There was one exception, White Sand Beach, which sits on the western coast of the island and is a perfect spot for sunset watching.

We never ran into crowds – we’d see one or two other tourists at most, no matter if we were walking on a beach or stopped for a coffee. We spent a few days on the island just cruising around on our scooter, following the random signs pointing to mysterious sights like ‘viewpoint’ or ‘hidden beach’. Koh Yao Yai was a little bit bigger than expected, with a population of about 8,000, but even in the main village on the island it never felt like it was busy. Scooter rentals are between THB250 and THB300 (US$7.70 – $9.20) for 24 hours, and after getting back in the saddle it didn’t take me long to feel confident enough not only to cruise down the main road – where luckily, there was barely any traffic – but also a few of the smaller dirt roads which led to some hidden beaches. After walking along the road for a bit on our first day to see if we could get anywhere on foot (nope!), I realized I had no choice but to get over my fear of scooters if I wanted to see something of the island other than our hotel. You could get by with the private songthaws (your hotel will call them for you), but honestly, this is a pretty limited way to get around, since they transport you from A to B rather than showing you the island. Since most resorts seem to be like this – small bungalow villages along the coast, with not much surrounding them – if you want to see the island, you have no choice but to rent a scooter. Our small resort right by the beach was lovely, but there wasn’t anything to do there except for taking walks along the beach, taking a kayak out for a ride around the bay, or lounging by the pool. Our hotel was on the western coast of the island, meaning we didn’t get to see any of the glorious Thai sunsets, which was a bit of a shame. Occasionally, you pass a small village, but mostly there are just clusters of simple houses and maybe a simple village shop or two. No matter where you drive, you’re almost always surrounded by lush jungle scenery. There is only one main road that circles nearly the entire island, and a few additional small side roads. Koh Yao Yai was the first island we visited, and on the ride in the Songthaw (shared pickup truck) from the ferry pier to our hotel, the lush green jungles bordering the road reminded me of Koh Chang. Koh Yao Noi: Island Bliss & Luxury Resorts.I hope this will help you decide which island to visit: Koh Yao Yai or Koh Yao Noi. If you have time constraints though and only have time to visit one, here’s my rundown on both islands and which one I liked best, including practical information on how to get to the islands and recommendations for places to stay. And while I initially thought it may be stressful to squeeze in both islands instead of one, this turned out to be a great decision, because I found the islands to be fairly different. From there, we’d take another ferry to Koh Yao Noi. We would take a taxi straight from the airport to the ferry pier in Phuket and hop on the 30-minute speed boat to Koh Yao Yai. Thanks to their proximity to Phuket, and many direct flights between Singapore and Phuket, I thought it would be super easy to get there. The reason the two sister islands caught my attention for this getaway was their location in Phang Nga Bay, right in between Krabi on the mainland and the island of Phuket. Both islands are surrounded by a number of uninhabited scenic limestone karst rocks, a typical feature of the Andaman Sea. The smaller islands can be visited but don’t have hotels or resorts. And both, Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi, happen to be two islands that have been on my Thailand wish list for years – score! The Koh Yao island group is made up of 44 islands in total, but only the two largest ones, Koh Yao Noi (Little Long Island) and Koh Yao Yai (Big Long Island), are inhabited. When I consulted the map to see which island would make the most sense, I zeroed in on not one, but two islands: the Yao Islands. So when I spontaneously decided to add on a quick island getaway to Thailand to my Singapore trip a couple of months ago, I knew I had to check out a new island instead of returning to old favorites (sorry Koh Tao!). My Thai island wish list is long though: I’ve yet to visit Koh Lipe (highest on my list), Koh Mook and Koh Kood, Koh Samet and Koh Mak. I’ve been to Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand (did you know that there’s another Koh Chang in the Andaman Sea?), I’ve been to Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, to the Phi Phi Islands and Koh Poda, and to Koh Lanta. What to pack for your trip | GlobetrotterGirls Packing ListĮven though I’ve been to Thailand three times, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Land Of Smiles, or its many islands.

Koh yao noi hostels