Paradise….. where is it? what does it look like?
I think I found one small piece of Paradise @ Paradise Kao Yao!
Where is Kao Yao? Kao Yao is made up of 2 gorgeous islands, almost un-touched and inhabited mainly by the local Thai islander population. It’s located in between Phuket and Krabi located in the gorgeous Phang Nga Bay.
(I actually had no idea where Kao Yao was until 3 days before I got there… part of the experience about island hopping, travelling, exploring and talking to fellow travellers to discover new places! Basically going with the flow!)
Paradise is located at tip on the top of Kao Yoa Noi. It’s absolutely hidden away and has an amazing private beach.
Getting there:
There are 2 options to get to Paradise:
- Private speed boat by the Paradise, James Bond Style from Phuket or Krabi and you arrive at the hotel pier
- Take the ferry (speed boat, but not a mini one) from other islands over and land on the south side and get a pickup truck transfer through the national park to get to Paradise
I was coming from Koh Lanta so had the joy of taking the later option… the transport option to the resort from the pier is a “pick-up” truck, no joke! It’s not part of a resort transfer. The island is so remote, it only has a super tiny section of a “paved” road that takes you around the more developed areas of town – the markets, the school, some other flash resorts which charge bucketloads to stay and more “natural” lodgings and then it leads through the national park to Paradise. The national park is not paved, it is RAW – dirt roads, mushy roads after the rains, up and downs and pot holes galore – you really do get a free massage on the way in!
Lucky for me, I got to sit in the cabin of the pick-up. Not so lucky for me fellow passengers at the back. I could only take a few happy snaps at the start of the journey as it did get super rough and I was buckled up too – ha ha
Paradiso!
So this is the start of Paradise….
The rooms are amazing, every room comes with a semi outdoor open-air shower, a balcony and a swing chair… but some also come with their own private jacuizzzziiiii over looking the beach – ha ha ha which I had in my room… There are also rooms on the beach level and you walk straight in through the patio area which has a full outdoor seating swing and bar area too!
My room, 241, was overlooking the beach ♥, was spacious and a stones throw-away from the yoga studio! It was located on one end of the beach, so it was super serene and quiet.
So Paradise… not a soul around times… so so so so horrible.. except for the birds and the residing dragons! (and the odd snake, mini lizard and spiders)
Sunsets …. and this a view from in the water….
Pointer about Paradise:
- It is remote, in the middle of nothing! Once you are there, you can not just hail a road taxi or water taxi to go an explore – it does not exist! Take what you need. And since it is remote, you can absolutely SWITCH OFF. Internet wifi connection is crap – wohoo, and the signal is almost non existent! woot woot!
- Food is surprisingly good on the resort – breakfast is generally included with the rooms, it’s buffet – it’s insane and you tend to fill up post yoga class. But you will be eating lunch and dinner on the resort, there are no other options. It’s not overly expensive, but compared to rest of Thailand sure it costs more as everything gets shipped in. There are Asian and Western meal options as well as buffet and a la carte.
- Alcohol is not that expensive at the resort, but you can always take a bottle or two with you in! There is happy everyday at the bars and relax …. enjoy it, you’re on an island!
- Water… the hotel does provide you with bottled water, don’t drink the tap water.
- POOL / BEACH? There is the beautiful private beach which extends for a good few hundred metres and more but also there is a pool too. No Gym though. But there is YOGA! Unfortunately also no water sports like stand up paddles boards or kayaks.
- CROWDS? – well there is a combination of honeymooners, families, boys and girls trips on the island. But the resort is big enough you get your own patch and space.
- STAFF – The staff are amazing, super friendly and go to all extents to get what you need!
Activities
What does one do to stay entertained here in Paradise? Well there are options… and this is the fun stuff!
- Day Spa – it is to die for…. they have their own steaming cave, and cold dip pool, a whole relaxation and zen garden, amazing treatment rooms that make you feel like you are miles away in the jungle… the treatments are divine and they wont’ break the bank.
- YOGA– morning and afternoon sessions are run at the studio. Please do a class or two, it’s amazing… you basically face the water and it’s so relaxing and you literally connect back to nature. You can also buy packages which make it really affordable to do a set classes, some of the packages come with the spa treatment. The Yogi I had during my stay here was absolutely amazing…
- ISLAND HOP – So there is a FREE long tail boat that takes you out to neighboring islands. There is one departure time per day and you get dropped of to a local island to spend a couple hours there. The boat is offered free by the resort, but upon reaching the local islands you need to pay the 300 baht national park entry fee. There is nothing on these islands, no toilets or anything, so take everything that you need with you – snacks, music, books, sunscreen, beach umbrella! The resort does provide you with beach towels, snorkel gear and bottled water.
- ADD A BOOK. Fall asleep in a hammock. Stay in the jacuzzi and relaxxxx… Work on that TAN!!!
Relozzziinnn’ = relaxing +snoozing
But the BEST part of the island… the serenity combined with the sunsets and sunrises… the birds, the view from the room … chilling out and doing nothing… having late afternoon naps and totally RELAZZZZZINGGGG…
Leaving…
Leaving amazing places is always sad…. but taking the speed boat back to Phuket was actually a real highlight and fun. With the wind in your hair and the natural sea water splashing through, it’s a quick ride to Phuket Yacht Haven Marina and not the normal Phuket ferry terminal.
Catching the sunset and an early dinner at the Phuket Yacht Haven Marina before hoping on that flight back back out at Phuket was just a nice way to end my visit to Paradise….
So this was the end of my island hopping fun in Thailand… Want to read more on the other island please visit Koh Lanta and Krabi! And I can’t wait to go back and check out more islands ♥