Six Senses Yao Noi - Luxury in the midst of nature

Six Senses Yao Noi is situated on the small paradise island of Koh Yao Noi in the province of Phang Nga, Thailand, just 45 minutes from Phuket and 55 minutes from Krabi by speedboat. Although located between these two main tourist destinations, Koh Yao Noi has remained undeveloped which makes Six Senses Yao Noi perfect for anyone wanting to disconnect from daily life.

Sitting back and relaxing on the speedboat taking in the most spectacular seascape of Phang Nga Bay was a great way to start the final few days of our holiday. As we approached Koh Yao Noi we could see the thatched roofs of Six Senses on the hillside, blending in with its tropical landscape.

We were met by our Guest Experience Maker who drove us around this tropical island resort in a golf buggy for orientation. This eco-resort has a herb garden, mushroom huts and a small farm with goats, chickens, and ducks. Guests are encouraged to collect their eggs and mushrooms for breakfast – the chef made us the best omelettes ever with the eggs and mushrooms we collected!

Our Guest Experience Maker was on hand throughout our stay to attend to our every need, nothing was too much to ensure that we had a magical experience.

We stayed in a Hideaway Pool Villa which was surrounded by tropical greenery. The villa has floor to ceiling windows in the main living area and bathroom, so we were able to take in our private piece of paradise. The villa is very spacious both inside and outside. All villas and suites have an outdoor shower, an infinity pool, a large terrace, and a Sala and all have amazing views, either a romantic forest or a view of the dramatic bay.

As we had hoped, everything about this resort was perfect. The service throughout the resort and the food and beverages at both the Living Room and the Hilltop restaurants were superb. The Den bar was a great place to enjoy a sundowner on one of the many comfy sofas, bean bags or suspended day beds, the view is truly mesmerizing. Whilst the pool at the Hilltop was the place to be to watch the sunrise over the limestone karats, a not to be missed experience!

After watching the sunrise on our first morning I headed off for an early morning yoga session surrounded by nature (yoga is not my husband’s thing), with a serene calmness I was ready to start the day. We set off on our private longtail boat to some of the islands of Phang Nga Bay including the James Bond Island. The natural wonders of Phang Nga Bay are truly jaw-dropping and as it is a bay, the waters are always calm.

Thailand was still very quiet during our visit due to COVID-19, this was good for us as not only were there only a handful of people at the James Bond Island instead of the hordes of tourists that visited every day pre-COVID-19 but there were also only a small number of boats on the bay. Our longtail boat glided from island to island taking us to several caves, one we crawled and waded through water before it opened to mangroves, with monkeys and hundreds of crabs and mudskippers. We clambered over rocks to enter a cave to reveal one of the most stunning lagoons surrounded by immense cliffs, our longtail boat was small enough to enter low caves and land on the beach, one of these was a bat cave filled with ‘lots’ of bats hanging from the stalactites. We stops at secluded beaches where we cooled off with a swim. This was another amazing experience for us during this visit to Thailand.

We couldn’t stay at the Six Senses without a visit to the spa. Just walking toward the spa is a relaxing experience. The spa menu is extensive, it includes mother and daughter as well as father and son treatments. You can even create your oils and scrubs in the Alchemy Bar. We entered our beautiful spacious treatment room with its private garden with a calming waterfall - sheer paradise!

There are so many things to do and enjoy at Six Senses, not only can you enjoy the two beaches at the resort, but you can also stay fit with a Thai Boxing class or enjoy a movie night on the beach after the sunsets. The resort offers many other tours including a tour around the island of Koa Yao Noi by bicycle or tuk-tuk, cooking classes, and kayaking in the mangroves to name a few.

Six Senses is not just for couples, this is a great resort for solo travellers, groups of friends and families. Children are well catered for and this is a perfect place for them to learn about sustainability first-hand.

Oh, almost forgot, they have an ice cream parlour which offers free homemade ice-creams throughout the day...!

Definitely, a holiday to be remembered.