Find hotels in Koh Yao Yai

The hotel offers a really unique experience with great views and secluded atmosphere. The rooms are generously sized with beautiful ocean views (in most cases). The staff are exceptionally attentive and there to cater for all your needs. The private beach had none to a few people at any one time and it always felt very secluded. The remote location of the hotel, means that it is a little difficult to get to. You can get a hotel transfer from the airport for 1250 Baht/person or arrange your own transport (ferry from Bang Rong Pier - 120 Baht/person + a taxi from pier in Koh Yao Yai to the hotel = 600 Baht). It takes 1h for the hotel transfer and longer for the alternative one. I would recommend staying on the Phuket island for at least 2 days prior or after staying in Santhiya to take advantage of a wider choice of activities (e.g. elephant tours, tiger kingdom, chalong wat temple, big buddha, etc.). You can get tour boats from the hotel to the surrounding islands. These are about 3000+ Baht/person. However, tours are cancelled is there are less than 6 guests booked in. There are also other places along the beach that offer boat tours for cheaper fares. The food is ok but overpriced. There are some more authentic restaurants on the beach which are cheaper. Because Santhiya is built on hills the resort is not ideal for those with reduced mobility. Pretty much fine for all else (there were quite a few families with small children and they seemed fine). The hotel is really quiet at night but can get a bit noisy during the early morning hours due to fishing boats. Suggestions: -better quality of breakfast (fresher bread, riper fruit, a pancake/crepe bar?) -more variety of food offered -more authentic Thai food -longer breakfast hours -please don’t cancel boat tours -free drinking water Overall we feel like Santhiya offers good value for money and a magical experience in the beautiful tropics of Thailand.

Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao No are very very quiet islands. They are not attached to each other but close, and this hotel on Koh Yao Yai has beautiful grounds with mostly European tourists who all seem to value quiet. During our 5 day stay even babies and small children were very quiet compared to USA kids. Most rooms have a pool or outside jacuzzi sized pool option attached to the room. The hotel has a large clean pool just off the beach, a workout room, massage at the pool area, restaurant on the beach for all 3 meals. You can get beer and alcohol at this resort but if you want to have your own, you need to bring it before arriving on this island, island is mostly Muslim, Both men and women drive and women are not in Burka just head covers, everyone seems friendly and welcoming. Not much to do outside hotel. If you rent a scooter you will just see undeveloped nature, a few local areas, few restaurants, local night market, that's about it. But there are a few restaurants down the road from the hotel you can walk to. The hotel can also arrange for you to rent kayaks or do a snorkel, diving trip to PhiPhi or elsewhere. I prefer to spend my time in the resort. My daily routine: Breakfast on the beach, enjoy the completely clean ocean water and sand, then lunch at my room at my outside pool area, later to the the large hotel pool, then dinner at ocean front to see the sunset. Very relaxed day. The staff are all lovely, helpful people. Sunset is so pretty every night. Hotel food is very very good. Most rooms you can enjoy the sunset from your room or come down to the large beach or restaurant area to watch it. You can order drinks and food to be served inside or outside at the restaurant , at the beach, pool or your room. Rooms are very nice, feel spacious, clean, inviting. If you can afford it, book the best room at the top, huge pool area and pretty private, but all rooms are nice. Hotel manager (her name is Gay) is just lovely, welcoming and very helpful. All of the

Upon our arrival at the hotel we received a lovely welcome drink and the lady checked us in very quickly. We then made our way to the bungalows, they were lovely, very clean, a lot of space and the best thing, they all have an amazing view of the beach no matter which bungalow you are in! The pool is stunning and looks over the beach, just so relaxing! Whilst at the pool we ordered some food and cocktails, both of which were fantastic! Koh Yao Yai is very quiet and unspoiled, it is perfect! It is very easy to get to Koh Yao Noi by long tail boat and very cheap, which is a bit more built up, but still perfect. Whilst there we went to Mina's Thai cookery school, which is highly recommended, we also got scooters and went around the island, finding a remote beach with only us (4 of us there). It really was bliss! The staff throughout our stay at Betterview were fantastic. One of our friends fell off her scooter whilst on the island (not badly hurt!), when we returned to Betterview the staff bandaged her up and went out of their way to help her. We wouldn't hesitate in recommending Betterview.

We (couple) stayed at Koh Yao Yai for one week with our 9 month old daughter. It was exactly what we wanted and more. The hotel grounds are beautiful and very well kept. We had a Sea View room and not only was the view stellar, it was the perfect size for us. I spent a lot of time researching hotels with two room options and I was really happy that we decided to go with the Sea View for the reason of our baby - we could put her to sleep in the main bedroom, while we stayed up later in the living room. Also, our area was very quiet, with bungalows being far enough apart so that we never had to worry about potentially keeping others awake if our baby cried at night. I was happy with the Sea View as even though it was farther from the beach and amenities, we had the best view and a good breeze. We spent a lot of time in both pools, which were quiet enough to not have to worry about the baby being splashed too much (we brought a little raft for her). The restaurants were fine, though yes expensive (this is a luxury resort), but we tried to go outside the area to eat in other restaurants to see the island a bit. I think what really made our stay was the wonderful staff and lovely people we met during our trip. The staff were always very friendly and were especially attentive to our daughter, which was greatly appreciated. We met a few other couples with children, and without, which made the experience seem more like a village as there was always someone to have a chat with and share recommendations. To be honest, most people do seem to stay for 1-3 days and avoid talking to strangers at all costs, so if you're into that, Koh Yao Yai village would probably be as enjoyable for you as it was to us! I think people mention there isn't much to do, but I wished we stayed for longer. There are school tours, lots of remote beaches to find, the hike up to the lookout point (underwhelming), pla ching chang, delicious street food, visits to other islands... We tried to do one

The resort has a nice pool now! We were told it was completed just few days ago. Anyway, a nice plus. The bungalows feel new. All the basic facilities included, like aircon, fridge, kettle, even minibar with snacks. Room cleaning when requested. Wifi was only stable in restaurant, however. The breakfast is generous, with swedish table on those days with more people. Heaven's staff are helpful and nice. Brought us a motorbike from the village when all of their's were rented out. The beach is so-so, but swimmable at high tide. There is nice wilder beach a few steps away. Speedboats for Phuket depart from the pier right beside the resort. The best way to explore the island is on motorbike, of course. All in all, we had a very relaxing week on Koh Yao Yai. Would return next time.

I fell in love with the photos of this hotel/resort when I saw them online, and knew i had to have that room with the private pool (when it says "sea view pool access", it means your own pool--in case you're wondering) and oustide see-through bathtub with jets. The room, pool, tub and hotel live up to the photos and expectations. And the view of the ocean with its big and little islands everywhere is spectacular, especially when taking a bubblebath at sunset! Food in the hotel is great and there's a lot to choose from, which is good because you're not really going to find any nearby restaurants to venture out to. The main drawback to staying here was not the hotel's fault, it's just that there isn't much to do on Koh Yao Yai. We thought of going fishing, but the rental company charges 3000THB for their equipment. Thought of renting a motorbike, but if you're not a nature lover (sorry, not my thing though the island is lovely) you're not going to "discover" much riding around the island. The nearby village is literally a village with little shacks and buildings where you can buy essentials but little else. The hotel has cable tv but is limited to mostly Thai stuff (even the English movies are mostly dubbed in Thai), and they could benefit greatly from subscribing to the Fox Movies channel we had in our other hotels throughout Thailand. When you feel isolated, good movies can make a huge difference! By the way, don't be intimidated by catching the boat from Phuket or Krabi--it's not too difficult. Way pricier from Krabi, but a beautiful ride through the islands. Like i said, if you're looking for a quiet, low-key place to get away from the hectic city, this is your dream come true. Just be prepared to entertain yourselves. Bring playing cards!

this resort is on the other side of koh yao yai. its not very big,you can see the sea beach from your room. the beach is not developped , so you can enjoy the sunshine alone. the room is very clean. the only thing not perfect but very exiting made for us is the tuk-tuk that picks us everytime from the klong hia pier to the resort.the handsome manager and the nice guy who are responsible for this service always try their best to make it faster and faster,you can see all the original life of the inhabitants along the way.thats amazing experience! public wifi is better rather than in our room. gecko lizard can been seen around the ceiling outside the room at time of sunset till the night. other guests in the resort they also enjoy the swimming pool, the beach, the banana boat and the food of the resort. if you wanna be far away from those over-developped areas and have a vacation on this original island, doing readings, swimming, eating ,boating,sunshining ,bicycling,and you will be smiling all the time！^^

Don't expect much and this will be perfect for you. The basic bamboo hits with openair bathroom have a feel of camping but with a mosquito net and a fan which make it perfect. We had a plugged shower and a leaking roof and night but they fixed it right away when we mentioned it and even offered us to switch rooms. The beach is not really worth mentioning. It has a great view but the beach itself is not pretty. They are still improving the property and building things so this place has potential to become quite good. Definitely rent a scooter and explore the island though!! The owners don't speak much English and barely understood us. The breakdast is included and ok, however our eggs were not cooked thourghly sometimes. There are two restaurants across the street and the owner has also a Restaurant on the property

Absolutely fantastic property. Such a unique find. if you are staying in Koh Yao Yai, stay here. The owner is what sets this place apart. He is great. He doesn't have a brilliant grasp of English, but this doesn't matter in the slightest. He is a very helpful and kind man. In the first 20 minutes of entering, he had hooked us up with a motorbike, given us a coconut each to try, and showed us the room The rooms are really well put together and are very comfortable. I seriously recommend the free breakfast. 10/10.

The White House is located at a heavenly withe and beautiful beach next to the southern pier of Ko Yao Yai. Although we booked one of the smaller and simpler bungalows they offered us a more comodious and comfortable one.There are cute little palm huts where you can have a seat as well as tables at the beach and some deckchairs. Breakfast is tasty and included in the price but the other meals are relativly expensive. Wifi was available 24 hours but didn't really work in the room. Motorbikes can be rent for 300 Baht per day.

I would highly recommend Esmeralda View Resort for anyone who plan to spend a few days at Koh Yao Yai. The island itself is quite small and you can reach any place here within 20 minutes ride on scooter that you can rent at Esmeralda View Resort. It was great that we were met by the host at the pier and we didn't have to look for a taxi. The hotel is just great! Bungalows are very cozy and clean - we had the one with fan and didn't feel like it could be better. The host is very friendly and willing to help with any request. Food served at the resort's restaurant was delicious and we regretted trying some fish on the beach after we tasted grilled fish at Esmeralda.

Pros: clean room, daily cleaning quiet location Cons: very unfriendly host-owner-no answer reg arrival and transportation to hotel,we were not welcomed,we were not greeted when met, overpriced-you pay 500 bht for breakfast from total price 1500bht/day and breakfast is totally not worth it(1 egg, few pieces of fruit,2 toast, margarine and jam) overpriced restaurant-you pay in the restaurant next door almost half price for the same host-owner totally ignored guests who are not dining in her restaurant-ridiculous beach - walking 15 min away septic water from village flows into creek and creek in Loh Paret beach Loh Paret beach-althought best beach in Koh Yao Yoi-very murky wather, nobody swimms here, lot of boats-cca 25-dangerous to swimm,everybody is doing daytrips,because of murky water Loh Paret beach- Jellyfish in the water!!!!-but only one very small sign on the beach!!!!!!!!! Boat daytrips in Koh Yao Yai-overpriced-half price of the same boat trip from Koh Yao Noi