Six Senses Yao Noi hotel review: Thailand's best infinity pool views

Times

13-05-2025

Six Senses Yao Noi's island location, a 45-minute speed boat ride from Phuket, feels a world away from the crowds and pace of other busy parts of Thailand. Instead, Koh Yao Noi is laid-back and peaceful, and the sustainability-minded Six Senses is its perfect partner. The hotel has been here since 2007, and the villas seem at home in the hilly flower-filled setting of the jungle, which is dotted with excellent restaurants, herb gardens and hang-outs. It's the epitome of laid-back luxe, with plenty of mango wood and candy-coloured linen used in villas and common areas. It's also home to what may be Thailand's best infinity pool with a view — gaze out over the limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay and you'll start planning your next stay.
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
Score 8/10Each of the 56 teak and thatched-roof villas feature outdoor salas and private pools, so you're off to a good start. Choose between the entry hideaway villas, which are tucked into the jungle and provide the most shade, and the sea view villas which are — as you'd suspect — the ones with the views. Inside, they have a jungle-chic aesthetic that feels luxurious yet simple — that'll be driftwood beds draped in white mosquito nets, sunken stone baths, outdoor showers with natural lemon-grass scented shampoos and shower gels, and sherbert-coloured sofas and wooden floors. The villas are located all along the jungly hillside, with golf carts whizzing guests between restaurants and rooms.
Score 9/10There are three main places to eat and all are excellent. Breakfast, at the multi-terraced Living Room, is a mix of buffet and à la carte — you'll get your classics like eggs benedict and pancakes, bacon, fruit, yoghurt and pastries at the buffet, plus a few traditional Thai dishes. But the hotel kicks things up a notch with its salad bar, which serves frittatas, quiches, crudites, dips and a superb cheese selection. It finishes at 11am then swaps to a lunch menu, although you could skip that and head straight for the free all-day ice cream parlour (try the Thai iced tea flavour). For sunset drinks you have choices: there's the Den, with its lily pad ponds and limestone stack views, or the Hilltop, with equally sensational views — you won't see the sun set here, but the pink sky is arguably as good. The Hilltop is also the spot for an informal lunch (think ceviche, satay and katsu sandwiches) and moon-lit dining, when candle-lit tables replace the loungers by the pool. But the best meal may be at Nithan, where you'll settle into a wooden chair made soft with a lime-coloured cushion and feast on delicious Thai dishes (with many of the ingredients from the hotel's organic farm). Everything is fresh and fragrant, but don't miss the miang maprao kua (wok toasted coconut salad with dried shrimps and chilli) and the gaeng fuk tong nue yang (beef with pumpkin curry sauce and pickled garlic).
• Best hotels in Thailand• Best family hotels in Thailand• Discover our full guide to Thailand
Score 10/10You could do a little or a lot here. Those keen on a buzzier vibe and plenty of sun head to the Hilltop sun loungers, which have some of the best views in Thailand, across the infinity pool and out to the limestone stacks of Phang Nga Bay. You could lie here guzzling ice coffees all day, but there's plenty more to do: from free morning yoga sessions, ayurvedic and Asian treatments in the excellent spa (opt for a longer wellness programme if that's your focus), and Thai kickboxing classes in the beachside ring. Kids (and maybe adults) will love the hotel farm, where you can feed goats, collect your breakfast eggs from the chickens (who spend their day listening to jazz) or watch the ducks cool off in the pond. There's a lovely stretch of sand that only guests can access, plus free kayak and paddleboard rental and open-air movie nights. In some ways it feels a shame to leave such a lovely hotel, but part of the appeal of Six Senses Koh Yao Noi is its location on such a beautiful island. The hotel has vintage scooters with sidecars available to rent, and you can also book long-tail boat trips to the nearby lagoons of the Hong archipelago.
Score 10/10On one of Thailand's prettiest islands, Koh Yao Noi, halfway between Phuket and Krabi in Phang Nga bay but it feels a world away from both. A sun-dappled, empty road circles the island, taking you on a tour of rubber plantations and rustic restaurants. There isn't a huge amount within walking distance of the hotel, bar the odd drink seller, but you can hire scooters (and side cars) or local transportation to get out and about, if you're keen to explore. It's a 30-minute drive from Phuket airport and then the hotel will arrange your arrival across the Andaman, which takes 45 minutes on a speedboat. If you're looking for a quiet island escape, this is it.
Price B&B villas from £544 per nightRestaurant mains from £10Family-friendly YAccessible N
Hannah Summers was a guest of Six Senses Yao Noi
• Best hotels in Phuket• Best beaches in Thailand