Paradise KohYao

Our 3-night stay at Paradise Koh Yao was the perfect way to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. We had an absolutely amazing time and would return again in a heartbeat (if it weren't for the +24-hour travel time from the Pacific Northwest!). We had started our stay in Thailand in Phuket and using Koh Yao's transfer service was a no-brainer. They arranged for a van to pick us up at our hotel (we were the only passengers) and drive us to the marina where we had a brief wait for the speedboat to the resort. Everything went smoothly, as did our return transfer, this time to Krabi where a van again took us to our next hotel. We were just thrilled with our Seaview Plunge Pool Deluxe Studio which looked just like the pictures on the website. Hanging out in our plunge pool while we watched the horn bills fly by was an absolute highlight of our entire trip. These rooms are absolutely perfect for couples. Our room 262 was at the edge of the property but not too far up the hill. The hill is quite steep with many steps so keep that in mind. Even being among the lowest on the hill got daunting going up and down the steps for every meal and excursion. I've included a picture of the resort map that was provided with our key. I feel like room 262 was definitely the best out of all of them for both privacy and ease of access. We signed up for the Thai cooking class and really enjoyed our time spent with Chef Aeed. The class was so much fun and was set up directly on the beach so a gorgeous view to go along with the delicious food! We were the only ones participating that day and she was great in teaching us the basics of Thai cooking and had a great sense of humor as we fumbled our way through it. :) We also very much enjoyed our Island Hopping excursion with Jacket. Although we didn't sign up for a private tour, we ended up getting one since we were the only ones who had signed up. It was an absolutely amazing day, filled with exploring many gorgeous limestone islands, swimming in private lagoons that we had all to ourselves, and a picnic lunch on the beach. Jacket made our day memorable and was so kind and fun to be around. We really enjoyed spending the day with him! Another thing to mention is that I had arranged for a private dinner on the beach in advance to surprise my husband for his birthday. It was only about $50USD for this and I was blown away by the set up. We had our own private table away from the restaurant right on the beach and as close to the surf as you could get, draped in sheer gauze and bows, surrounded by tiki torches and candles with a fresh bouquet on the table and even a little mini birthday cake at the end of dinner! It far exceeded my expectations. It looked like something from an episode of The Bachelor! My husband absolutely loved it and the staff were very careful in making sure it remained a surprise, which was appreciated. I suppose my only wish is that Paradise Koh Yao was an adults-only resort (or at least for ages 12+) because I felt like the only thing that kind of detracted from our stay were the little kids running around screaming and jumping/splashing in the main pool and getting all over the breakfast buffet items. One of the parents mentioned to me that they were disappointed because there wasn't much for their kids to do there. Having this be an adults-only honeymoon style resort, which is how it is advertised to be already, would make it absolutely perfect. I could go on and on about our stay and how friendly the staff were, how good the food was (including room service!), and the fun happy hour drinks every night, but that has been covered in other reviews. My husband already wants to come back and stay for a week next time. If only it were closer to us, we would probably make Paradise Koh Yao an annual birthday trip. Read less

If you're looking for a peaceful getaway, surrounded by nature, where you can truly disconnect and spend time with yourself — Paradise Koh Yao is the place to be. Let your mind drift with the sound of nature, just sitting and listening to the waves. It's the perfect kind of healing. We stayed here for just one night, but it left such a great impression that we already want to come back. The resort is located in a private bay, only accessible by boat. The beach is clean, the sea is crystal clear with a light emerald tint, and the water is calm and shallow — perfect for a relaxing swim. The room was super spacious and clean, with peaceful views in every direction. Ours came with a private pool and waterfall — we loved it so much we barely wanted to leave the room! Just a tip: bring along some snacks or personal items you might need, since there's nowhere to shop on the island. All in all, this place is perfect for anyone who truly wants to relax. You won’t be disappointed! Read less

Wow. We were 3 couples staying at the resort and we all loved every minute of it. The resort is quite isolated but the pickup we organised with the resort was seamless and very professional. They picked us up on time in Phuket and had us to the harbor to catch the resort speed boat with no problems. Highly recommended. The rooms were clean, good views to the beach, very central and very comfortable with everything working as it should. The staff were were all very friendly and easy to deal with and we thought prices for food and massages (with a low season discount) were very reasonable. Food was very good. Unfortunately, the advertised free cocktails we received with our booking turned out to be a choice of 2 only - which seems like real penny pinching but that was our biggest criticism. There was a range of activities at varying prices for those who wanted to keep busy. The resort is set in a nature reserve on a lovely bay beach with good swimming at high tide, swaying palm trees and the backdrop of greenery makes you feel very isolated and special. The pool was also excellent with plenty of sun lounges for tired bodies. If you are looking for a very good resort to relax at, to unwind, to read and to just enjoy peace, this could be for you. Highly recommended. Read less

This resort is the perfect blend of remote luxury. You are about a hour away from civilization, on the edge of a nature preserve, but still get high-speed Internet, gourmet and organic food, and deluxe accommodations. Can’t say enough good things about our island hopping excursion with Anis. We showed up to the excursion activities desk to find out what excursions we might be able to schedule during our stay, and were offered a private sightseeing / snorkeling trip with him the same day, outside of their normal operating schedule, just to accommodate our desires. He took us anywhere and everywhere we wanted to go, took the most memorable photos of us to look back on, 10 out of 10, wouldn’t change a thing. 🩷🩷🩷 Read less