Barney Travel Technologies

I don’t even know where to start with this hotel, so pre warning – this is going to be a long post. I have been privileged enough to be able to stay in some absolutely incredible hotels but this… well, this was special. I’ll be surprised if I ever have a room this stunning ever again. It was epic. Amazing. Incredible. Breathtaking. A week I will never forget. If you want a slice of true luxury on your stay in Thailand, then look no further.

Location

The hotel is in one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever stayed. The closest major airports are either Phuket or Krabi, and the hotel is situated on Koh Yao Noi island, around a 45 minute speed boat ride off the coast of each, making it a perfect half way point on an island hopping tour of the Andaman Ocean.

Koh Yao Noi is a quiet island in Phang Nga Bay, characterised by its beautiful beaches, mangroves, rubber plantations and fishing villages. The hotel itself lies nestled in to the hills of the island, with its own private beach and is made up of 50 villas, each with private pools.

The hotel can arrange pick up for you from anywhere in Phuket or Krabi, and transfer you by land and then speedboat direct to the hotel in around 45 minutes. We loved our speedboat transfers – they were actually a highlight of the holiday!

Accommodation

We stayed in a deluxe sea view villa. Set through huge double doors down a path, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Walking through the entrance doors to our villa, there was a huge decking area, with a large seating area to the left – complete with sweeping views out over the ocean – and steps down in front of us to the main deck.

The short flight of steps lead down to the private deck. The deck is equipped with two sun loungers, a table and parasol, a sofa and a huge private pool with utterly stunning views. It’s particularly gorgeous at sunrise and sunset. Incredible.

From the deck is the entrance to the villa itself. To the left is a large and spacious bedroom with a full glass window providing views to the pool and ocean. Waking up to this in the morning was a true pinch myself moment each and every day.

On the right as you enter the villa is a dressing area with wardrobes, dressing table, coffee and tea facilities and a desk, flowing through to the double sink, with toilet and shower on the left, plus an outdoor shower straight ahead. Then comes another stunner – a huge sunken bath with views out over that picture perfect ocean again. Just writing about it makes me want to be back in it, reading my book with a glass of wine. Heaven.

The room was spotlessly clean, utterly stunning and cleaning service was provided once per day, with an additional nightly turn down. Robes and slippers were provided, as well as laundry service (meaning we even went home with no washing – win!). Our ‘villa host’ was Khun Larn and he did an incredible job of looking after our accommodation.

This villa was one of a kind. I’d go back in a heart beat.

Food & Drink

Again there are not enough superlatives to explain the food. On site there are 3 restaurants.

First is a laid back restaurant called The Living Room for Western and Thai cuisine, and this is next to a bar called The Den which serves drinks in sunken lounge beds amongst lotus ponds. The Living Room is where breakfast is served. No normal hotel buffet here that’s for sure. There’s a noodle station, a Thai station, a Crepe/Waffle/Pancake station, an egg station, a doughnut station, a full deli serving everything form quiches to salami, a bakery preparing home made croissants and breads, and an entire fruit bar with shelves of different granolas and whole trays of different fruit, juices and yoghurts. Madness.

Second is The Dining Room, serving authentic Thai food only. The third and final restaurant is The Hilltop with honestly the most epic views out over Phang Nga Bay from the bar and beyond (this is also home to the resort’s epic infinity pool which you can visit to suit you).

In villa food is also available via an extensive menu, and all the food we ate for lunch and dinner was absolutely delicious – our favourites were the green curry and the Khao Pad. We gorged ourselves on Thai food and didn’t regret it for a second! Just thinking about it again is making me drool.

But now to the insanely special part. Not only can you eat in the hotel, you can eat on your own island (Nok Island), within Phang Nga Bay. My husband surprised me with a longtail boat to pick us up and take us for an island BBQ where our own chef cooked us chicken, lamb and prawn skewers, plus barbequed lobster, as we watched the sunset. A truly treasured memory. You can read my post on Nok Island HERE.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the already mentioned Infinity Pool, the hotel offers so much by way of amenities so I’ll start with my favourite – the spa. Offering a ridiculously huge menu with every treatment imaginable, it’s a total sanctuary. I had a deep tissue massage and felt like a new woman after it. It’s also set in the rainforest so we combined it with a rainforest walk where we spotted a beautiful hornbill and multiple water lizards.

The hotel also has its own private beach, as well as access to a deserted public beach. Both were stunning and we happily spent a day lounging on the sand enjoying the sunshine.

In addition, the hotel offers kayaks to paddle out to the mangroves, tennis courts, and a farm to pick your own fruit, vegetables and herbs and bring to the chef to cook. There is also daily yoga on offer, plus classes for cooking, soap making, insect repellant formulating, Muay Thai classes, sound relaxation and body scrubs. I’m exhausted thinking about it all.

Away from the hotel, a number of excursions are also offered. As the hotel is located in Phang Nga Bay, there are numerous boat trips to the other islands including the local ones around the hotel, the Phi Phi islands and James Bond island. You can read about my trip to James Bond Island HERE.

There are also excursions around Koh Yao Noi to visit rubber farms, local markets and cycling around the islands. Bikes are free to rent, and a guide to go with you (if you want) costs a small fee, otherwise they provide you with a map to go. There are also opportunities to give back to the local community by working on beach clean ups, working with the hotel on the conservation for the local hornbill birds and lots more.

Finally, one of my favourite small features of the hotel was its app enabling you to order room service, buggy transport, towels, suncream, basically anything you need 24/7, and a direct line to your own GEM (Guest Experience Manager). Our wonderful GEM, Khun Q, was always on hand for whatever we needed!

Our 6 nights weren’t enough – you’ll need at least a month to get it all in!

So what do you think of Six Senses Yao Noi? For me this was the best hotel room we’ve ever had, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in going. I still dream about sitting on my sun terrace in the private pool today – the happiest of memories.