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Published: November 1st 2012
"my" longtail boat
Visit to a private beachUp before dawn I drove from Kho Lanta to meet up with the Six Senses people at the Phuket Airport. The drive was fantastic with Krabi Provence being it's lovely self. With no real time issues I was able to make a couple of stops, enjoy views, and purchase some interesting woven fish traps. Being that my car had accumulated unavoidable dings and scrapes, I was nervous to see what the financial damage was going to be. Amazingly the rental dude looked it over, smiled and handed me my reciept....whew.
The people from Six Senses were waiting upon me when I arrived. They had matching celery colored linen uniforms on which I found amusing and actually fashionable.They were a very enthusiastic bunch- almost frighteningly so. My ride to the pier was a lovely BMW fit with cold lemongrass scented towels and bottled water in linen sacks. Six Senses already had Sri Panwa beat at this point.Once at the pier we converged with other guests and boarded the speedboat which would take
Speedboat smilin'
Enroute to Six Senses us to Yao Noi. The skies were overcast, but that did not detract from the stunning Phang Nga Bay with its multitude of karst islands. I think it is one of the prettiest places on earth.
Our "butlers" aka GEMs (guest experience managers) were awaiting our arrival to the island. They had matching magenta linen uniforms on which I found amusing and not the least bit fashionable (admittedly my magenta palazzos matched them perfectly ha ha ha.) Why did the airport crew get the pretty celery? Everybody was so happy...my first impression was that I had arrived on
Moonie Island (remember the Moonies?) Truth is, the employees seemed just as enthusiatic about the resort as the guests which was really nice. My GEM, Nich, was occupied so another smiley magenta person took me to my villa. WOW. All I can say is Six Senses does things right. The villa was gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as the view that was available from every place in it except maybe the toilet. I was also impressed with their commitment to all things green. A lot of thought went into thier construction materials, landscaping, recycled papers, and food selections.
Finally my personal
GEM, Nich, arrived. He seemed to be tailor made for me. Not only was he hilarious, we were color coordinated. I told him I was applying for a job since I already had the color scheme going. It would be a big improvement over where I work now! We toured the resort which is quite large. The land was once a rubber plantation which they replanted with local flora to attract local fauna. Hornbills were all over the place which warms my heart. Several organic gardens that supplied the restaurants and even a mushroom hut were scattered around the grounds. Nich showed me the jams made there..all 3030303 of them. I'm not a jam person, but those concoctions were divine! After checking out the spa I went back to my villa and enjoyed the view from my bed and pool for the rest of the afternoon. Nich had informed me that I had a direct line to him 24/7 and I put this to the test to arrange dinner. He came through and soon a ride was awaiting to take me to the insane Hilltop restaurant. Hilltop was originally an off the hook villa with a round infinity pool and
giant slide. The space is now a restaurant and bar. The service was great, but unfortunately the food was a bit pedestrian. Once again it seemed like the need was felt to dumb down Thai cuisine for foreign tastes( --a problem I had before in the more luxury hotels, The Chedi in Chiang Mai being the one exception.) The waitstaff were wonderfull though and once they realised I liked some fire and flavor to my food they made up their own fish sauce condiment for me. Despite what I felt was a lack of "local flavor," the meal was very enjoyable. The ingredients were fresh and obvious respect went into their preparation. I loved the dessert!
Once back to my room I rang Nich again and we discussed my plans for the next day. He hooked me up with a tuk-tuk ride around the island followed by a longtail boat tour of the surrounding islands. Yea! I went to bed with my room wide open-- so fresh and wonderful. I slept like a log until the first rays of dawn beamed behind the karst islands that made up my view. What a way to wake up....
After a
fantastic breakfast comprised of lard nar(my new fave bfast,) fruit,and insanely good jam, I went to meet my tuk-tuk driver and guide. Nich told them I was an "Adventure Girl" so I think they were rather curious about me. My guide was a surfer originally from Phuket, so we got off to a sporting start. Ramadan had just ended so the people of Yao Noi were gearing up for a day at the beach. We visited some of the local's favorite spots-- impeccable beaches with food stands cranking up to feed those who had been fasting during the previous days. I was asked not to collect shells from the beach so as not to disturb the ecological balance. I thought highly of this simple request. I got the impression from riding around the island that the people of Yao Noi have a deep respect for their surroundings. This was evident in how clean the island was and the attention to detail put into homes and yards. The island reminded me of the Grand Cayman of my childhood years ( which was the stone age.)
After seeing the island and grabbing some yummy food from the beach venders, I went
back to Six Senses to meet my longtail boat (I now want a longtail boat.) Words cannot describe how insanely gorgeous the trip was! The pictures will have to suffice and even then they barely did the area justice! I've never seen water that color!
Two days was not nearly long enough at Six Senses. I was sad to leave despite how funny all the GEMs were waving at our speed boat leaving-- my GEM, Nich,of course being the funniest jumping up and down waving...... I will coming back.
secluded beach
Six Senses villa walk through
leaving in after bringing in an epic catch
the amazing butterfly tree
cruisin' in the tuk-tuk
more tuk-tuk views
leaving Six Senses on a longtail
longtail trip
gorgeous lagoon
heading to a secluded beach
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Connie
non-member comment
superb!
Thank you for sending Gina.