Vacation destroyed — injured, blamed, and thrown out with police involvement

Our stay at Baan Talay Yoga Resort in Koh Tao turned into a nightmare.

Hotel staff encouraged guests to swim and snorkel from their private pier, giving only vague safety instructions. No warning flags, no clear information about dangerous sea conditions. Since the water had not reached the stairs as described, we trusted their advice and went swimming.

The sea was actually extremely rough. My girlfriend cut her foot badly and almost drowned in the waves. We both ended up traumatized and had to go to the hospital for treatment and medication. Our vacation was ruined for days.

And the resort’s reaction after one of their guests almost died?

No empathy. Their main concern was charging us for a lost snorkeling mask.

When we tried to discuss the situation, the owner lectured us like children, saying it was our fault, that this was his hotel, his rules, and since this is Thailand, he could do whatever he wanted including kicking us out. He compared the incident to a coconut falling on someone’s head, basically saying accidents are just nature and not his responsibility.

We were told to return within 30 minutes or our belongings would be put outside. When we arrived, the police were already waiting.

Communication with the police was almost impossible because they did not speak English, and the owner spoke to us in a humiliating, condescending way, asking if we were “babies” and whether someone needed to explain common sense to us about swimming. I explained I know how to swim perfectly well but he wasn’t interested in listening. He only wanted to be right.

He proudly explained how he loves Thailand because there are fewer rules convenient when you don’t want responsibility. Ironically, he regularly vacations in Europe himself, where hotels are expected to take guest safety seriously. Apparently, standards change depending on where you stand.

The hotel then offered us a full refund and suggested two or three other hotels except those hotels were already fully booked. So in reality, they were simply refunding us and pushing us out onto a fully booked island with nowhere to stay. We told them clearly: this was not about money. A refund means nothing if you have nowhere to sleep after being injured. We needed help, not just cash and a goodbye.

So we were simply pushed out with money back but no place to stay on a full island. Money was never the problem we needed help, not eviction.

In the end, injured guests were blamed and expelled while recovering from an accident that happened after following hotel guidance. Completely unprofessional handling of guest safety and customer care.

And just to be clear: refunding us was clearly expected to make this review disappear. But now we’re back in Europe and here, these are our rules. This review stays.