We walked down to the beach to where hubs had hired a traditional long tail boat to take us to our (belated) wedding anniversary meal. It pulled in on the beach and I hoisted my trousers up, took my flip flops off, and waded to the boat.

‘Welcome Khun Hannah’ came the greeting from the ever friendly Thai captain. He was very worried about me climbing the ladder from the water to the boat with shoes in my hand so basically flung himself off the boat to get my shoes.

I boarded with no mishaps, followed by my husband who rolled on elegantly styling it out from a very definite mishap that resulted in a bleeding toe. We sat on the front of the boat, a warm evening breeze in our faces as we jetted out to Nok Island.

Nok Island is a tiny little island in the middle of Phang Nga Bay. It’s a prime sunset watching spot and the scene that greeted us was incredible. A little table, laid up with two beanbags and set for dinner, with lanterns all around, made me smile from ear to ear. There was another table down the beach from ours set up for 2 others as well, and in front of us a row of kayaks – we assumed awaiting a group for a sunset kayak completely separate to our BBQ evening (more on that later).

I was served a delicious Pina Colada as I collapsed in to my beanbag, unsure I’d ever be able to get up again. Hubs settled on a Chang beer. We were served bread and salad by our waiter, Khun Nook, as the light started drawing in and the beach stretched out in front of us.

The other table down the beach pulled in and set up on their beanbags. It was an American couple and within 2 minutes we heard the man’s booming voice screaming as he ran across the beach – ‘will you move your kayaks, they’re right in our way’. He was careering across to the row of aforementioned empty kayaks and a terrified looking Thai local guide.

The guide replied with a firm no, and in response Mr Angry American (let’s call him Mr AA) started dragging the kayaks up the beach shouting ‘well you either help me move them or I’ll drag them myself’. I mean for goodness sake, this island is a public island and the sunset isn’t owned by anyone. I wanted nothing more than to storm over and tell Mr AA to get his head out of his *rse.

My husband and I couldn’t help but laugh, it was ludicrous. The waiter was very embarrassed (he was serving both of the BBQ tables) and the moment Mr AA had moved all the kayaks, 3 boats pulled up full of tourists. My husband and I were in hysterics imagining what Mr AA was going to do to them. Perhaps he’d push them back in to the sea, wrestle them to the ground, who knows.

I was delighted when around 25 people went and stood right in front of Mr AA and his partner, who was now complaining about the sand in her shoes…not sure what she expected on a beach. We were having a lovely time our side with no-one in sight.

Eventually the group, of course, dragged the kayaks down the beach, got in to them and paddled out, leaving only us, Mr AA and his partner, a waiter and a chef on the island. We were served delicious BBQ chicken, lamb and prawn skewers as we watched Team Kayak sail out and get smaller against the ever falling sun. Mr AA had now calmed down as well thankfully, but I imagined absolutely hated having us giggling away down the beach.

After the skewers, we were served BBQ lobster with a jacket potato. A step up from my lunch time staple at home of a jacket potato with cheese and beans. At this point the sun was lowering and overhead we looked up to see hundreds of bats flying off the island. It was really quite special and a sight to behold.

As night set in, we finished up with some fresh fruit (and another Pina Colada and Chang beer), chatting away. I think when you’ve been married for a while conversation can become routine (how was your day, what’s for dinner, how’s your back) so it was nice to have 3 hours of conversation in to the night which we haven’t done for a really long time.

As we rode the longtail boat back in the dark, I reflected that I hope I never become a tourist like Mr AA, and hope to always see the world through excited eyes seeking new experiences, connections and cultures with patience and kindness. Thailand is a beautiful country, full of amazing people, and I am truly grateful to look back on this experience with warmth, happiness and memories for life.

This post concludes my Thailand series from my visit to Phuket. You can read more posts or re-cap HERE if you’re interested.

Stay safe and happy travelling everyone!

Where is Phang Nga Bay and how to get there?

Phang Nga Bay lies in the Andaman Ocean, between two major Thai cities – Phuket and Krabi. It is accessible from both places on day tours which can be booked as group tours via the normal tour providers, or solo boat and captain hire. Booking a group tour is the cheaper option (around £50-60pp), but a solo boat provides flexibility and privacy (cost around £175-£200). Travelling to the bay takes around 1-2hrs depending on boat choice (a speedboat obviously takes less time).

Luckily for us, we stayed in Phang Nga Bay itself, at the wonderful Six Senses Yao Noi. This meant the Bay was on our doorstep, and because it is made up of 42 islands, it meant we could see a bit more than just the main highlights.

We booked a private traditional longtail boat for the day which docked at our hotel beach to pick us up. I never imagined how beautiful this day would be and I am so grateful to be able to have experiences like this.

What to see in Phang Nga Bay

Mangrove Cave

Our first stop of the day was at a deserted beach, off of which is an incredible cave which you can walk through (with water up to waist height), until it opens up in to an epically beautiful open circle of white sand, surrounded by sheer cliff faces open to the sky, with mangroves growing in the middle. Photos can’t do it justice, I felt like I was in Tomb Raider. We had the entire thing completely to ourselves.

James Bond Island

My only ‘must see’ to the captain was James Bond Island, also known as Khao Phing Kan, made famous by the film The Man with the Golden Gun. This was the only stop that wasn’t deserted but as we beat all the day trips we still managed to get there before anyone had started swimming in the water or pretending to be Halle Berry!

Koh Panyee

At this point we were peckish so we decided to stop for lunch. We pulled in to an incredible village, all on stilts above the water and had the most delicious traditional Thai Food in one of the restaurants. The village is entirely Muslim so in respect I put my jumper on (I was already in a long dress covering my knees) – though later whole boat loads of tourists rocked up walking round in thong bikinis and moaning they couldn’t buy alcohol so I’m sure it didn’t matter too much and locals are used to it.

Koh Roi

We pulled in here, this time because I said I was hot and the captain suggested I swim immediately. It was another spot we had to ourselves, until a small group of 4 turned up with a picnic.

Koh Kudu

Our next stop was my favourite of the day – the absolutely incredible Koh Kudu. Deserted, with the most perfect white sand imaginable, it was just heaven. We lay out a mat and had some bubbly. I had to sit and pinch myself as I just couldn’t believe it was real!

Sandbank Beach

Our final stop of the day was because I exclaimed how beautiful a sand drift was, so the captain docked on Sandbank Beach, on the island of Koh Yao Yai. We walked along it, completely on our own and loving every second.

After a 30 minute stroll, we were pretty overheated and didn’t have any more exploration in us (8 hours of 30 degree+ heat, climbing on and off boats, crawling through caves, wading in water, swimming and walking on sand in a nice dress meant I was a sticky hot mess), so the captain took us back to our hotel where we collapsed exhausted but so happy.

What a wonderful day. This area of the world is incredible and I feel so lucky to have seen so much of it completely to ourselves. I’m sure if I’d been on one of the big tours (up to 50-100 people per boat) it wouldn’t have been the same, so I really do recommend a private boat if you have a full day and budget to do it. This is an experience that will stay with me forever, and one of the best holiday days I’ve ever had. I hope the pictures did it some justice – stay safe and happy travelling!

Location

The hotel is in one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever stayed. The closest major airports are either Phuket or Krabi, and the hotel is situated on Koh Yao Noi island, around a 45 minute speed boat ride off the coast of each, making it a perfect half way point on an island hopping tour of the Andaman Ocean.

Koh Yao Noi is a quiet island in Phang Nga Bay, characterised by its beautiful beaches, mangroves, rubber plantations and fishing villages. The hotel itself lies nestled in to the hills of the island, with its own private beach and is made up of 50 villas, each with private pools.

The hotel can arrange pick up for you from anywhere in Phuket or Krabi, and transfer you by land and then speedboat direct to the hotel in around 45 minutes. We loved our speedboat transfers – they were actually a highlight of the holiday!

Accommodation

We stayed in a deluxe sea view villa. Set through huge double doors down a path, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Walking through the entrance doors to our villa, there was a huge decking area, with a large seating area to the left – complete with sweeping views out over the ocean – and steps down in front of us to the main deck.

The short flight of steps lead down to the private deck. The deck is equipped with two sun loungers, a table and parasol, a sofa and a huge private pool with utterly stunning views. It’s particularly gorgeous at sunrise and sunset. Incredible.

From the deck is the entrance to the villa itself. To the left is a large and spacious bedroom with a full glass window providing views to the pool and ocean. Waking up to this in the morning was a true pinch myself moment each and every day.

On the right as you enter the villa is a dressing area with wardrobes, dressing table, coffee and tea facilities and a desk, flowing through to the double sink, with toilet and shower on the left, plus an outdoor shower straight ahead. Then comes another stunner – a huge sunken bath with views out over that picture perfect ocean again. Just writing about it makes me want to be back in it, reading my book with a glass of wine. Heaven.

The room was spotlessly clean, utterly stunning and cleaning service was provided once per day, with an additional nightly turn down. Robes and slippers were provided, as well as laundry service (meaning we even went home with no washing – win!). Our ‘villa host’ was Khun Larn and he did an incredible job of looking after our accommodation.

This villa was one of a kind. I’d go back in a heart beat.

Food & Drink

Again there are not enough superlatives to explain the food. On site there are 3 restaurants.

First is a laid back restaurant called The Living Room for Western and Thai cuisine, and this is next to a bar called The Den which serves drinks in sunken lounge beds amongst lotus ponds. The Living Room is where breakfast is served. No normal hotel buffet here that’s for sure. There’s a noodle station, a Thai station, a Crepe/Waffle/Pancake station, an egg station, a doughnut station, a full deli serving everything form quiches to salami, a bakery preparing home made croissants and breads, and an entire fruit bar with shelves of different granolas and whole trays of different fruit, juices and yoghurts. Madness.

Second is The Dining Room, serving authentic Thai food only. The third and final restaurant is The Hilltop with honestly the most epic views out over Phang Nga Bay from the bar and beyond (this is also home to the resort’s epic infinity pool which you can visit to suit you).

In villa food is also available via an extensive menu, and all the food we ate for lunch and dinner was absolutely delicious – our favourites were the green curry and the Khao Pad. We gorged ourselves on Thai food and didn’t regret it for a second! Just thinking about it again is making me drool.

But now to the insanely special part. Not only can you eat in the hotel, you can eat on your own island (Nok Island), within Phang Nga Bay. My husband surprised me with a longtail boat to pick us up and take us for an island BBQ where our own chef cooked us chicken, lamb and prawn skewers, plus barbequed lobster, as we watched the sunset. A truly treasured memory. You can read my post on Nok Island HERE.

Amenities & Experiences

Aside from the already mentioned Infinity Pool, the hotel offers so much by way of amenities so I’ll start with my favourite – the spa. Offering a ridiculously huge menu with every treatment imaginable, it’s a total sanctuary. I had a deep tissue massage and felt like a new woman after it. It’s also set in the rainforest so we combined it with a rainforest walk where we spotted a beautiful hornbill and multiple water lizards.

The hotel also has its own private beach, as well as access to a deserted public beach. Both were stunning and we happily spent a day lounging on the sand enjoying the sunshine.

In addition, the hotel offers kayaks to paddle out to the mangroves, tennis courts, and a farm to pick your own fruit, vegetables and herbs and bring to the chef to cook. There is also daily yoga on offer, plus classes for cooking, soap making, insect repellant formulating, Muay Thai classes, sound relaxation and body scrubs. I’m exhausted thinking about it all.

Away from the hotel, a number of excursions are also offered. As the hotel is located in Phang Nga Bay, there are numerous boat trips to the other islands including the local ones around the hotel, the Phi Phi islands and James Bond island. You can read about my trip to James Bond Island HERE.

There are also excursions around Koh Yao Noi to visit rubber farms, local markets and cycling around the islands. Bikes are free to rent, and a guide to go with you (if you want) costs a small fee, otherwise they provide you with a map to go. There are also opportunities to give back to the local community by working on beach clean ups, working with the hotel on the conservation for the local hornbill birds and lots more.

Finally, one of my favourite small features of the hotel was its app enabling you to order room service, buggy transport, towels, suncream, basically anything you need 24/7, and a direct line to your own GEM (Guest Experience Manager). Our wonderful GEM, Khun Q, was always on hand for whatever we needed!

Our 6 nights weren’t enough – you’ll need at least a month to get it all in!

So what do you think of Six Senses Yao Noi? For me this was the best hotel room we’ve ever had, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in going. I still dream about sitting on my sun terrace in the private pool today – the happiest of memories.

However, seeing the elephants in the best way was a dilemma for me. I felt strongly that I didn’t want to be funding an industry that hurts elephants and wanted to contribute in a more positive and meaningful way. I was shocked by the amount of elephants I saw across Phuket in tiny pens being forced to provide rides to paying tourists, or held in rope or chains at the roadside to be fed one banana for a fee to passers by. I didn’t want to be funding that. So instead, enter Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.

About Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Phuket is home to lots of elephant ‘sanctuaries’ but Phuket Elephant Sanctuary in Pa Klok is the original and offers the most space to the elephants. Founded in 2016, the 30 acre site was founded as a more ethical elephant tourism offering. It houses elderly and disabled elephants, after long lives in the tourism or logging industries.

Many people don’t realise how abusive the tourism industry is to elephants. Elephants in the circus are tortured in to obedience – often starved to keep their size down, forced to perform via pain and blinded by the circus light and sand – it’s truly exploitative for them. Those offering rides to humans also often suffer broken or misshapen backs, as well as broken toes from the weight they are carrying. I was shocked to learn that the elephants who can ‘paint’ are actually pierced with sharp nails in the ears by their handlers to force them to continue painting (hidden from the observer who thinks the handler is just encouraging/supporting the animal and rubbing the ears).

Elephants in the logging industry fare even worse, being chained and forced to carry extremely heavy loads. Most of these elephants have completely scarred or damaged legs, often have irreparable damage to their feet and toes, and significant scarring all over their bodies from whips.

Phuket Elephant Sanctuary takes elephants after decades in these industries and gives them a nice new home. Due to the abuse, these elephants can never be put back in to the wild as they just wouldn’t be able to survive – they’ve literally had their animal instincts knocked out of them. Instead the elephant sanctuary lets them roam, provides plenty of food and water, offers daily medical check ups and monitors elephant health to support recovery/improvement of many injuries.

In short it’s like a nice retirement home for abused elephants. This felt much more of a happy choice for me to visit. That said, it is still a tourist attraction, the owner is still monetising elephants who live in captivity. But visiting funds this life for the elephants, which is much, much better than the alternatives.

A Morning with the Elephants

After debating long and hard, I booked the Morning with the Elephants experience. Phuket Elephant Sanctuary offer hotel pick up and a fancy van turned up to pick us up at 9am. We were transported to the main building to check in. From there, we had to board a vehicle with other guests to take us in to the sanctuary.

On arrival, we were provided with snacks and drinks, plus an introductory video on the history of the site, elephant abuse and the elephants themselves. We were then split in to groups of around 8 (there were 5 groups), and each went off in a different direction.

My Group was a family of 6 and my husband and I. We headed first to feed the elephants. We had to wash our hands to remove the toxins sun-cream, insect repellant etc give us. Elephants are herbivores so you’re given a couple of baskets of fruit each and off you go to feed the elephant. I got to feed the elephant Kannika, who was actually the first elephant at the site in 2016. She was flapping her ears and stealing the fruit, full of cheekiness and I liked her a lot.

After feeding, it was time to hit the walkway, which is an elevated platform above the sanctuary floor where the elephants roam – enabling you to observe them but not get close to them or touch them. Each elephant has a human with it each day, monitoring it’s poop, ensuring it has food, encouraging it to bathe, weighing it, and doing medical checks. The bond between elephant and its human is special, and the human is always close by but never too close. It was nice watching the elephants look for their human and sometimes chatting with them via noises, walking along with flapping ears.

We also saw 2 elephants bathing. They wandered in by themselves, splashed about and walked out again, with their humans only pausing to check they had no sand in their eyes (as both are partially blind) and then moving out of the way again.

Finally, after 2.5hrs walking around, we were provided with a tasty lunch and then transferred back to our hotel.

A few more interesting facts

• Elephants live to be around 80-90 years old. Most elephants at Phuket Elephant Sanctuary are at least 40.
• When an elephant dies here, it is buried with proper burial rituals including monks attending to provide prayers.
• Elephants only sleep about 3 hours per night, and they sleep standing up as they are too inflexible to get down. There are huge mounds of earth around the sanctuary to help the old elephants relax, acting as a bit of a ‘pillow’ to bear (bare? who knows) some of their weight.
• Elephant babies weigh about 100kg when they are born. The sanctuary doesn’t have any babies as it caters for elderly elephants but it hopes one day it may also be able to rescue younger elephants, though they require a different level of care and expertise.
• Elephants can understand and communicate as they are very intelligent. A couple of elephants at the sanctuary come from near the Malaysian border and don’t understand Thai so google translate is used! They communicate with each other, and their humans, via vibrations from the trunk.
• Elephants are naturally sociable. Most have a friendship group and like to sleep close together. Only one elephant at the sanctuary has no friends and has to have a separate bathing area etc. They think she was so badly abused, and likely bullied by other elephants, and won’t trust any human or elephant. She ‘tolerates’ her human at the sanctuary, whereas the other elephants play and have fun with theirs.

So there you have it – what do you think? I really enjoyed visiting Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. My takeaway from my visit is to ask, wherever you’re going, please don’t ride elephants, or visit circuses with them in. And if you’re going to come to Thailand and want to see the elephants, this is a nice way to do it. Thanks for reading – stay safe and happy travelling!

Contents

1. Contents
2. Important Information on Phuket
   1. Time Zone, Language & Currency
   2. Getting Around Phuket
   3. Length of stay needed in Phuket
3. Things to Do in Phuket
   1. North Phuket
      1. Khao Phra Thaeo National Park
      2. Bang Pae Waterfall
      3. Phuket Elephant Sanctuary
   2. Central Phuket
      1. Phuket Old Town
      2. Wat Chalong
      3. Island Hopping Day Trips
      4. Blue Elephant (& Other Food Experiences)
   3. South & West Phuket
      1. Big Buddha
      2. Beaches
      3. Spas & Massages
      4. Nightlife
4. Where to Stay in Phuket
   1. Como Point Yamu
   2. Six Senses Yao Noi

Important Information on Phuket

Time Zone, Language & Currency

The time zone in Thailand is GMT +7hrs. Thai is the national language, but English is widely spoken. Other popular languages across the island include Chinese and Russian. The currency is the Thai Baht and always have cash as many smaller shops and restaurants do not take card.

Getting Around Phuket

Lots of people hire scooters to get around Phuket. Not me. I crash cars often enough, and so a scooter would be a death trap of an idea. Instead we mainly used taxis to get around (the app is called Grab), and they were cheap and easy. There are also local buses that visit most of the main tourist sites. They are also fun to ride on, having no doors or seatbelts as you hurtle around.

Length of stay needed in Phuket

At least 4 days. To do everything in this guide, you need a week. I spent 10 days here but had 3 days of doing absolute sweet nothing.

Things to Do in Phuket

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island, covering an area roughly 50km by 20km. The island is split in to a number of areas and whilst many visitors pick a beach and stick to it, that’s a shame because there is so much more to see and do here. We moved around between hotels giving us a chance to see each side of the island.

North Phuket

Khao Phra Thaeo National Park

Whilst Phuket is known for its beaches, we actually started by visiting the island’s rainforest. Khao Phra Thaeo is the last remaining evergreen rainforest on the island of Phuket, and is around 20km2. There are many trails around the National Park, but we chose to hike the waterfall trail, which was beautiful, if very very hot.

Bang Pae Waterfall

The most famous waterfall in all of Phuket lies within the National Park, so even if you decide not to do the hike (it is heavy going in the heat), then you can visit just to see the waterfalls. It’s the perfect place to take a dip and cool off!

Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Full post: HERE

PES is a 30 acre site that takes in elderly and disabled elephants to give them a final place free of ‘performing’ for tourists or working in the logging industry, which is all too common in Thailand. This is still a tourist attraction (these elephants can’t be put back in the wild as they wouldn’t survive after years of abuse), but the PES doesn’t let you touch the elephants – just walk around and view them, plus feed them. I’d much rather spend my tourist dollars on this than anything exploitative.

Central Phuket

Phuket Old Town

Whilst Phuket’s old town is small, it’s really worth spending at least half a day exploring. The beautiful Sino-Portuguese architecture alone makes it really picturesque for a stroll. Also be sure to take in the art work down Soi Romanee, as well as pay a visit to the Phuket Thaihua Museum to learn about the history of the island.

Wat Chalong

Whilst Phuket has dozens of temples to choose for a visit, Wat Chalong is the most famous. It is dedicated to two monks who led the local citizens in fighting against the Chinese rebellion in 1876, and their knowledge of herbal medicine helped the injured. The site is full of multiple temples, and you must have your shoulders and knees covered, plus remove your shoes, to enter. We spent around 1.5hrs at the site as there is lots to see.

Island Hopping Day Trips

Full post: HERE.

Phuket is close to some of the most beautiful islands in all of Thailand, making it the perfect base from which to explore. From the east coast of the island, you could choose to head in to Phang Nga Bay (the famous home of James Bond Island), the Phi Phi Islands (of Leonardo Dicaprio’s The Beach fame). We chose Phang Nga Bay and explored multiple islands on a day trip there.

Blue Elephant (& Other Food Experiences)

Blue Elephant is one of the most famous restaurants in Phuket. It’s situated in an old colonial mansion, and we visited for lunch one day. The food is out of this world amazing – and the Pina Colada out of a coconut wasn’t bad either.

Phuket central is also the place to eat your way around town. Food tours are a must-do, and the street food is truly delicious. We particularly loved the banana Thai roti. To be honest, I spent most of my 10 days eating and I don’t regret a second of it!

South & West Phuket

Big Buddha

Perhaps the most famous landmark in Phuket, Big Buddha is a must visit. The Buddha sits atop Nakkerd (snake) Hill, and it’s said the snakes protect the Buddha. It’s a steep ride up to the top (and past some really questionable and sad elephant riding and feeding stations) but at the top there’s also some amazing view points as well as the Buddha!

Beaches

West Phuket has some of the islands most famous beaches. Kata is perhaps the most well known, alongside Karon beach which is just next door and Freedom Beach which is its (slightly) quieter neighbour. You could easily spend days relaxing on the beaches, but we decided there were far too many people in this area and actually headed to Banana Beach and Naiyang Beach which were much quieter for the day.

Spas & Massages

There are amazing spas all over Phuket but you can’t come to Thailand and not have a Thai massage. A particularly amazing spa lies on the west coast of the island – Infinite Luxury Spa at Kata Rocks, and lots of the islands also have amazing spas, often in little thatched huts like the one I visited.

Nightlife

The west part of the island is also where you want to be if you’re looking for the best nightlife and partying. Bangla Road is the most famous area for this, but I honestly can’t think of anything worse than surrounding myself with a load of drunk people in bars when I could be having a nice meal and cocktails on a private beach (I’m just too old and boring), so I steered well clear. It’s the only item in this guide which I didn’t visit, and I won’t be rectifying that.

Where to Stay in Phuket

There are so many options all over Phuket to cater to everyone. From hostels to luxury resorts, there’s something to suit everyone’s budget. Generally prices are much cheaper in South East Asia than in Europe/North America meaning more bang for your buck. I was also lucky enough to have a couple of free nights offered to me via Instagram, so we were able to stay 5* all the way, in the following 2 hotels.

Como Point Yamu

Full post: HERE

We first stayed in a beautiful Pool Suite at Como Point Yamu for 4 nights. The hotel was wonderful, and provided good access to the National Parks and animal sanctuaries in the north of the island.

Six Senses Yao Noi

Full post: HERE.

Our second hotel was the Six Senses Yao Noi, where we stayed for 6 nights. It was out of this world AMAZING. I have been lucky enough to stay in many beautiful hotels in my time, but this was something special. I can’t rave about it enough. Situated within Phang Nga Bay, it’s perfectly located for all those island hopping day trips.

If you’re planning a trip to Thailand and this guide has been helpful, you may also want to read:

• Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island
• Phuket Elephant Sanctuary
• A review of Como Point Yamu
• A review of Six Senses Yao Noi
• Nok Island: Sunset BBQ

So what do you think of Phuket? Would you want to visit one day? We had the absolute best time in this perfect little corner of the world and would recommend it to anyone looking for a luxury getaway with lots to do on the doorstep. Hope you enjoyed the tour – stay safe and happy travelling!

In Phuket itself, we stayed at the beautiful Como Point Yamu in the north of the island. A sleek hotel with open plan and sweeping design features it felt super modern and made for the perfect base from which to explore all the area has to offer.

Location

Como Point Yamu is situated in the north of Phuket, on the east coast of the island and around a 30 minute drive from the airport, making it the perfect place as a first stop on a tour of the area.

The north of Phuket offers many attractions, including the incredible Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, Khao Phra Thaeo National Park and Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre.

It’s also easy to access other famous Phuket sites from the hotel, such as the Big Buddha, Phuket Old Town, Phuket’s many beaches and to island hop out to Phang Nga Bay (post coming soon).

Accommodation

The hotel offers many different room types, as well as stand alone villas. We stayed in a Phang Nga Pool Suite with views out across the Andaman Ocean.

The room offered a small kitchen area, large dining area, large living room with a big sofa and a desk, a huge bathroom with a freestanding tub, a nice modern bedroom and a second toilet!

The star of the room though was its beautiful and big private pool overlooking Phang Nga Bay – it was the perfect place to rest and relax after long days out exploring.

The room was spotlessly clean and beautifully appointed, with tea, coffee, chocolates and water provided daily. Rooms are made up once per day with an additional turndown service in the evening, and there was a smart TV in the room, enabling you to cast from your devices, watch Netflix etc.

Food & DRink

The food and drink at the hotel was, honestly, mixed. The breakfast was poor for a 5* hotel in my opinion. Every time we ordered eggs they were completely uncooked in the middle, and the breakfast buffet didn’t offer much variety.

However the main meals for lunch and dinner were delicious. There are two restaurants on site, one a relaxed dining hall serving Western and Thai food, and the other an authentic Thai restaurant. The food in the Thai restaurant was absolutely delicious.

Amenities & Experiences

The hotel offers an absolutely massive swimming pool, split in to three sections – one for families (which you have to have children to use; I know it’s only language and I’m sensitive to it but it always irks me that you have to have children to be considered a family), one for kids only, and one for adults only. The views out are really beautiful and we loved sitting by the pool with cocktails.

Also on site are a number of stunning walkways around the property to enjoy the views out to sea. There’s a large garden, lots of water pools and just large open spaces. Reception also sits out in the open with water features all around. I loved the elegant design.

There is also a spa on site offering a wide range of treatments, and private dinners can be arranged in villa or in a private dining room.

Away from the hotel itself, Como Point Yamu offers a number of excursions, including to Phuket Old Town and out to the islands of Phang Nga Bay. Phang Nga Bay is truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, and whilst I explored it from the next hotel on our trip (not Como Point Yamu), if you don’t have another opportunity to see it, please don’t miss it.

So, what do you think of Como Point Yamu? Do you think it’s a good choice for a stay in Phuket?

I hope you enjoyed the visit – stay safe and happy travelling!