Woodlawn Villas

Woodlawn Villas has a laid back, family-friendly vibe and plenty of space to spread out, but limited facilities. The hotel’s main asset is its cool and shaded tropical grounds, with sprawling grass lawns, tall trees, palms, and manicured greenery. The one facility on offer is a medium-size outdoor swimming pool, which is set within the tropical surroundings and is lined with a large patio deck and lounge chairs. Most guests booking a stay here come for rest, relaxation, and to get away from Koh Tao's buzzing downtown locales and party scenes. Although, many will find the hotel's lack of facilities and guest convenience services underwhelming. 

The hotel is located in the southwest part of the island and is a 10-minute walk from the beach and downtown Chalok Baan, a sleepy tourist town with a few simple restaurants and shops set along a white-sand bay. The trek from the hotel into town winds along a small dirt track, which is fine in the day but at night it's not well lit and is a bit challenging to navigate on foot. The hotel is fairly isolated for guests that don’t drive a motorbike (no car rentals available in Koh Tao) but by bike or taxi (steep prices) the island’s two main tourist hubs, Sairee Beach and Mae Haad Pier, are both accessible within a 15-minute drive. Mae Haad Pier is the island’s central port and a decent place to shop or dine, though Sairee Beach is the best bet for nightlife with a ton of beach clubs and local bars on offer. Both areas also have plenty of moneychangers, ATMs, dive centers, and kiosks offering motorbike rentals and tour services.

Woodlawn Villas offers four different room types, ranging from streamlined rooms and standalone bungalows, to a three-bedroom Family Villa. Superior Room interiors have clean interiors, with sparsely decorated white walls, polished concrete accents, and hardwood furniture and trim. Overall the aesthetic is pleasing and the Superior Rooms we saw during our tour of the hotel were fresh and well maintained. Villas have a high level of privacy and offer open-plan living spaces that include comfy lounge areas and useable kitchens, though they're more dated with noticeable signs of wear and tear.Rooms are outfitted with wood platform beds and quality mattress, vanity dressing tables, furnished balconies, and wardrobes. Standard amenities include air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, free Wi-Fi, safes, empty mini-fridges, plus bottled water. Villa kitchens are equipped with stovetop burners and ovens, full-size refrigerators, and washing sinks.Bathrooms are mostly clean and modern, though they're fairly compact and have minimal counter space. Most include a small rainfall shower cubicle, a standalone washbasin, plus soap and shampoo dispensers. Additional toiletries and hairdryers aren't included in lower-tier room types.

Woodlawn Villas is a small no-frills hotel that offers very little for guests to do, with only an outdoor swimming pool and no other facilities. The property noticeably lacks a restaurant and guests will have to eat all their meals outside of the hotel, including breakfast, unless they want to order takeaway or cook themselves (villas only). The hotel provides a list of takeaway menus from nearby restaurants and guests are given a local cellphone to use during their stay. There also isn’t a lobby or proper reception, just a small check-in booth and staff are only on-hand for limited hours per day. This means that organizing transport, late check-ins, and other requests can be fairly difficult after hours. Extras include free Wi-Fi and on-site parking.