Koh Yao Noi

Hi All,

Can anyone advise me on this Island??

Are there villages where we can buy food and drink?

Are there many restaurants outside the resorts?

We are thinking of spening 3 to 5 nights here over December 2009 and January 2010.

Hard to find much information on any thing other than resorts and bungalows, just want an idea of what else to expect.

Can you hire long tails to do day trips etc?

Cheers! K

Koh Yao Noi

Nothing??? Need some wisdom!

Koh Yao Noi

Hi MelbourneKimberley,

We%26#39;re just back from Thailand and spent 5 nights on Yao Noi (amongs other places).

If your looking for a beautiful, unspoilt by tourism island, then this is it............... We%26#39;ve had previous holidays in Thailand and this time needed a place to %26#39;get away from everything%26#39; and simply chill out for a few days with family. It was fantastic and suited us perfectly.

We stayed at Koh Yao Beach Bungalows (recommended to us by a family friend who has stayed there before) which are on the south east coast of the island, on a beautiful beach facing the offshore islands. There are only 10 bungalows (some newer than others, with a few having hot %26amp; cold running water), situated in lovely gardens. Small restaurant (with extensive menu - everything we ate was excellent %26amp; very cheap) and bar. They also have internet facilities and bike/scooter rental.

Boats for trips and excursions (and there%26#39;s plenty to choose from) can be easily hired. We spent one of our days across in Krabi and it cost us next to nothing. The main %26#39;town%26#39; on Yao Noi has plenty of facilties and shops for anything you might need. There%26#39;s a 7/11, banking, lots of food and clothes stalls, chemist/doctor - even a hospital.

We were a family of 9, ranging in ages from 12 - 78 and we all had a brilliant time and would not hesitate in returning. It%26#39;s not the place to go if your looking for evening entertainment - that revolves around the restaurants and small bars/resorts on the island - but, if your happy doing nothing more than chilling out, taking life at a slow pace, eating delicous food, swimming/snorkelling, taking boat trips and seeing everyday life for the locals (without the tourism) then this is most certainly the place to go.

If you want any more info just ask away. I have a couple of very reliable contacts on the island who can arrange boat transfers and day trips should you wish.

Mak

K...........Best website for information on the island is www.kohyaotravel.com . Our beach bungalows are featured here and the photo%26#39;s are all very realistic.

Enjoy.

Mak

Excellent, thanks Mak!

I have fallen in love with the place just from what information I have managed to find.

We are going to spend a few nights in Patong and then we just want to escape and relax, get away from the hustle and bustle so I think this Island sounds perfect.

I will be sure to ask if I have any questions!

Cheers, K

Mak,

Checked out your bungalows - very nice!

How long is the walk to the town / village?

Thanks - K

It%26#39;s a good half hour walk into the town from Yao Beach Bungalows so we hired a scooter (拢3 p/day for a new model) for the duration of our stay just to give us the extra freedom to come and go as we pleased. Great way to explore the island too. There is plenty of other accommodation on the island, however, we had a good scout about whilst there and these bungalows are most definitely on the best beach with views to die for. The owners of the resort were very helpful and spoke very good English - as I said before we would have no hesitation in returning.

The newer bungalows have hot/cold showers with tiled floors throughout, whereas the older bungalows have wooden floors with only cold water showers. All the rooms are of very good size with very comfy (clean) beds, mozzie net and all the bungalows have a large porch/seating area with 2 x deckchairs. Complementary bottled water is replenished on a daily basis.

We arranged our island transfer and boat trips whilst there through a Scottish girl who lives and works on the island (has done for a few years now). She and her Thai husband run a boat rental/trips/excursion business and are very reliable. I have her email address if you want to get in touch with her for any additional information.

I%26#39;m now getting withdrawl symptoms..............

Mak

Hi there kimberley,

My name is Kitty, im from scotland and i have been living here on koh yao noi.....with my thai husband for the last 2 years, 8 years total in thailand.

The island is very beautifull with a alot of things to offer and i can garantee you will enjoy it for atleast 3 to 5 nights..ranging from fishing villages, grazing bufallows on rice paddy fields...rubber tree plantations ...ect ect

The islands beaches are tidal, so therefor in low tide it is difficult to swim and they are also many beaches that are rocky.....

However there are some very nice sandy beaches tooo...so dont be put off .....

There are lots of little local restaurants outside the resorts and a small town with local food stalls and even a 7 11 shop......atm and bank....

There are plenty of bungalows on the island ranging from 400bt a night to 60,000 bt a night where the prince of thailand is currently staying....

We have a small sea kayaking company for those who want to explore the many surrounding islands , camping on remote beaches is only 2 hrs paddling away...or we have our own lontail boat for many different boat trips .... which is a must in this area of phang nga bay....

Hope this helps a little...and if i can be of any more help , please dont hesitate to get intouch with me on my email address.... kittynorrie@hotmail.com

look forward to heariing from you soon.

kitty

Hi Kitty,

Glad to see you%26#39;ve got the computor up and running again.

Thanks again to you and Zak for all your help with organising the accommodation, transfers and boat trips. As you know, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on Yao Noi - especially our trip to Krabi! It%26#39;s the most beautiful place I%26#39;ve ever seen.

Hope business is good for you in 2009........ I can%26#39;t imagine a better place to stay (if you%26#39;re looking for somewhere untouched by commercial tourism) and have already started saving for a return visit.

Take Care

Mak

Thankyou Kitty,

I will be in touch! I am very excited about coming to visit you all over there!

We just want a place to relax. swim, read, see the community and take it all in.....and we seem to have found it!

Will be in touch!

Cheers, Kim :)

Hello Kimberley.... Me and my boyfriend are going to Yao Noi next week because we have heard so many good things about it and so will add a post when we get back to let you know how it is. Wanted to also ask Mak who seems to be a true expert of the island if she or you have ever heard of a place called Dan%26#39;s Retreat? I have done alot of online digging and found almost nothing. It looks great from the website but would love to hear from someone who knows. Also have you heard about which beaches are best? thanks a lot. L