If you're looking for a destination that offers a little bit of everything, from adventure to relaxation, from nature, wild beaches to cheaper luxury, then Koh Yao Yai, a small island in the southwest of Thailand, should definitely be on your wish list. This beautiful island is a paradise for travelers seeking to get away from the busy touristic cities since it’s a lesser visited place that still maintains its roots.
My name is Ines and I am one of the co-founders of Tryp.com, so as you can imagine I love to travel. I would like to invite you to come along on this trip and tell you about my experience on the beautiful island of Koh Yao Yai. These are the reasons why it was a perfect ending for our Thailand trip.
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My boyfriend and I arrived from Phuket on this paradisiac island by boat, which by the way only cost us 10€. We were picked up at the port to be taken to our resort. It was still early in the day and on our way, we could see kids driving by scooter to what could only be assumed by their formal matching outfits was school. Girls and boys as young as 13 were driving alone, which, by our European mentality was a bit of a cultural shock. We soon learned that there was only a single light-trafficked road that goes all the way around the island, which is a relatively small and very safe Buddhist Island.
The local wooden humble fisherman and farmers' houses surrounded by cultivated fields contrasted heavily with the seaside resorts that could be seen along the way. Even after seeing online photos of our stay, we couldn´t help feeling overwhelmed by the location of our resort. There was a private long beach, a calm sea that extended anywhere our eyes could see and incredible surrounding nature.
We were guided by a smiling young lady to a cute romantic cabin, styled with a combination of modern and rustic styles. It had an outdoor hidden shower surrounded by tall trees that gave us all the privacy needed from neighboring houses and at the same time the feeling of blending with the breathtaking nature around us.
After a tour around the place, we decided to skip the infinity pool and the cocktail bar and went straight into the wild, exploring the best of what the island had to offer. On our way to the ocean, we passed thousands of little frightened crabs that hid under the sand as we approached and several starfish that were left behind by the low tide. There were no waves to be seen and we walked for several minutes into the water until it was deep enough for a decent swim. We were amazed. It was the perfect place to relax, and only for 30€/night each, such a bargainWe could have spent all three days on the resort, drinking coconuts by sore, getting the famous Thai massage on the beach or catching a nice tan, but as young travelers, we were eager to visit the rest of the island. We could have gone snorkeling, taken a typical cooking class, gone rock climbing, ziplining or simply wandered by the street markets the possibilities were endless. We settled on going kayaking down a river in the middle of a forest guided by a local that spoke no word of English. It was a pleasant journey that ended in a modest house where the guide lived. He showed us how he planted trees and thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we understood that the planted trees were the source of local rubber production.
On the next day, we decided to explore the island like the locals. Even though none of us ever stepped in a two-wheeled motor vehicle, we decided to rent a scooter. There are many shacks around the island, but we rented from the one that was right at the entrance of our resort. The rental cost us each around 6€ for the rental and around 5€ for a whole day’s worth of gas, and a driving license. It was little for exploring the whole island at our own pace. We visited the iconic Lam Haed Beach, which was probably the most beautiful beach we visited on the whole trip, where we stayed for a nice refreshing coconut and a bit of sun.
After a few hours of driving, with a big boost in confidence, we decided to get off the main road and take a shortcut through a dirt road that would, according to maps, lead us quicker to our final beach destination. It was a bumpy ride and no one to be seen for what seemed an eternity, and with the loss of GPS signal I wondered if it hadn’t been the wrong call. Fortunately, we arrived with only a few minor scratches. Pro tip: stick to the main roads!
On our last day, we woke up very early and had our daily buffet breakfast while watching the sunrise. Only we and a few cooks were to be seen, and the place was so peaceful that I couldn´t stop thinking of how much I would miss such a place. Although I know that there is so much in the world to see, the idea of leaving this wonderfully underdeveloped, stress-free friendly island was weighing on me and I couldn't help but think that if I forget to tell you to visit this beautiful place I would be making you a disservice. Sometimes the most beautiful places are hidden on the small islands a little bit of the path.
