Six Senses Yao Noi

This is definitely one of the most beautiful resorts we have ever visited. The views from the hilltop are stunning, and the jungle-like mountain landscape is just amazing. There are only 51 rooms. Colorful butterflies swarm around, accompanied by hornbill birds swooping down over your private pool. It is a natural paradise! I would give 10 stars for location, scenery, and beauty! But paradise comes with swarms of mosquitoes! You basically get eaten alive. We chose to travel in mid-April because our guidebook and Six Senses told us it was the end of the dry season. So we figured: the season with the fewest mosquitoes. NOT!
 The resort is lush and green—meaning: it probably rains a lot all year = lots of mosquitoes. And the resort is situated right next to a large Mangrove area (swamp). 
I was even bitten by one of the black-and-white tiger mosquitoes (Aedes Albopictus). They bite any time of the day, even in broad sunlight. 
Each table in their three restaurants is equipped with salt, pepper, and mosquito spray. Under each table, mosquito coils are also provided. So the resort does quite a lot to protect guests from these blood-sucking beasts. One big issue though — and a serious warning: The mosquito spray is filled with alcohol. We didn’t know. So we used the spray and walked out into the sun. The alcohol dissolved the sunscreen we were wearing. As a result, our daughter got severely sunburned on her entire face and had to be treated with hydrocortisone. We did reapply sunscreen many times a day, but my daughter’s chemistry teacher later explained that alcohol on the skin keeps dissolving the sunscreen.
Suggestion for Six Senses: Please add a warning to the mosquito spray (“Do not use in direct sunlight”) and provide a full list of ingredients on each bottle. SERVICE at Six Senses Yao Noi 
All the staff are very friendly and polite. We have been to another Six Senses resort five times before and have had four different GEMs (GEM = Guest Experience Maker). Most of the staff at Yao Noi did a really great job. However, the GEM service didn’t work as expected. We’re used to seeing the GEM at least once a day at breakfast (or maybe dinner) to check in. At Yao Noi, we mostly ran into her by accident—on the stairs, on our way to the buffet, or to our room, etc. Most of our contact was via WhatsApp.
 We do like that personal contact and making the best of our stay in collaboration with our GEM. We had an excellent shared boat trip to Phi Phi Island and a free guided tour through the mangroves — both were really great.
 Guide Buss, Captain Bao, Boatsman Mutti, and guide/beach manager Philip all did a great job. FOOD at Six Senses Yao Noi The Hilltop restaurant serves extremely basic food at sky-high prices. The price and quality are so far apart that it’s shocking. Cold seafood pasta, uncooked prawns, and soggy crispbread just aren’t acceptable for a resort of this level.
 Suggestion: Hire a new chef and create a truly gourmet menu. The view is stunning, of course—but you can enjoy that all day. In fact, it’s best at sunrise. The Nithan restaurant serves modern Thai food, which is delicious and more reasonably priced. Compliments to Chef Braden Reardon. Our best dining experience at Six Senses Yao Noi, surprisingly, was buffet night! Wow —the food was delicious and well-prepared. The grilled lobsters were superb. The glazed duck and all the hot dishes were excellent. A truly memorable evening! The main restaurant offers a mix of international and Thai cuisine. The food is good, and the quality and pricing are well balanced. 
Restaurant manager Yaya did an outstanding job — perhaps the person with the strongest Six Senses spirit at Yao Noi! Frame and Bank also did a good job. The BEACH
 The sandy beach is nice—the water is not. It’s extremely murky. Fishermen harvest jellyfish right off the coast. When they remove them, small stingy pieces get scattered in the water, causing stings. A warning flag is up most days. Paddle boards and kayaks are free. The ARRIVAL Service Probably the poorest arrival service ever offered by a luxury resort. “Pay more money or sit on a non-existent bench in the arrival hall for four hours.” Don’t greet your guests in the arrival hall if you don’t plan to provide any service that reflects the resort’s standards. ICE CREAM
 Six Senses resorts are often loved by children for their free ice cream. At Yao Noi, there were only 12 flavors. If the quality of those 12 had been excellent, that would’ve been fine. But sadly, the quality was pretty terrible. The texture was “floury” and not creamy at all. It resembled wet sand when your sandcastle falls apart.
 Suggestion: Hire a Sicilian ice cream chef to train your staff and invest in proper ice cream-making equipment. Also, create a welcoming ice cream parlor with chairs and tables where guests can gather and enjoy themselves. Consider transforming the bar area next to the reception into a large ice cream parlor—no one seems to use that bar anyway. THE ROOM (Villa No. 22) 
The room had the classic Six Senses decor and was absolutely stunning. It was large, spacious, with multiple showers and a huge bathroom. Even though the villas are built very close to each other along the mountainside, they feel extremely private and well-designed. Housekeeping was also good.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the view. It was nowhere near what was promised for an Ocean Pool Villa, according to the website photos. The Spa 
We all had massage treatments. The therapists were very skilled, but they didn’t speak any English, which made communication quite difficult. There are no showers at the spa, so when you leave, your clothes get stained by the Tiger Balm or oils used during the treatment. The free yoga sessions were great, but unfortunately overcrowded. The yoga platform is beautiful with an excellent view, but the experience was disturbed by music and noise from the gym below. Summary 
All in all, a mixed experience. It’s too expensive for what you actually get — but the location alone still makes it somewhat recommendable. Read less

There truly are not adequate words to express the amazing experience of staying at Six Senses Yao Noi! It is literally like stepping into a paradise dream!! The tranquility and stunning beauty of the property and your accommodations transcends you . It’s stepping into a fantasy. We spent 5 days here and from our airport arrival to departure every person we encountered was intent on making our stay perfect.The Thai culture and Buddhist serenity colors every day. Our Gem( butler) Must was an absolute treasure. We loved talking and learning from her and she made every day perfect. Anticipating our every need. Also special thanks to Miquel, Five, Pim, Gook, Boi, Frame, Pirawat, Ju, Fast and Chef Martin. The food , drinks and menu here couldn’t have been any better. We often shy from all inclusives because of the food quality and offerings- but it was wonderful here! A delicious feast every day. Make sure and do a private boat trip! We did the James Bond Island excursion and Man and Mim delivered a day we will remember forever. There are not words to describe the beauty of the turquoise Andaman Sea with its gum drop mountains rising out of the oceans!!!!! I visualize it every day!! You should treat yourself to a stay here- it is worth every penny and is absolute paradise. Read less

Just finished a 9 days stay at Six Senses Yao Noi, and it was ok. But not more. Just ok. Which is dissapointing given the expectations we had from from previous Six Senses stays. But in more detail: Staff: 9/10 points Its Thailand, the attitude of the staff, the friendliness, the attention to detail is second to none. Nearly every staff member performs a good job and does the best to make you feel welcome. The food: 5/10 points Amazing breakfast, good service and selection. From local to western, from Japanese to Thai. Fresh fruit, healthy and also yummy selections. Actually the only reason for the 5 points. The rest of the offering gets boring very fast. Its ok tasty (except the pork belly mentioned in other reviews) but overpriced (100 USD for an in room dining steak, that even I can cook better). Good Thai, ok Western selection but prices that do not justify the quality and delivery. Dont get me wrong, its a remote location with higher production cost. But one should deliver better taste and presentation. Counts for all 3 main restaurants and in room dining. View from the Hilltop however is spectatcular. The rooms: 3/10 points Very tired if not to say old. A renovation is overdue and there is a slow decend into shabiness all around. Our friends in the neighbouring villa had the remainders of the toilet coming up in the shower, not very tasty. It was fixed, but the experience doesnt justify the room rate. It feels like every Dollar or Thai Baht is currently pressed out of the business with average service in return. The SPA: 20/10 points Just like the rest of the property, the SPA doesn´t look new, it also feels tired. But the treatments are out of this world. While expensive, they are worth every penny. Unlike the food or rooms. The property/island 10/10 If you are looking for a tropical paradise and dont care about run down rooms or average food, this is your place. Amazing vegetation and well maintained. In summary: If you want to stay 2-3 nights while hopping the Thai islands, if you dont care about value for money on rooms quality or food, this is a good place to stay. I feel ever since Six Senses was taken over by Intercontinental it went downhill. The old magic is gone. Sad ! So, in a nutshell and I said it before, if you charge Four Feasons prices you better deliver a Four Seasons experience and not a Holiday Inn one. And please, for the sake of this app and people reading your response. Avoid any AI generated response like “happy you like this and that, we will address the downside of your stay”. Do something about this average experience you provide. Read less

My trip to six Senses @ Yao Noi was a great unmatched experience if you looking for a relaxing and quite top tear vacation. The resort management started follow up with with me regarding my arrival weeks before my arrival date. They wanted to make sure my trip from the Airport to the Marina and subsequently the boat trip to the Islad are all scheduled and planned correctly. Vanessa Acierto, Reservations Department, was following correctly to ensure all my planned, pick up, site visits, restaurants preference and tours are explained, planned, and reserved. Then on the day we arrived at the resort, a well experienced staff; Ganesh Sharma, was assigned to support us during our entire stay at Six Senses. He done a great job facilitating our stay and give us the best experience. No talking about the resort, I strongly recommend it if you need to have a relaxing and healthy vacation. It starts from the morning by visiting the resort farm to pickup your fresh eggs, mushrooms ( for the omelet ) and herbs. The restaurant will be happy to prepare your eggs based on your ingredients. The resort has two more restaurants; Nithan (Authentic Thai Cuisine) make sure not to miss. The food was phenomenal. I wish if I can go back again for their green curry and soft shell crab. Also the Hilltop restaurant and Bar the views and food were great. Very romantic. The private sandy beach with eady access and deep blue water at the resort was another great relaxing experience. The bar tender Rachan Jaras was extremely helpful in explaining the drinks herbs used from the garden and how it is used to prepare the local drinks. Not to forget the resort give the residents bicycles if they like to visit the close by villages. This experience was great and we had a chance to experience the local markets and sport activities. In summary it was a great experience if want to do again and again. Thank you all whom I mentioned and whom didn't have their names. Keep up the quality rich service 👌 Read less