Six Senses Yao Noi Part 4: Spectacular Longboat Excursion to the Islands, Songkran - the Thai New Year, and what makes Six Senses so Unique

Saying that Yao Noi is beautiful is like saying that Apple makes a good telephone. After looking out at this scene for a couple of days, it was time for us to venture out on a longboat ride to visit the islands facing Yao Noi. There is no shortage of boat types in Thailand but 2 of the more common specimens are the high speed, high horsepower, modern speedboat, and the much slower, less modern, Thai longboat. The high speed boats are fun; we cruised at 30 knots to go diving at Shark Point, for example. But to cruise around the limestone islands facing Yao Noi,  a longboat is an excellent option. Six Senses had outfitted this one with a mattress and cushions on the bow. The result was a boutique-hotel-esque bow in front of a small cabin - and a giant exposed engine mounted on a rudder-like extension in the back.

If you play the video, you will see just how calm the water is around Yao Noi. This video was taken at about noon - and the entire sea is glass.

While the engine in the back looks ominous, it was barely audible while seated in the front on the boutique-hotel-esque mattress.

It was a glorious trip. Our first destination was Ko Hong - the largest of the limestone islands in that area. As we approached the ridge towering above us, our guide on the boat directed our attention down and into the water. At first we could not make out what he was pointing out - a big pinkish blog - yes, it was a huge jellyfish. I have seen a lot of jellyfish in my life, but this was something out of a National Geographic special. It was exactly what you are picturing - a massive, pinkish, translucent, bulb with tentacles spreading out below. As we putted along the side of the island, we spotted another one - even bigger. And then another. And another. And then, a few minutes later, and after having seen many of these huge jellyfish, the guide said, "OK, it's time for us to go snorkling." Karin and I were both thinking, "Um... Snorkling? We just passed 10 giant jellyfish!"

We pointed into the water and asked why anyone with any sense would choose to abandon their 4-year-old son and jump into giant-jellyfish-infested water.

"No problem," said our guide, and handed us our masks, snorkels, and fins.


Mama is a very level-headed, no-nonsense, physician. And papa is an attorney - as in conditioned to be averse to anything that approaches negligence, recklessness, or even just lacking in reasonability. So of course we... put on our equipment and jumped in.

I don't think it was as bad a decision as I make out. First of all, the guide does this every day. And he works for Six Senses. So the chances that there was any danger were pretty slim. Plus he was in the water leading us. On the other hand, we were stung by something... not one of those giant jellyfish - but maybe some tiny ones.

In the end, it turned out to be a murky day down below and there was not much to see. We snorkled for about 10 minutes and then climbed back into the boat with APL - who was having a great time hanging out with the captain.

We then continued on our way, stopping at a beautiful white-sand beach on the far side of Ko Hong, and then continuing to some of the other islands in the area.

Highlights from the longboat tour included seeing monkeys and swimming in a gorgeous beach area adjacent to one of the smaller islands. In all, it was a spectacular tour and we would recommend it to anyone in the area.

Songkran - the Thai traditional New Year

Our visit to Yao Noi also happened to coincide with the celebration of Songkran, the Thai traditional New Year. The traditional Buddhist components of Songkran include paying respects to elders and to Buddha. The more contemporary celebration of Songkran involves everyone in the country arming themselves with water guns, water canons, water hoses, and anything else that can be used to project large volumes of water - and then launching that water at everyone and anyone.

The celebration at Six Senses started off with a ceremony in which a clay-like substance was rubbed on our faces. We then gently cleansed a Buddha with water scented with a Thai fragrance. Thereafter, the elders were honored with water being poured over their hands. And finally, there was a massive water fight. Everyone grabbed water-guns and buckets and began to drench each other. It was fun. But it was not quite the frenzy that we had read about taking place in some parts of Thailand.

A couple of days later, when we were in Bangkok, we saw many people armed with massive bazooka-sized water canons, finding the biggest water fights possible. But this particular water fight was perfect for us.


That evening, we dined at the Hilltop Reserve. Every evening a restaurant is set up at the Reserve - a stunning dining venue.




Overall Impressions


We have stayed at some superb properties on this trip, including the Park Hyatt Sydney, Amankora in Bhutan, and Trisara in Phuket. But Six Senses Yao Noi stands out. Six Senses has created something unique in the travel industry - an integration into nature that is remarkable, without compromising anything in the way of comfort. It is magical, for example, to wake up in complete luxury, step outside into intense nature at its most spectacular, and to slip into your own secluded infinity pool, overlooking a mesmerizing sea view. And that's just waking up.

Six Senses Yao Noi is prime bucket-list material.




Links to our Six Senses Yao Noi experience:

Six Senses Yao Noi Part 1: Spectacular Speedboat Ride from Phuket

Six Senses Yao Noi Part 2: Arrival in Beautiful Yao Noi and an Incoming Tsunami

Six Senses Yao Noi Part 3:  Beauty, Indulgence, Privacy, and a ~Zero Carbon Footprint

Six Senses Yao Noi Part 4: Spectacular Longboat Excursion to the Islands, Songkran - the Thai New Year, and a what makes Six Senses so Unique