Our Review of Santhiya Koh Yao Yai: Is It Worth It?
We spent four days at Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa during our three week Thailand honeymoon. After a whirlwind three days in Bangkok and an action packed trip to Krabi, we wanted peace, luxury, and seclusion! Koh Yao Yai is remains one of Thailand’s hidden gems. It promised everything we wanted from our honeymoon and we were ready to enjoy a slice of quiet island luxury. Koh Yao Yai Santhiya sits perfectly on the hillside, surrounded by jungle, and overlooks Phang Nga Bay’s turquoise waters.
This is our full review of staying at Santhiya in Koh Yao Yai, covering everything from how to get there, the villas and food, to spa, activities, and the surrounding area. Plus we talk about the little details that made our stay memorable (both for good and frustrating reasons).
How to Get to Santhiya Koh Yao Yai
One of the charms of Koh Yao Yai is that it’s not the easiest island to reach. Your only option is by boat – but this is also what makes it so peaceful. Your best options are:
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From Phuket: Take a speedboat from Ao Po Grand Marina (about 20 minutes). This is the most convenient if you’re flying into Phuket.
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From Krabi: Boats run from Ao Nang or Thalane Pier, taking around 30–40 minutes.
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Local ferries: Slower ferries connect Koh Yao Yai with Koh Yao Noi and nearby islands.
We took a shared speedboat from Krabi, booked directly with Santhiya. The process was smooth and a fun way of getting to the island. After arrival at the pier, we had a car waiting for us, which we’d also pre-arranged with Santhiya. The drive to the resort takes about 20 minutes, winding through local villages and palm groves. It’s a scenic little journey, before you reach the hillside entrance.
The Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Resort is tucked into lush greenery, with traditional teak buildings cascading down towards the beach. As you drive through the huge teak entrance, you know this is something pretty special.
First Impressions & Experience
The design of the Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Resort is impressive. Almost every structure is made from teak wood, with intricate carvings and big sweeping roofs. It is honestly a beautiful looking hotel. It also has an enviable location. Villas are subtly nestled into the hillside and jungle, while the main hotel sits proudly on the beach. Everywhere you look you are offered undisrupted views over the bay.
Arrival & Facilities
We were greeted by the front of house team, and offered a nice cup of hot ginger. This was a nice touch, especially as the check-in process was slow and we were waiting a little while. After travelling all you want to do is get settled and relax, so this was a small frustration, but nothing major.
We had a quick tour of the communal areas to find our feet and quickly found how extensive the amenities and facilities are. The Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Resort offers:
Multiple swimming pools, including a dramatic waterfall pool by the main reception. Also a quieter infinity pool up the hillside, with stunning ocean views.
A private stretch of beach, which includes a private jetty, with more stunning ocean views!
A fully equipped gym (admittedly we did not experience this with all the relaxing we were doing! But good to know the option is there).
The Ayurvana Spa, which offers a number of treatments and massages (need to book in advance). The resort also offers beachside massages in cabana style beds.
Restaurants and bars serving Thai and international cuisine.
Complimentary activities like yoga, Thai boxing, cooking classes and many more!
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Getting Around the Resort
The Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort Spa is huge! Getting around it does need some pre-planning. Because of its hillside setting, you can’t just walk everywhere. Well, you could, but it would take you a while. And it would be hot. Instead, you have to call a resort buggy to pick you up. These buggies run constantly, and staff are always on hand to help, but the process isn’t the smoothest. Sometimes you have to change buggies at a “hub” depending on where in the resort you’re heading. Sometimes you are left waiting around for a buggy. It wasn’t a huge deal, but as our time at Santhiya went on, we quickly got a bit bored of this process.
Villas and Our Seawater Pool Suite
Santhiya in Koh Yao Yai offers deluxe rooms, pool villas, and grand residences. There are Supreme Deluxe Sea View Rooms, Ocean View Pool Villas and Royal Grand Villas. All feature rich teak craftsmanship and traditional Thai design. Honestly these villas are stunning! We had four nights booked in one of Santhiya’s Seawater Pool Villas, which we were wowed by.
Each villa is set back behind its own set of large, rather grand teak gates. We went through the doors and down a set of steps to our villa entrance. Behind another set of large, teak double doors, our villa opened out into a spacious dining and living room. From there we had expansive views out over the ocean and a private wooden terrace, with an outdoor bath tub! We also had our very own private infinity pool, with undisrupted views over the ocean. Our living room had double-aspect patio doors, bringing together that outside-in living aspect.
Our bedroom featured a king sized bed and floor to ceiling windows with yet more beautiful ocean views. Santhiya had also kindly gifted us some welcome treats. We had honeymoon decorations and homemade coconut pancakes (a local delicacy). The villa also featured its own kitchen (which we never used) and a big bathroom. My favourite features included a second HUGE bathtub, plus an outdoor rainfall shower, which was dreamy.
A Couple of Niggles
Our plan had been to hide away in our villa for four days and make the most of our own private space. It was almost perfect for us. Almost. If we had to be picky (when you’re staying at a luxurious resort on your honeymoon I think you’re allowed to be), there were a couple of things that let it down.
Our pool and terrace stayed in the shade nearly all day. This meant the water stayed far too cold to enjoy and there were no nice sunny spots to sunbathe. Wasn’t that the point in paying for a private terrace and pool?
The second thing was that every morning, the sound of longtail boats passing by in front of the resort was incredibly loud! I know it’s just local fisherman going about their day, but waking up to this at 6am is not ideal. These are picky niggles, and admittedly we didn’t say anything to staff about it to see if they could move us. But I think when you book these things, you have a vision in mind…
Dining & Entertainment
Food is often the heart of our trips. We had eaten incredibly well in Bangkok and Krabi – so many delicious dishes! But sadly we found the food at Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa hit and miss.
There are several on-site restaurants:
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Saaitara Restaurant – perched up high with panoramic views.
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Chantara Restaurant – down by the beach, serving breakfast and buffets.
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The Titan Grill – grilled seafood and casual dining.
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By The Sea Restaurant & Bar – beachside cocktails and snacks.
Breakfast was great. It had everything from freshly cooked eggs to tropical fruit and Asian specialities. Evening meals however, left us underwhelmed. The Thai buffet looked amazing. It had Thai curries, soups, broths and sides. However, we found it all to be surprisingly bland and very expensive for what it was.
Evening entertainment, such as “cultural shows,” were a bit cringe too. Not to sound really difficult to please, but they felt staged and like something that would entertain “the westerner”.
What dinner lacked, their bar more than made up for. Just outside the Chantara Restaurant is the hotel’s beach jetty. At the end of the day you can sit along here and sip on cocktails to watch the sunset. The cocktail menu was extensive and the drinks were delicious! They often had a ‘happy hour’ offer on in the evenings too. This quickly became our pre-dinner routine.
Local Food & Drink
After our first night, we chose to eat locally for the rest of our trip. We thoroughly enjoyed all the local restaurants we went to, which offered delicious, authentic Thai dishes at a fraction of the cost. We also learnt to order our curries as “Thai spicey” to have it as the locals would have it, which was very yummy!
There are also plenty of places to grab a drink before or after dinner. Slightly further up the beach from Santhiya, we came across “Niki Bar”. This place quickly became our local haunt during our stay on Ko Yao Yai. It was a rustic little bar, run by one guy (so it seemed). But he was the nicest guy, drinks were tasty and reasonable. Situated directly on the beach, it also had enviable sunset views. More often than not, we’d come here before or after dinner, and we’d have the place all to ourselves. It was perfect!
Spa & Wellness
The Ayurvana Spa is a highlight of the Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Resort. The spa menu includes Thai massages, aromatherapy, facials, and wellness packages. We both treated ourselves to a treatment package, which included a sauna followed by a foot soak and scrub. We then had a couples massage, with a full body scrub too. The full treatment time was just under 2 hours and it was heavenly. You know those massages that are so relaxing you legit fall asleep for a few minutes?
Prices were a little on the high side, but no more than you would expect to pay at a resort. We had also massages at our other hotel stays during our trip, and the cost was comparable.
Santhiya also offer beachside massages, where you can have a Thai massage to the sound of the waves — bliss!
Pools, Beach & Activities
While we may not have made the most of our villa in the way we hoped, it did mean we got to take full advantage of the wider hotel facilities.
Pools
The huge waterfall pool is the main communal pool and showstopper. It’s complete with cascading water and wooden loungers shaped like boats! We spent our first evening up at the infinity pool, featuring sweeping ocean views. We watched one of the most dramatic tropical thunderstorms we’d ever seen from the pool side, which was amazing! There’s also a bar up there and pool-side DJ sets in the evening. The resort also host a number of different themed parties and events there during the week, so there’s always something going on.
Beach
The private beach is calm and perfect for swimming or paddling. The water is a stunning turquoise colour and the sand is a beautiful golden colour. The area is well maintained by the hotel, and it’s just a lovely place to be. Most days, we camped out on the loungers there, and enjoyed our time in paradise. The loungers are free to use, and you can order food and drink to them too. If you’re looking for a day of solid relaxing, there’s no need to get up for anything from these loungers!
Activities
The hotel also offer a range of complimentary activities, to suit a range of interests! You can take part in anything from yoga and Thai boxing classes, to Thai cooking lessons. If you’re spending a day at the beach, you can also borrow the hotels paddleboards, kayaks, and snorkelling gear. We took full advantage of their beach activities and spent hours out on the water, drinking in the incredible scenery.
Day trips
If you’re looking to explore a little further afield, Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa also organise day trips! You can book excursions to nearby islands like Koh Khai, snorkelling trips, village tours, and private boat charters for exploring Phang Nga Bay. Koh Yai Yai and the surrounding area has so much to offer and it’s such a beautiful part of Thailand, you’ll be spoiled for choice what to do!
We already had a trip around Phang Nga Bay planned during our trip to Phuket. The area is incredible, so if you have the opportunity to visit, we highly recommend you add this on!
Surrounding Area
Koh Yao Yai is worlds apart from Phuket or Krabi. It feels raw, quiet, and beautifully untouched. Villages are scattered across the island, with rubber plantations, coconut groves, and fishing communities shaping daily life.
Even with a large resort like Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa, the island still feels undeveloped — in the best way. We may have experienced a few niggles during our stay, but we noticed the resort’s clear respect for the island’s biodiversity.
The villas and buildings blend seamlessly into the landscape, and eco-friendly decisions are made thoughtfully. We live in a world now where we cannot avoid development and tourism. But you can make good positive decisions and contributions to balance your footprint, and we’d say this is something that Santhiya has done very well.
Staying at Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Spa & Resort – Is It Worth It?
Our stay at Santhiya Resort & Spa, Koh Yao Yai was a memorable one. The architecture, views, and sheer sense of escape were unforgettable. While it was perfect in many ways, it wasn’t in others. The disappointing food, frustrating buggy system, and unexpected early morning noise. Plus the shade-draped pool and terrace was a let down. Especially when we paid especially for a private pool.
Based on that, would we stay here again? Hmm probably not. So is the Koh Yai Yao Santhiya Resort worth it? Well that probably answers your question. Although we admit we were a bit British about the whole thing and didn’t address our issues with staff. Maybe if we had they might have moved us and our experience would have been different? Who knows.
But, would we come back to Koh Yao Yai? In a heartbeat!
Koh Yao Yai Santhiya Pros & Cons
Pros
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Stunning teakwood villas with ocean views.
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Beautiful pools and private beach.
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Spa treatments and wellness activities.
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Quiet, peaceful island setting.
Cons
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Buggy system can be slow and frustrating.
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Food quality doesn’t always match the high prices.
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Private pools & terrace in some villas are in shade all day.
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Loud longtail boat engines in the morning.
FAQs
Where is Santhiya in Koh Yao Yai located?
The resort sits on the island’s western coast, overlooking Phang Nga Bay, surrounded by jungle and hillside.
Q: How do you reach Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort Spa?
From Phuket or Krabi, speedboats take 20–40 minutes. The resort can arrange direct transfers if needed, with shuttles from the pier.
Q: Does the resort have private villas?
Yes. Villas feature outdoor bathtubs, rainfall showers, terraces, and some include private infinity pools.
Q: What activities are included at Koh Yao Yai Santhiya?
There’s something for everyone! You can enjoy yoga, Thai boxing, cooking classes, paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkelling equipment free of charge. They also run a number of day trips too.
Q: Is dining at Santhiya in Koh Yao Yai worth it?
We enjoyed the breakfast, but found evening meals to be overpriced. Although it’s convenient, we’d suggest heading out to the local restaurants outside the resort instead.
Get in Touch
We hope you found our honest review of our stay at Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa helpful. If you have any questions please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! If you found our blog helpful, check out our Insta @welovetravel.in – if you give us a follow feel free to drop us a message and say hello
