This is definitely one of the most beautiful resorts we have ever visited. The views from the hilltop are stunning, and the jungle-like mountain landscape is just amazing. There are only 51 rooms. Colorful butterflies swarm around, accompanied by hornbill birds swooping down over your private pool. It is a natural paradise! I would give 10 stars for location, scenery, and beauty!
But paradise comes with swarms of mosquitoes! You basically get eaten alive. We chose to travel in mid-April because our guidebook and Six Senses told us it was the end of the dry season. So we figured: the season with the fewest mosquitoes. NOT!
The resort is lush and green—meaning: it probably rains a lot all year = lots of mosquitoes. And the resort is situated right next to a large Mangrove area (swamp).
I was even bitten by one of the black-and-white tiger mosquitoes (Aedes Albopictus). They bite any time of the day, even in broad sunlight.
Each table in their three restaurants is equipped with salt, pepper, and mosquito spray. Under each table, mosquito coils are also provided. So the resort does quite a lot to protect guests from these blood-sucking beasts.
One big issue though — and a serious warning: The mosquito spray is filled with alcohol. We didn’t know. So we used the spray and walked out into the sun. The alcohol dissolved the sunscreen we were wearing. As a result, our daughter got severely sunburned on her entire face and had to be treated with hydrocortisone. We did reapply sunscreen many times a day, but my daughter’s chemistry teacher later explained that alcohol on the skin keeps dissolving the sunscreen.
Suggestion for Six Senses: Please add a warning to the mosquito spray (“Do not use in direct sunlight”) and provide a full list of ingredients on each bottle.
SERVICE at Six Senses Yao Noi
All the staff are very friendly and polite. We have been to another Six Senses resort five times before and have had four different GEMs (GEM = Guest Experience Maker). Most of the staff at Yao Noi did a really great job. However, the GEM service didn’t work as expected. We’re used to seeing the GEM at least once a day at breakfast (or maybe dinner) to check in. At Yao Noi, we mostly ran into her by accident—on the stairs, on our way to the buffet, or to our room, etc. Most of our contact was via WhatsApp.
We do like that personal contact and making the best of our stay in collaboration with our GEM.
We had an excellent shared boat trip to Phi Phi Island and a free guided tour through the mangroves — both were really great.
Guide Buss, Captain Bao, Boatsman Mutti, and guide/beach manager Philip all did a great job.
FOOD at Six Senses Yao Noi
The Hilltop restaurant serves extremely basic food at sky-high prices. The price and quality are so far apart that it’s shocking. Cold seafood pasta, uncooked prawns, and soggy crispbread just aren’t acceptable for a resort of this level.
Suggestion: Hire a new chef and create a truly gourmet menu. The view is stunning, of course—but you can enjoy that all day. In fact, it’s best at sunrise.
The Nithan restaurant serves modern Thai food, which is delicious and more reasonably priced. Compliments to Chef Braden Reardon.
Our best dining experience at Six Senses Yao Noi, surprisingly, was buffet night! Wow —the food was delicious and well-prepared. The grilled lobsters were superb. The glazed duck and all the hot dishes were excellent. A truly memorable evening!
The main restaurant offers a mix of international and Thai cuisine. The food is good, and the quality and pricing are well balanced.
Restaurant manager Yaya did an outstanding job — perhaps the person with the strongest Six Senses spirit at Yao Noi! Frame and Bank also did a good job.
The BEACH
The sandy beach is nice—the water is not. It’s extremely murky. Fishermen harvest jellyfish right off the coast. When they remove them, small stingy pieces get scattered in the water, causing stings. A warning flag is up most days. Paddle boards and kayaks are free.
The ARRIVAL Service
Probably the poorest arrival service ever offered by a luxury resort. “Pay more money or sit on a non-existent bench in the arrival hall for four hours.” Don’t greet your guests in the arrival hall if you don’t plan to provide any service that reflects the resort’s standards.
ICE CREAM
Six Senses resorts are often loved by children for their free ice cream. At Yao Noi, there were only 12 flavors. If the quality of those 12 had been excellent, that would’ve been fine. But sadly, the quality was pretty terrible. The texture was “floury” and not creamy at all. It resembled wet sand when your sandcastle falls apart.
Suggestion: Hire a Sicilian ice cream chef to train your staff and invest in proper ice cream-making equipment. Also, create a welcoming ice cream parlor with chairs and tables where guests can gather and enjoy themselves. Consider transforming the bar area next to the reception into a large ice cream parlor—no one seems to use that bar anyway.
THE ROOM (Villa No. 22)
The room had the classic Six Senses decor and was absolutely stunning. It was large, spacious, with multiple showers and a huge bathroom. Even though the villas are built very close to each other along the mountainside, they feel extremely private and well-designed. Housekeeping was also good.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the view. It was nowhere near what was promised for an Ocean Pool Villa, according to the website photos.
The Spa
We all had massage treatments. The therapists were very skilled, but they didn’t speak any English, which made communication quite difficult. There are no showers at the spa, so when you leave, your clothes get stained by the Tiger Balm or oils used during the treatment.
The free yoga sessions were great, but unfortunately overcrowded. The yoga platform is beautiful with an excellent view, but the experience was disturbed by music and noise from the gym below.
Summary
All in all, a mixed experience. It’s too expensive for what you actually get — but the location alone still makes it somewhat recommendable.
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