Hot spot: The Paradise Koh Yao, Thailand
With cool bottles of water in hand and the wind whipping our
sweaty coifs dry, Krabi receded into the haze and the small island of
Koh Yao Noi loomed into view; 40 minutes speeding across Phang Nga Bay,
amongst an array of karsts, is all it takes to reach the quiet sands of
The Paradise Koh Yao hotel.
If you are seeking a tropical getaway sans traffic, bright lights,
other accommodations, shops and the clamour that comes with most tourist
drags; then The Paradise is ideal. The resort rests in the far north
east of the island smack bang in the middle of a 400m stretch of private
beach, surrounded by rainforest and backed by remarkable limestone
cliffs.
Throttling down alongside the pier, we were met by resort staff bearing
cold, scented facecloths and a golf buggy to transport our bulky
luggage across the beach and into the resort's forested interior.
The Paradise consists of 70 rooms, restaurants, a beach bar, spa huts, a
library and more but with palms, flowering shrubs and the tallest of
trees interlaced throughout the grounds - it feels very private. We
could wander and not necessarily come across other guests until
connecting with the beachfront.
By the time we had finished checking in, late breakfast goers were
picking out favourite recliners and cushioned hammocks, in which to
essentially stay put for the remainder of the day. We, on the other
hand, turned the key to our thatched room, adjusted the air-conditioning
and fell asleep.
Late afternoon saw us barefoot at the 'al fresco' beach restaurant with
plates of Pad Thai. The tide recedes drastically at this time of day
and families with their youngsters can be seen mud-skipping in search of
creatures and flotsam left behind by the sea.
The scenery here is a winner. The curved beach is framed by cliffs and
the horizon is dotted with uninhabited islands, the white wake of long
tail boats and the odd canoeist. Long stretches of sand calls to amblers
and with diminishing waters folk can be seen working up the courage to
round the small headlands to discover what lies beyond.
Road conditions on the island deteriorate rapidly in heavy rains and
it's recommended that holidaymakers move around by boat or motorbike
rather than car. So, The Paradise offers a daily boat transfer to the
main hub - Noi Kong Village - allowing guests to see a little more than
the pages of their books and ocean scenery.
You can explore rubber plantations, tiny villages and other uninhabited
beaches and coves for the most part of a day before the boat returns to
The Paradise.
My partner Hansie and I had come, though, to lie in a warm breeze
within quiet surrounds, away from any form of crowd, with books,
thoughts and the company of each other. We had only to walk a few paces,
behind where we reclined, to float in a dark blue pool or to sit on a
palm stump with a coconut drink to hand. And when the going got just too
tough, chatty bar staff were more than happy to deliver drinks, bar
snacks and all sorts to our particular palm tree address.
As the sun dipped low in the sky and our world blushed, we joined a small throng of others drinking cocktails on the beach. Cicadas
grew in number and volume, flying squirrels took to the air and guests
peeled themselves out of hammocks to freshen up before dinner.
The hour or so we sat facing the sea was consumed with discussions on
how to find 'down time' like this in our normal lives. After a number of
scrummy canapés and batting the breeze with resort staff, Hansie and I
realised our normal London lives would never have a touch of this. We
would just have to move to a tropical island!
Sadly we only had just over 24 hours in this super corner of Koh Yao
Noi. It was on to Phuket but it was clear to us that this was the
highlight so far and a spot to definitely return to in the future - and
for more than just one night next time.
by Kate Walker