Thailand; Sun, Sea and Complete Relaxation
- Martin Maynard
- Mar 8, 2019
- 3 min read
Our stay in Thailand was intentionally planned to give us time to slow down and relax after some hectic travel days in our two previous destinations and, Thailand definitely didn't disappoint from this perspective! From the pristine beaches, stunning islands and crystal clear ocean to the charming people that we met and engaged with, everything we hoped to see and enjoy in Thailand exceeded our expectations.
We stayed at Six Senses Hotel in Yao Noi, which is about a 40 minute speed boat transfer from Phuket, we had chosen this location for its access to James Bond Island, Phi Phi Islands and to see and explore the other fabulous small islands off the coast of Thailand. The Hill Top Reserve Restaurant at our hotel had the most incredible infinity pool view!
Our pictures shown here therefore reflect the boating activity we enjoyed that included a visit to a floating Muslim Village, which even had a floating football pitch! There are few images of our time at our hotel, which mainly involved food and drink :) Our first boat trip stopped at this Sandbank it the middle of the ocean..
Then we got a few shots of James Bond Island;
We stopped briefly to view this beach, which has been closed to the public in an attempt to protect the environment of this beautiful location. Previously the island had been overrun by the hundreds of boat trippers each day.
We had organised a picnic lunch for this day and our Captain found the most enchanting little Bay for us to sit and enjoy our food (and wine!). The water was so warm, you could simply swim for hours and take in the magnificent sights all around you!
Our last stop was to visit a Muslim floating village. This little island was quite a bustling place which boasted a number of recreational activities, a school, Mosque and many food and souvenir shops. Fishing is obviously a major part of day to day life here and the community was very welcoming to the many tourists that stop off here to see how life exists in such a unique location.
Most of our time, in between our two boat trip experiences, were spent enjoying the facilities of our hotel, though we did also tour around the island on a Tuk Tuk as well. The hotel offered superb dining options with food to suit every pallette. As the hotel layout was spread across a large hillside, there were ample buggies to take you from place to place. We took full advantage of this service particularly after an evening meal and a few drinks. Our favourite restaurant was called the Dining Room and served international cuisine, which we normally consumed with a lovely bottle of New Zealand wine, though we also enjoyed the local Thai wine as well. The refreshing 'crystal infused' water was also a feature of our meals here.
Our second boat trip took us to Phi Phi Islands and we also enjoyed some snorkelling fun where we saw some incredible sights and colours of the ocean life. Travelling through the sea at some speed was also an experience in itself, as on the day, the open sea was quite choppy and we managed to withstand a very bumpy ride as we were constantly battered with waves of water in our faces! It was serious fun, though we were a little relieved to get to the calmer island waters! The sight of the Phi Phi Islands and all the small sandy coves was just as any tour company would promote and as we had left our hotel quite early that morning, we were able to appreciate many of the sites before the majority of tourist boats arrived
One of our most lasting memories of our time at Yao Noi was the people we met and the friends that they have now become.
Thank you for reading this Blog, I hope you have enjoyed the brief summary of our experience in Thailand and that the photographs will go a long way to convincing you to pay a visit this beautiful country.
Our travels can also be followed on Instagram @martinandviviana and by watching a series of videos on YouTube, by searching Viviana Maynard.
Thank you to all the Sixsenses Yao Noi team.
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