![]() This was right next door-and while still a splurge, our stay was a far cry from the Six Senses rates. I saw the Karst islands of Phang Nga Bay and thought: I want to go there! It occurred to me that there must be some good places nearby with those same views. We’d chosen Ko Yao Island resort for our hotel after I’d spotted some pictures of the views from the legendary Six Senses Yao Noi. The island is small-just over 50 square miles-and a single loop road winds past beach bars and mangroves, past sandy beaches with Phang Nga Bay’s beautiful waters in the background as well as rubber trees, farmers, and water buffalo. We climbed into his taxi-a truckbed, fitted with benches-for the final leg. It was hot and stuffy in the cabin, so Hudson and I snagged the last remaining spots in the bow and let the wind hit our faces as we sped along.Īnd to our relief, there was a man waiting for us at the pier when we arrived. Eventually we climbed aboard a speedboat with many other passengers. Macaque monkeys darted into sight to steal bottles of soda from the trash while we waited, some carrying their clinging young, as the dockmaster occasionally got up to shoo them off. It was helpful to have known in advance the timetable and prices for the crossing to feel like everything was adding up. Getting dropped at Bangrong pier was a bit of an exercise in trust: the driver let us off with our bags and there was a moment when Aron and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows-is this really the right place? I spied a vehicle with the name of our hotel on it and was put at ease, but I think it took Aron a bit longer as different men approached in offer to help with the purchase of our ferry tickets. We did take their offer to have a taxi meet us when the ferry arrived to the island, however. Our hotel, Ko Yao Island Resort, offered to arrange transportation by longtail or by speedboat, but the cost difference would be quite significant. We crossed a bridge onto Phuket and turned off for Bangrong pier, where we’d learned a public ferry would be available to take us to Ko Yao Noi, with frequent departures. One village seemed entirely dedicated to making brooms-we passed hundreds of drying grass bundles by the side of the road. It was a long ride, but I enjoyed seeing parts of the country that weren’t in our guidebooks. Our transfer from Elephant Hills in Khao Sok National Park took us on a nearly three-hour ride south through forests and small villages, both punctuated by towering limestone karsts that would appear to rise out of the horizon. ![]() Ko Yao Noi was the spot, our small island of choice-30 minutes by speedboat from Phuket, in the middle of Phang Nga bay. ![]() After much debate and a lot of Instagram geotag stalking-on account of many discouraging reports of over-crowded islands and reefs, I am happy to report that we found a spot that had that just-right (elusive) mix of castaway fantasy and drinks-when-you-wish. When we’d last visited the country, we’d chosen to head to the other coast-the gulf of Thailand-and to the island of Ko Samui this was our first time on the west coast. We had arranged to fly home from Phuket, and reserved our last two nights there, but hoped to find a quieter island for the majority of our beach days. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While our first 24 hours on Ko Yao Noi were easily the lowest point of the trip (I’ll explain), even that does little to sully the memory of these dreamy islands in the Andaman Sea-and our stay here was ultimately a highlight of the two weeks we spent in Thailand. ![]()
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