Southern Thailand is a dreamy place and we were looking forward to exploring more of the island magic it has to offer. We got an incredible chance to stay at the Santhiya Resort and Spa on the island of Koh Yao Yai for next to nothing. Normally we would not be able to splurge on a place like this, but there were incredible discounts to boost tourism and bounce back from lockdown. Along with saving our money, we were also working on building up a nest of points with our credit cards during the pandemic. These points have paid for a lot of our lodging since we started this journey and ultimately paid for 3 amazing nights at Santhiya on a huge discounted rate. What luck!
Santhiya is an eco-luxury resort that has a private beach and pier, glorious saltwater pools, luxurious spas, phenomenal food, and incredible rooms. From the moment you check in you are treated like a celebrity and it all feels very exclusive. A private speed boat takes you and a few other guests from the marina in Phuket to the island. The ride from Phuket was only 20 minutes. The entire resort is dripping in teakwood covered in the finest traditional Thai carvings that enchant you from the moment you step off the pier. As I walked down the pier trailing behind everyone else I took in my surroundings. The view made me speechless. This was a place I had only dreamed about!
The resort covers a large area of the island giving guests an authentic experience and peaceful privacy. Because the resort property is so large, a shuttle is necessary. No guests walk anywhere or wait longer than a couple minutes to be taken to their desired location. The shuttle was an adorable songthaew decorated in the teakwood theme and it takes you up and down the winding, steep road that travels throughout the resort. We had to really hold on tight in some spots because it got very steep!
Each villa and room was built along the edge of the island and comes with a panoramic sea view. We couldn’t justify staying in a private villa with a pool but the room we were in was still incredible. No room here is less than spectacular! The moment we stepped into our room we were immersed in the beautiful fragrances of sandalwood and plumeria oils and the sounds of the khim, a traditional Thai stringed instrument. Everything was teakwood and white cotton and all the lights were a soft warm glow. The bed felt like it was made from the clouds in heaven. As I walked out onto the patio I nearly wanted to cry. A glorious bath tub sat in front of one of the greatest views I’ve ever experienced. There were intricate carvings outlining everything and all you could hear were the sounds of the jungle. It was a place fit for royalty.
The first thing we did was eat since we hadn’t all day! I ordered a Massaman Curry Pizza because Massaman Curry is one of my favorite Southern Thai dishes. The combination was delectable! I ended up ordering the pizza 2 more times throughout our short stay. After lunch we went for a swim in the pool. We chose to visit the waterfall pool first and it was impressive. The waterfall was huge! The pool was also lined with chaise lounges styled to look like longtail boats in a shallow section and I thought it was the most adorable thing.
We played like kids since we had the pool to ourselves and forgot about the rest of the world. The resort was very quiet with only a few guests here and there and it made us feel like we were something special. After drying off and relaxing in a private cabana, we went back to our room to watch the sunset from our patio. I took an evening soak in the bathtub and expressed my gratitude for this opportunity to live like a queen.
The next morning we took a short stroll to the breakfast area where we were greeted with a 10 minute neck and shoulder massage. A massage! It became my new favorite way to start the day. Santhiya offered anything and everything you could want for breakfast. The food was of the highest quality and we ate more than we should have. The view was breathtaking and we were graced with the beautiful sounds of the khim while we dined. I was still having a hard time getting over how fancy the whole experience of staying at a place like this was. I had to push away feelings of guilt and thoughts like “you don’t deserve to be here.” I just kept taking deep breaths and expressing gratitude.
We spent the day at the beach enjoying our cabana and we were all alone. It was the first time in a long time that I felt totally at peace doing nothing. We spent more time at the pool and on our way back to our room we got to see a man carving one of the columns that had recently been replaced. It was so neat to watch and he was very proud to have an audience!
Dinner was divine with strong drinks and some ridiculously good chocolate cake. A heavy rain storm rolled through and we got to delight in watching the folks who sat outside get soaked as they rushed to move to the covered area. The rain didn’t last long and it cooled the island off. I was a little nervous driving in the songthaew on the soaked steep road up and down to our room but we made it just fine. More storms were rolling in and I took my second glorious soak in the tub and just watched the lighting show out over the ocean and let the thunder soothe my soul.
The next day we splurged on a spa and massage experience. We were greeted with delicious tea to relax and ushered to a private room where we received a cool aloe body wrap and then a wonderful full body massage. While I laid on the table soaking in the aloe, my masseuse braided my hair and it was really special for me. Once we were done I felt like softened butter. Completely at ease.
It was finally time to explore the infinity pool and it became my favorite pool at the resort. The view was everything! It felt like we were swimming in the sky above the ocean. We played, we talked about future travel plans, and we soaked up the sun. It had been a perfect day. At dinner we were graced with another heavy rainstorm but it created an incredible sky full of pinks and purples. Lighting danced in the clouds and it was a magical sunset show.
After breakfast the next morning, we sat on the patio and enjoyed our view for as long as we could. I was so sad to leave but incredibly thankful that I got to experience a place like this. It was by far the most extravagant stay I have ever had and I would gladly stay at Santhiya again and again. We spent our last moments on the beach and reflected for a short time. Then we grabbed our bags and headed for the other side of the island. It was time to head back to our favorite spot in Southern Thailand. It was time to revisit Railay Bay!
