We were just thinking of where to go next in Thailand after Koh Phi Phi when we've been recommended the island of Koh Yao Yai by a lovely local lady in Phuket, who also made one of the best Pad Thai I had so far, and decided to go for it.
The island is only 40min from Phuket and around 1.5 hrs from Phi Phi. This lovely little island is a huge change from Phi Phi it is very quiet and calm definitely not a party island which we actually preferred, this would have to do with the fact that they don't openly sell alcohol at restaurants, its a predominantly muslin island, you can still get it at the hotels and some select shops but it is not shoved in your face like in Phuket or Phi Phi. First few days we hired a scooter to explore the island which has such a laid back vibe that the scooter hire didn't want a deposit or passport copy, we hired on pure trust, also the islanders did not wear a helmet neither did the children driving, we still did but it was interesting to see the difference even to other islands. We explored the south one day and the north the other day and were blown away by the beauty and the calmness also lack of tourists which made it feel very exclusive. The next couple of days we stayed at the resort just chillin, made some friends, went kayaking and even angered some monkeys on one of the kayak trips which is not on record as we run scared away from some very territorial monkeys who were clearly not used to tourists. Phil and I both give this charming island 10/10 if you're looking for super chill and beauty this is the right place.
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