Hotels near Khlong Son Beach, Koh Yao Yai

My partner and I stayed at Koh Yao Yao Village for 3 nights during our travels around Thailand. The hotel is set within lush tropical grounds and has been designed to connect with nature. Whilst the hotel is quite remote, we hired a moped from a place at the end of the hotel drive for 250thb/day which made the island easily accessible. We stayed in a Deluxe Villa which was huge and we couldn’t quite believe this was the lowest standard accommodation on offer. The villa has a spacious outdoor area with loungers, a day bed, and chair, all of which were great for chilling out during the evening. Other aspects we loved about the room was being able to listen to nature whilst using the outdoor shower. The main pool is large and well designed, offering outstanding views across Thale Ko Yao towards Krabi. There is a swim up bar which offers a selection of drinks/cocktails however the service here was on the slower side. Breakfast was generally good, offering a wide variety of both local and international options. We also ate in the main restaurant for dinner on two nights where we found the food to be ok. A few reasons why I’ve rated this hotel 4/5: 1 - whilst I think the design of the hotel is timeless, some areas are starting to show their age e.g. AC not working on one night (took 3 calls to reception to resolve), bathroom sink plug not working. 2 - The music around the main pool/restaurant started to frustrate us after a day, I feel for people staying here for any longer. It appears the playlist/CD has about 8 songs and these repeat all day and evening. 3 - all food and drinks are subject to a mandatory service charge so the price you see on the menu isn’t the price you pay. I wouldn’t have an issue with this in a restaurant setting or if the service was outstanding however it wasn’t. On top of this, you are then also asked if you’d like to leave a tip (on top of service charge) when you settle each bill.

According to Google the Thiwson Beach Resort is a 4 star resort, by definition this means it needs to offer a deluxe guest experience with a wide range of facilities, superior design qualities and excellent service. Based on this definition I felt it fell short of the mark and is a 3 star hotel at best, having said that, I absolutely loved it hence the high rating. At the time of writing #kohyaoyai only has a handful of resorts and guesthouses to choose from, i researched them carefully, my essentials being air conditioning & swimming pool in the mid range price bracket, my wish list being a characterful locally owned property on a beach. With the @thiwsonbeach I struck gold. This unpolished gem offered everything on my wish list plus more. Owned by a local family, three generations of whom regularly join the guests for dinner in the open air restaurant which serves very tasty reasonable priced Thai food and great chicken nuggets to the delight of my toddler (albeit they were out of fries for the duration of our stay!). Beside this are the beachfront huts are in prime position with their own outdoor jacuzzi, it’s no wonder they book up so far in advance. There are facilities on site to hire scooters or book tours to explore the island and two lovely pool areas. I was initially disappointed with the hilltop location of our own bungalow which are actually across the road from the others, but the quiet semi private pool area in front of our large veranda anf the sunrise view through the frangipani trees buckled my reservations. Our family suite was made up of 2 interconnecting rooms, including an extra bed charge charge & 3% credit card levy cost us €150 per night. The resort isn’t perfect, there are holes in the concrete (my little girl took a nasty fall in one) & bugs in the rooms (to the delight of my 9 year old boy), there is no room service and while there is sand the sea is separated from the resort with a concrete flood barrier & is extremely tidal so not ideal for swimming but for me character trumps perfection every time so I would return again in a heartbeat💖

We stayed in the Penthouse and it is truly a lovely hotel. The rooms are spacious and the Penthouse also has access to a private Jacuzzi on the top floor which has great views. Staff are extremely helpful. They also have their own scooters to rent which is a huge bonus. Lovely pools available and the beach front drinks relax area on the beach sand is wonderful. We only ate breakfast which was fine. I would definitely stay there again.

We booked a Ctrip package and stayed for 4 nights during the rainy season, which almost included the hotel. There were very few guests. The experience was great. 3-4 nights is enough, and it would be boring if we stayed longer. Transportation 4 points: slightly inconvenient, after all, it is on an outlying island, and there are only 4 boat trips a day. Fortunately, we connected with the flight. If the flight was delayed, we might have to wait for a long time. Environment and facilities 5 points: newly opened in 22 years, the basic room is 90 square meters, medium size, and the hotel is not far away. The sea water is not very blue, it belongs to the mudflat type, there are local ghost crabs, the waves are very small, you can go to tread water, and the beach has different forms according to the tide, which is a bit interesting. Surroundings 3 points: Eating in the surrounding area, except for the CHILL CHILL restaurant 1.3 kilometers away, you can call the boss lady for free pick-up. If you want to go to other places, you need to rent a motorcycle. Otherwise, you can eat at the hotel. The buffet restaurant is not open in the off-season. The beach restrant tastes very good, but the price is a bit expensive. It would be best if there is a discount on dining. Service 5 points: Really warm, they greet you from the bottom of their hearts when they see you. Our English is average, but they are not tired of communicating with you. When negotiating the breakfast issue, the manager directly exempted the 4-year-old child from 4 nights of breakfast, which was a surprise. Activity facilities 4 points: There are not many activities, the kids club closes at 18:00, and there are almost no activities at night. I hope this will be improved. Finally, I would like to praise Ctrip. Due to the inconsistency between the catering content of the package and the hotel, they gave a 10% discount on the room rate after communication, and the handling result is satisfactory.

Such a lovely place, such a lovely face! Can see amazing sunrise from the terrace, nice garden, private beach, terrific services, hospitable owner, wonderful 3 days spent there. Will come back again! PS: the hotel owner provides car pickup and delivery services, they make sure your boat has arrived before they leave the dock.

Definitely great place to stay for a few nights. Amazing views and beautiful design in local style makes this place really unique for travelers and good time spending . Breakfast is amazing supported with Thai music 🎶

Overall a good stay. Feels like it’s one of the best on the island. If you’re looking for a really quiet town with lots of sun and relaxation, this is it. Resort food leaves something to be desired. There is much better (and cheaper) food up the road within a few steps. Cleanliness is on par with the what I’ve seen elsewhere in Thailand. Would go back!

This hotel is on Changdao Island. The hotel has a beautiful swimming pool, beautiful rooms, delicious breakfast, and there is a beach in front of the hotel. The seawater quality is good and there are no waves, making it suitable for families and children to swim in the sea. The sea water is much better than the beach in Sanya. The route to the island is from Chengdu to Phuket Airport. Take a taxi from the airport to Bang Rong Pier, and then buy a ferry ticket at the pier for 300 baht per person to the Grand Island Pier. Currently, there are separate express boats for Big Changdao and Little Changdao. Show your hotel order to the staff so that you won’t get the wrong seat. There are also special ferries, which are the same as Hainan ferries that can carry cars. They are said to be cheap but slow. This requires consulting the hotel. You can also take a taxi to Bangrong Pier in Phuket Town. Didn't ask about public transportation. There are few people on the island, and even fewer Chinese.

I reserved two beautiful sea-facing rooms with the resort but due to some personal crisis, I wasn't able to continue with the booking. The management was immensely kind and understanding with the entire cancellation process despite of the consequence it had on their future bookings. They were prompt with their response as well as professional with their behavior. The resort management also initiated a detailed personalized survey with me to understand service/product demands that customers can potentially have to help them perform even better. This additional detail really made me realize how sensitive and welcoming the staff is to their customer's needs. On the basis of their service and conduct alone, I would definitely recommend everyone to chose this resort for their next trip!