Koh Yao Yai Island

Name: Koh Yao Yai Island
Rating: 5

20/05/2019 Sepp Hatzl 2,472 views No Comments

Koh Yao consists of two islands which are part of Phang Nga province, the larger “Koh Yao Yai Island” and the smaller “Koh Yao Noi”. Koh Yao Yai Island sits east of Phuket east coast and is about 16.6 miles (26.7 km) long from north to south, and two to four miles wide on average – a large island by any standards. Both the islands are well developed and there is plenty to do. Many people come to Phuket only to transfer over to one of the Koh Yao islands because they prefer the laid-back island atmosphere when compared to Phuket.

Though Koh Yao Yai Island is filled with bays, there are not many beaches on the island that are worth taking a look at. Ao Muong Beach in the southwest corner is one example. It’s remote. It’s beautiful from the Google map images. When you arrive, you’ll find clear blue water, but the sand is absolutely filled with trash that nobody picks up. We cover a couple of the better beaches below.

Loh Pared Bay Beach

On the west side of the island just below Loh Poh Bay on the west coast is this long and wide sandy beach with deep sand offering stunning sunset views from the entire length of the beach. Depending what time of year you go, the water may be clear or cloudy. The beach is generally pretty clean, but it can have garbage scattered about as well.

Loh Pared Bay Beach Clubs

There isn’t any establishment calling itself a beach club, but there are a number of beach bars along the beach here that play music and serve alcohol.

Loh Pared Bay Beach Restaurants / Bars

Odys Café – This is an affordable place set back just off the north side of the beach. This is a tiny café with a handful of wooden tables and chairs, and with open walls near a large resort. Reviews are very good for this spot, so we include it here. If you’re looking for good food and service, this is a good spot to stop. If you’re looking for any view at all, go elsewhere, there isn’t any view here.
Coral Island-YaoYai – There are many bare-bones ‘restaurants’ which amount to no more than just shacks on the beach serving food along Loh Pared Bay Beach, but if you’re going to stop at one, choose this one. The grounds are clean, and they have no walls and thatched roofs. One section has a concrete floor and other tables are on the sandy beach. Food and service were rated highly, and the location is on the south end of the beach.

Loh Pared Bay Beach Accommodation

Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa – With nearly a thousand reviews, most of them positive, this resort should be high on your list for your stay on Koh Yao Yai Island if the price is in your range. Beautifully designed architecture and grounds. Heavy use of natural wood and traditional Thai styling. In Google Business, this property received a 4.5 out of 5 stars with many reviewers.
Some villas have private infinity pools. Fantastic service mentioned by scores of reviewers, but of course there are always issues with not understanding English and delays during check-out or check-in for some guests. Beach kayaking available at no cost. Affordable at 3,000 THB per night starting rate.
Blue Bay Resort – Located in the middle of the beach, this is a basic resort on the Loh Pared Bay Beach that has received good ratings for the rooms and service, and it is more affordable than some other spots on the island. Modern architecture and interiors. Nightly rates begin at just 1,500 THB.
Santhiya Resort & Spa (Big Island) – Found at the southern end of the large west-facing bay on the west coast of Koh Yao Yai, Santhiya Resort & Spa has a Thai tropical motif with many hardwood carvings many guests appreciate. The setting is romantic and ideal for sunsets. Accommodation are in villas, with some near the pool being the most sought-after bookings. Rates per night start around 3,300 THB.

Loh Pared Bay Beach & Features

Location in Relation to Phuket: About 10.4 miles due west from Cape Yamu Beach on Phuket’s east coast.
Surrounding Beaches: Loh Poh Bay and beach is just north. To the south, the next named beach is the one at Loh Jak Pier.
Direction Facing: West-southwest.
Beach Length: 1,341 meters (4,400 ft.)
Beach Width: 12.8 meters (42 ft.) on average.
Estimated Beach Area: 17,168 m2 (184,800 square ft.)
Beach Quality: A large beach with sand mixed with dirt. Not ideal, but good for walking around or laying down to tan for a couple of hours.
Ocean Bottom: A lot of rocks and pieces of coral to step on during low-tide. Better to swim when the tide is high.
Restroom / showers facilities? All the resorts on the beach have facilities, there are no public restrooms or showers.
Beach features: Jetinn Teppan Pier.
Public or Private? Entrance fees? Public, no fees.
Lifeguard Available? No.
Boat anchorage possible? Yes.
Boat dock and marina? Jetinn Teppan Pier on the north end.
How to reach Loh Pared Bay Beach? From Ao Po Pier or Pang Rong pier by longtail boat.
Attractions: Great place for sunset, nothing really to see here but the beach is OK.
Activities: Though we didn’t see any mention of any extra activities like kayak or paddle-board rentals, some of the resorts must have recreational equipment for rent.
Surfing? No.
Sunbeds Available? A few resorts on the beach have beach chairs set up on the sand for sun tanning.
Umbrellas? Yes, at the resorts.
Water quality: Very Good.
Convenience shop available? No.
Massage available? Yes, at the resorts.
Picnic possible? Yes, however please don’t leave your rubbish behind.
Smoking? Thailand authorities are cracking down on smoking at beaches around the country. Soon they expect to make it a country-wide smoking ban – so do stay up to date because fines are high and can include prison time.
Warnings: Many rocks under the water.

Loh Jak Beach

This beach is comprised of two beaches north of the Glow Elixir complex on the beach just south of them. The north beach of Loh Jak is distinguished as having the Loh Jak Pier.

Loh Jak Beach Clubs

None – this is a very small beach without area for a proper beach club.

Loh Jak Beach Restaurants / Bars

Emm Restaurant – Though we like to suggest restaurants right on the beach, in this case we need to mention Emm restaurant though it is about a quarter mile inland down the road from the Loh Jak Pier on the north end of the beach. The reviews on social media for this restaurant are phenomenal. Seating is at tables in tiki huts, and the night ambiance is romantic. The red and green curries were mentioned as exceptional, and they have vegetarian dishes. A couple of people said not to miss the coconut smoothy shake, and others swore the cocktails were great! The prices here are higher than most other restaurants on the island, but the price isn’t excessive.

Loh Jak Beach Accommodation

There is only one resort on Loh Jak Beach, Khao Yao Heaven, but we also decided to review another one that is on the beach just south of the Loh Jak beaches called GLOW Elixir Khao Yao Yai Resort.

Khao Yao Heaven Resort – A basic resort on the northern beach near where the two beaches meet. The accommodation are basic, including connected townhouses and small separate bungalows. The outdoor restaurant is under a bamboo roof. Reviews are better than average on social media, but there were plenty of complaints about various aspects of their stay.
You must know that spending only $30 USD for a night on an island in Thailand is going to give you the bare minimum accommodation. If you don’t expect much, you’ll be pleasantly surprised because the staff do try hard to make your stay enjoyable. Rates starting around 1,000 THB per night.
GLOW Elixir Khao Yao Yai Resort – This resort on the beach just below the Loh Jak beaches gets great ratings and has hundreds of reviews from past guests. Accommodation consist of different sizes of bungalows along the beach. Some bungalows have private pools.
The property is beautiful, and the beach is one of the best on Koh Yao Yai Island with soft white sand and some uncluttered shallow water for wading and children playing. Rates begin around 2,000 THB – quite affordable for this location, and probably at least partially contributing to the great reviews the property receives on social media.

Loh Jak Beach & Features

Location in Relation to Phuket: About 10.4 miles (16.7 km) due west from Cape Yamu Beach on Phuket’s east coast.
Surrounding Beaches: To the south is an unnamed beach, about 2.5 miles (4 km) to the north is Loh Pared Bay Beach.
Direction Facing: West-southwest.
Beach Length: 732 meters (2,400 ft.) for the north beach and 503 meters (1,650 ft.) for the south beach.
Beach Width: 15.2 meters (50 ft.) on average.
Estimated Beach Area: 11,148 m2 (120,000 square ft.)
Beach Quality: A lot of light colored sand at this beach, it is plenty long and wide enough for the low numbers of visitors that typically stay here.
Ocean Bottom: Some spots without coral, but most of the beach is filled with coral.
Restroom / showers facilities? The Khao Yao Heaven Resort have facilities, there are no public restrooms or showers.
Beach features: These are two shallow bays with decent sand for being on the east side of Phuket where the dirt mixes with the sand to make mud in many areas. The sand here is some of the best on the island. The beach is picturesque especially near the middle where the beaches are split by a rocky outcrop.
Public or Private? Entrance fees? Public, no fees.
Lifeguard Available? No.
Boat anchorage possible? No.
Boat dock and marina? Yes, Loh Jak Pier is on the north beach.
How to reach Loh Jak Beach? From Ao Po Pier or Pang Rong pier by longtail boat.
Attractions: Nothing really. The view is spectacular for sunset though!
Activities: Bring it if you got it! The beach is fine for flying discs or balls or something sporty. Snorkeling is OK here, so bring your gear and explore the shallows along the beach.
Surfing? No.
Sunbeds Available? At the Khao Yao Heaven Resort they have recliners for guests.
Umbrellas? Yes, at the resorts.
Water quality: Very Good.
Convenience shop available? No.
Massage available? Yes, at the resorts.
Picnic possible? Yes, however please don’t leave your rubbish behind.
Smoking? Thailand authorities are cracking down on smoking at beaches around the country. Soon they expect to make it a country-wide smoking ban – so do stay up to date because fines are high and can include prison time.
Warnings: Mostly rocky and coral underwater – be careful of cutting feet.

Coco Beach

Coco Beach is located on the very northwestern coast of Koh Yao Yai Island. .

Coco Beach Clubs and Accommodation

There is no information about any of these online either at the Google listing or on their website. There aren’t any photos of the actual accommodation, and no overnight rates listed anywhere we can find. Apparently, you just show up and book.

Coco Beach Restaurants / Bars

There is an unnamed restaurant at this beach which serves Russian food – probably a mix of that and Thai. It was reviewed as having great food and the typical high prices associated with island restaurants.

Coco Beach & Features

Location in Relation to Phuket: Just a short boat ride from the northeastern coast of Phuket.
Surrounding Beaches: Son Bay Beach south of Coco Beach is the closest named beach. Most beaches on the island are not named.
Direction Facing: Southwest.
Beach Length: 283 meters (930 ft.)
Beach Width: 30 meters (100 ft.) on average.
Estimated Beach Area: 93,000 m2 (93,000 square ft.)
Beach Quality: Excellent – deep and soft white sand well taken care of.
Ocean Bottom: Great for wading and swimming.
Restroom / showers facilities? Yes.
Beach features: Water is clear and rock-free in the shallow areas. Sand is soft and clean, and the slope is gradual, providing a nice shallow area.
Public or Private? Entrance fees? Public, but fees for all extras.
Lifeguard Available? No.
Boat anchorage possible? Not sure.
Boat dock and marina? Yes, a small dock.
How to reach Coco Beach? From Ao Po Pier or Pang Rong pier by longtail boat.
Attractions: A large inflatable water slide (many slides) makes it great for kids. One of the few places geared toward family fun.
Activities: Wading, swimming, tanning, eating, drinking. Trampoline, paddleboards, kayaks, banana boat, all-terrain vehicles, jet skis, snorkeling and diving are possible here. Not a quiet beach, more geared toward fun.
Surfing? No.
Sunbeds Available? Yes.
Umbrellas? Yes.
Water quality: Very Good.
Convenience shop available? No.
Massage available? Yes.
Picnic possible? Yes, however please don’t leave your rubbish behind.
Smoking? Thailand authorities are cracking down on smoking at beaches around the country. Soon they expect to make it a country-wide smoking ban – so do stay up to date because fines are high and can include prison time.
Warnings: General jellyfish and stingray cautions.