Travelogue: Thailand, Ko Yao Noi
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” While our first 24 hours on Ko Yao Noi were easily the lowest point of the trip (I’ll explain), even that does little to sully the memory of these dreamy islands in the Andaman Sea—and our stay here was ultimately a highlight of the two weeks we spent in Thailand.
We had arranged to fly home from Phuket, and reserved our last two nights there, but hoped to find a quieter island for the majority of our beach days. When we’d last visited the country, we’d chosen to head to the other coast—the gulf of Thailand—and to the island of Ko Samui; this was our first time on the west coast. After much debate and a lot of Instagram geotag stalking—on account of many discouraging reports of over-crowded islands and reefs, I am happy to report that we found a spot that had that just-right (elusive) mix of castaway fantasy and drinks-when-you-wish.
Ko Yao Noi was the spot, our small island of choice—30 minutes by speedboat from Phuket, in the middle of Phang Nga bay.
