Paradise KohYao

Very beautiful place. Lovely surroundings and perfect see shore. Staff is very nice, especially waitress Smile was super friendly and helpful. During a highly recommendable boat trip (mangrove kayaking, tropical fisch snorkeling and animal spotting) we were guided by Anis, a super tour guide, with lost of experience and humor. Also the massage by Wa & Da was great. Thank you so much! We really enjoyed our stay and relaxed a lot. Read less

To start off with the obvious, this place is gorgeous. The setting is idyllic, lush and tropical set on a lovely little bay with a beautiful beach. As you come around the headland on the boat across from the marina in Phuket it is enough to take your breath away. It takes a little bit for you to realise that something is not quite right.... and there it is, a jack hammer. Multiple jack hammers, endless heavy machinery. All day, every day. Not quite the peacefulness described. You double check the website, no mention of ongoing heavy building work anywhere, nor in any emails with the resort. Just lots of descriptions of how their remote location affords guests peaceful seclusion in a tropical paradise. Recent reveiws do not reflect this which is interesting as apparently it has been going for a few months and is certainly the main topic of conversation amongst guests. It starts at around 9 each morning and goes til around 5:30- 6pm. As they're also renovating buildings near the main restaurant it makes for very long, very noisy days. When staff are asked why there is nothing to indicate that there is building work taking place on their website, as most places do in these situations, you are told that the owner won't allow it. So instead the poor staff on the ground are left to deal with unhappy guests who instead of finding themselves relaxing in tranquility spend their days trying to make themselves heard over the constant intrusive noise of heavy construction. It's a real disappointment. There are a few other things that should be noted. General upkeep needs greater attention, 'rustic' will only get you so far. Many of the double shaded sun lounges look very tired and uninviting, the outdoor activities area needs smartening up so it looks less like an area for furniture overflow storage. The sun lounge cushions are in a terrible state and need washing at the very least, as do many of the seat cushions in the restaurant. The pool isn't huge but it's lovely, unfortunately it's also missing many patches of tiles giving it an air of neglect and a safety risk as those areas catch on your feet. Breakfast could do with more attention and variety. More fresh local fruit such as bananas, mango etc, more cereal options maybe? There are many good things about the resort... the accommodation is lovely, comfortable and well maintained. The staff are friendly and helpful. The day spa is fabulous -or would be if you weren't having your treatment next to the incessant grinding of some machine or another. The grounds are beautiful and once the noise of the building work finishes for the day it really is so nice to sit and watch the hornbills, listening to the music of the surrounding rainforest. The laundry service has been excellent and when our bathroom /outdoor shower sliding door was sticking it was fixed almost immediately. I would love to come back one day, I truly would, but it would definitely be on the proviso that all major works were complete as it does have such an impact on staying in this magical part of the world. Read less

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