Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort and Villas

Our stay at Antanara Hotel Koh Yao Yai was truly wonderful and absolutely memorable. The journey to the hotel alone is already a highlight and sets the tone for a very special experience. From the very first moment, we were welcomed with genuine warmth and outstanding hospitality. A very special thank you goes to our personal host, Mr. Ayran, who was our dedicated contact person throughout the entire stay. We would like to express our sincere gratitude once again for his kindness, attentiveness, and exceptional hospitality. He made us feel incredibly well cared for at all times. The hotel itself is breathtaking. The entire property is beautifully designed, with lovely gardens, two excellent restaurants, and a very nice fitness center. We especially want to highlight the breakfast, which was absolutely amazing — incredibly delicious, varied, and a real daily highlight. We also very much enjoyed the dinners at the restaurants; the food was consistently excellent and highly recommended. The only small downside during our stay was the room category. Unfortunately, we had a family room, which we would not necessarily recommend for a couple, as it is located directly next to the children’s pool and the terrace is connected to that area. Sadly, there was no other room category available during our stay from January 30 to February 5, 2026. This is of course not a major criticism, but something future couples may want to keep in mind when booking. We also happened to visit at a time when there was mostly low tide during the day. However, this did not affect our overall experience too much, as the island can easily be explored by scooter, and there are other beautiful beaches nearby where you can swim. One of the absolute highlights of our trip was a longtail boat day tour, which was breathtakingly beautiful. We spent a lot of time snorkeling and had an amazing experience. We would also like to give special praise to our driver and our guide, Khun Saint, who both took such kind and heartfelt care of us. Their warmth and dedication made the trip even more special. Overall, Antanara Hotel Koh Yao Yai is a truly beautiful hotel that we can highly recommend. Despite the minor room issue, we had an amazing stay and sincerely hope we will have the chance to return one day.

Top Location with a nice beach eastorientated. Typical Anantara feeling and athmosphere. We had a pool villa at the lagoon. Top.

We recently stayed at Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas and while the property itself is stunning, the overall experience did not meet the standards we would expect from a 5-star luxury resort. The villa and surroundings are genuinely beautiful, and the beach is fantastic. From a design and setting perspective, the resort is excellent. However, the service across the resort was inconsistent and often below expectations. While our villa host Grace did her best to assist and was responsive when issues were raised, the broader service experience did not match the level you would typically associate with a luxury property. There were a number of small but impactful issues throughout our stay. For example, water was not provided at the poolside loungers as you would normally expect, and while we are more than happy to pay for premium bottled water, the standard bottled water listed on the menu was unavailable for the entirety of our stay. This felt surprising and avoidable, particularly given that even more remote resorts we have visited have not had such availability issues. Dining was another area where the experience fell short. The overall food quality was mediocre and not at the level expected of a luxury resort. In fact, we have had better Thai food outside of Thailand that was closer in quality and flavour to what we experienced in Bangkok and other resorts around Phuket and Krabi. We also encountered an issue with a children’s meal where a “hot dog” was served as minced beef shaped into a sausage, without this being explained or described on the menu. As our children do not eat beef, we had to order alternative meals but were still charged for both, which was disappointing. In the room, although well designed, we experienced maintenance and housekeeping issues. Plug sockets were not working, a light bulb had blown, and there were repeated inconsistencies with towel provision despite the room being set for four guests. Even after requesting additional towels, they were not consistently replenished during housekeeping. We had booked a lagoon pool villa, and while the room itself was lovely, the lagoon aspect was underwhelming. The view was of what appeared to be an artificial lagoon with brown water, which did not match expectations based on the marketing. We also experienced an issue with billing at checkout, where our included resort credit and GHA membership discount had not initially been applied. This was corrected quickly once raised, but it is worth noting as it required careful review on our part. Overall, while the resort has great potential and the physical product is impressive, the service, food, and attention to detail fall short of what defines a true luxury experience. Would we return? Probably not, primarily due to the service and overall experience. Would we recommend it to others? Not at this stage.

The resort is beautifully landscaped, and it’s clear the staff work very hard to maintain the grounds. The rooms themselves were lovely — clean, comfortable, and nicely appointed. The buffet breakfasts were also outstanding, and we had some very positive interactions with individual staff during our stay. That said, the overall experience did not quite feel as polished or as warm as we had expected for this price point. While the property is undeniably beautiful, the atmosphere at times felt a little stuffy and lacking in the relaxed, welcoming feel we were hoping for. Our lagoon villa was also somewhat disappointing in terms of the view. The photos on the website gave a different impression, whereas in reality the lagoon was quite brown and muddy-looking, which made it less appealing than expected. We also found it frustrating that children’s meals were not included with the villas, even though the villas are more expensive than the family suites, which do include children’s food. We did not find good value in the resort-organized activities, so we ended up booking boat trips through island operators instead, which worked out much better for us. Similarly, after a couple of disappointing restaurant experiences at the resort, we chose to eat at local island restaurants and had some excellent meals there. Overall, this is a lovely property in a beautiful location, with comfortable rooms and a standout breakfast, but the service and overall guest experience did not quite deliver the level of warmth, polish, and value we were expecting.

The place is beautiful and perfect for a truly relaxing stay. The staff are always smiling and provide excellent service. At the fitness center, Ohm, Nut, and Idriss are especially helpful and offer great guidance and support.