Villa Lydia, Koh Yao Noi

Villa Lydia, Koh Yao Noi is let as one property, so the whole villa is yours. It covers 415 m² across four bedrooms and five bathrooms, with a private entrance, air conditioning and a full kitchen, and it sleeps up to ten guests.

Guests can choose between several bed set-ups, and the villa has a private pool. A balcony or terrace and a garden give guests outdoor space, and free parking is available on site.

The villa has free parking and a full kitchen, with kitchen basics such as cookware, oils and condiments, plus a freezer, a microwave, an oven and a refrigerator. A BBQ grill and coffee or tea are also available, so guests can cook and eat in.

Outdoors, the property has a garden and a balcony or terrace. Indoors there is a bathtub, air conditioning, ceiling or portable fans, a sound system, cable channels, board games and a desk or workspace. Internet access is available.

There is also a crib, a high chair and children's books and toys, which guests travelling with young children will find useful, and the property has 24-hour security.

Koh Yao Noi is a quiet island in Phang Nga Bay, where daily life still revolves around its fishing villages and farmland, far from the resort strips of Phuket. The villa sits among those villages, so the surroundings feel local, with the sea close by. Haad Klong Jaak village lies right next to the villa. A stay here is mostly about that slower rhythm.

Sor Ngam beach, a viewpoint over the water, is 1 km off, and Haad Pasai and Ao Nui are the other villages close by. Thakow Waterfall is 2.6 km away, and Tha Kai Pier, one of the island's ferry terminals, is 4.1 km away. Each of these gives a different view of the island, from its fishing life to its waterfalls and open water.

A day out can take in Laem Had Beach, a sandy stretch on the island, and the Thakow Waterfall. Because the sea is the way in and out, the boat is the first and last part of any trip, since Koh Yao Noi has no airport. The villa makes a quiet base in between, with its garden, its private pool, a full kitchen and the BBQ grill for evenings outdoors, and the sea is never far away.