The island of Yao Noi is a world away from the built up tourism of Phuket, just 35 minutes away by speedboat. Small beachside restaurants, a friendly fishing community and an interior of rice fields, palm trees and rubber plantations give the island a charmingly laid-back, unspoilt vibe.
On the east coast is stunning Koyao, a rustic-chic, back-to-nature resort that is encircled by exotic greenery and run by staff so calm and kind that you’ll feel instantly relaxed. The 15 open-sided villas are situated seconds from the beach. Inside they are large and luxurious, with beautiful rattan four-poster beds and plenty of space for families. Meanwhile, 10 luxe tented villas with private pools set up on the hillside occupy the perfect spot for couples to cocoon.
The stylish aquamarine infinity swimming pool and the powder-soft beach strung with hammocks mean that there are innumerable opportunities to soak up one of the best views in Thailand. If the moment takes you, cycle to a local batik community, pick your own coconut in the plantations or get up close to the extraordinary marine panorama with a longtail trip to discover islands inhabited by monkeys and lizards, where you can swim through caves and stumble upon deserted coves perfect for moonlit picnics.
Highs
- The intimate, friendly feel and the ever-smiling staff
- Thai scenery of your dreams, with sensational panoramas of craggy limestone karsts in the Phang Nga archipelago
- Comfort and space for everyone, from the open-sided family beach villas to couples-only hillside luxury tents with pools
- Magical evening walks through lantern-lit gardens to enjoy the seafood platter at the excellent restaurant
- The spirit of generosity: kayaks, bikes and snorkelling equipment are free to borrow
Lows
- A bit of a journey from Phuket or Krabi airport (30-40 mins by taxi and then a boat ride), but that's half the fun
- The spa is not particularly lavish or well-equipped but treatment prices are reasonable
- Due to currents, the sea’s visibility can vary, and some days it’s quite cloudy
- Mosquitos can be pervasive, but the resort puts great effort into keeping them at bay. Bring plenty of repellent and cover up in the evenings
Best time to go
High season is from November to May, with Yao Noi experiencing its dry season between January and April. Monsoon season occurs mainly between June and November. Bird watching is all-year, while October to April is the best for diving. Thai holidays are also celebrated, such as the Songkran water festival in April and Loy Kratong in November.
Our top tips
Rising early to see the sunrise over the limestone karsts of the Phang Nga is nothing short of magical - watch the golden sun appear through the crags and set the sky alight with purples and blues.
Our guests' ratings...
Based on 3 independent reviews from i-escape guests
Really liked Kelvin the manager, he was very young but so conscientious and helpful. He really added to the feeling of being personally welcomed. I think the resort might benefit from using a bit of space to maybe put in a pool table for rainy days when there's not much to do. As we visited in rainy season, unfortunately there were plastic bottles and general rubbish washed onto the beach. The resort itself was very clean.
All the staff while possessing limited English were excellent and tried their hardest to help us. The excursions organised by the hotel were excellent and made a real effort to get us to islands before the tourist rush. We also really liked the fact that they employed so many locals in the hotel as well as for the excursions.
The i-escape description is spot on. It’s a perfect place to relax and unwind. Come here for peace and quiet and enjoy nature! We saw loads of hornbills, Thai kingfishers and enormous monitor lizards. Sun rises are stunning here... The room was lovely - Thai style open sala at the front which is lovely for lounging during the day. We deliberated about booking the larger villa and were very pleased that we did. Some more hooks would be useful as there is very limited place for clothes. They are extremely accommodating with food. Whilst there were lots of lovely vegetarian options on the menu, they were very open to specific requests. Highly recommend the lychee martinis! The hotel takes a lot of trouble to help with the mosquitos, regularly providing coils in the rooms and in the restaurant, and providing a good spray deterrent. Staff try very hard and in the restaurant service is good. There was some confusion regarding transfer (but it was all resolved). We went here to do very little (and that’s what we did). We did take a private long tail to our next stay on Krabi and it’s definitely taking a boat trip for perspective of the area and islands. We had hoped to go to Six Senses (next door) for lunch one day but were told they wouldn’t accept bookings from ‘outside’ which was disappointing.
Feedback is only from guests who have booked and stayed through i-escape