Thailand's Yao Noi Island, a idyllic retreat good enough for James Bond himself

By Mark Palmer

Ko Phing Kan, the James Bond island made famous in The Man With The Golden Gun and now crawling with tourists who steal the coral and order vodka martinis shaken not stirred, is only a 40-minute boat ride away from Yao Noi. But it belongs to a different world.


Apart from the balmy climate, where the humidity in May and June can reach apocalyptic levels, the only thing these two Thai outposts share is the extraordinary view of giant sandstone chunks of rock rising from the Andaman Sea.

These vertical cliffs masquerading as islands have a great deal to answer for.

Without them, you doubt whether the Six Senses Hideaway would have been built at all - and that would be a shame.

Pure paradise: Double bay on the nearby Ko Phi Phi islands, Thailand

There are other (cheaper) places to stay on this sleepy island (population 3,000), but you won't find anywhere more ambitious or luxurious. The entire resort is built on a hill and blends effortlessly into the natural environment. There are 56 villas - all with private pools - made from bamboo, teak and palm-leaf thatching.

At times, surrounded by jungle and inevitable creepy-crawlies, you feel as though you're on the set of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!, except that the last thing you're planning is an escape.

Huge effort has been made to conserve energy and become self sufficient. Hideaway Yao Noi has its own reservoir and waste water treatment plant; there are no cars, just electric buggies; and the mangrove forest is cared for with pride. Donations are made to local projects and as much of the food as possible comes from the island.

Honeymoon retreat: Half of the villas were occupied by recently married couples

My wife and I arrived by boat from Phuket and it seemed no one else was there.

Later, we discovered half of the villas were occupied by honeymooners.

A staff member told us about a man who had planned his wedding for their second day. But his girlfriend knew nothing of it.

He wanted to propose on the first night and then they would tie the knot 24 hours later. Thankfully, she came up with the right answer and the staff sent them up the sandy aisle with aplomb.

The temptation was never to leave our villa, with its large terrace, sunloungers and wine-stacked fridge. But we were pleased to explore, by car and boat.

On our first full day, we agreed a reasonable rate for a tuk-tuk to take us round the island. We assumed he'd speak a little English, but he spoke none.

Exquisite: Six Senses Hideaway's philosophy is to redefine your experiences from arrival to departure

We passed rubber plantations, a thriving market and acres of paddy fields where men, women and children were working.

Then our driver turned down a bumpy track and stopped outside a ramshackle house with a tethered buffalo munching grass. 'Coconut!' he shouted, proving he did, indeed, possess some English.

'Coconut!' said his friend who owned the house and orchard. The two men cut down coconuts, inserted straws and handed then to us. Delicious - and surprisingly cool given the 86F heat.

There are two restaurants at Six Senses Hideaway, one serving Thai food, the other, somewhat incongruously, Italian. The setting was sublime, but the service was unacceptably slow.

It got us thinking. Is paradise where you get what you want or where you are so seduced by your surroundings that you end up wanting what you get?
We thought it important to maintain our critical faculties and stuck with the former.

And so here are some of the things we loved about Six Senses Hideaway: discreet lighting on the paths, unfailingly courteous staff, immaculate beaches, a deli with home-made ice cream on tap, stupendous breakfasts, outdoor showers and sunken baths, the view and the silence at night. And the things we found disappointing?

The music in the bar, uncomfortable chairs in public areas, garish chair and sofa covers, silly, slanting tall glasses, ugly tooth mugs used as water glasses in restaurants, the pillows and the constant reminders about how green everything is on this holy hill.

On day two, we went on an excursion called Island Hopping - the blurb boasts: 'The bounds of civilisation no longer exist.'

I'm all for raising expectations, but I'd rather reach that conclusion myself.
We set off with Run and his father in their dragon boat and made straight to Hong Island, the largest of the 40 sandstone rocks.

Run pointed out Ko Phi Phi Leh in the distance, where The Beach was filmed, and Krabi, across the bay, where there's a Four Seasons and several other large hotels.

We swam in the lagoon on Hong Island and admired the stone that looked as if it had been cut with a butcher's knife.

We'd been given a picnic to eat on a tiny golden beach we had to ourselves, save for a discarded bottle of wine and crisp wrapper left by previous Robinson Crusoe's.

Later that day we had an appointment at the spa. I've always held the view that massages are like incoming governments: promising far more than they deliver.

But my Chinese head massage, which also managed to sort out my tight neck, shoulders and lower back, was wonderfully effective.

I emerged thinking the world wasn't in such bad shape after all and that if we all slowed down and treated people as nicely as the staff deal with guests, there would be no more war, famine or unpleasantness of any kind.

Now that really was reaching a state of mind where the 'bounds of civilisation no longer exist'.

Travel factsThe Ultimate Travel Company Resort Collection (020 7386 4646; theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk) can arrange a week at Six Senses Hideaway, Yao Noi, from £1,650 a person.

This includes a seven-night stay in a pool villa including breakfast, flights from Heathrow to Phuket with Thai Airways via Bangkok and speedboat transfers.


source: dailymail.co.uk