Santhiya Resort – John Collings

One More Day – Siam Summer

The view at night from the beach at the bottom of the hill at Santhiya Resort on Koh Yao Yai

I was supposed to be picking up my belongings, packing them into my suitcase, and getting on the speedboat to go across the bay and arrive at Phuket again today. But I am on summer vacation and there is no schedule that I need to attend to except enjoying myself. I have been enjoying myself so far on Koh Yao Yai and there are a lot of open hotel rooms out here for a good price. So why not stick around for one more day and enjoy all that this resort has to offer?

I did venture away from the top of the mountain and ventured to the restaurant that was opened by the beach and the dock which is where they dropped me off when I first arrived. The beach was completely empty due to the low amount of people staying at the resort at this time, and though it was inviting, it was a stark reminder as to what was going on in the world at this time. The building at the bottom of the hill that usually houses many people during their stay here was also abandoned. They were not getting enough business so it did not make sense to open up many different spots throughout the resort. Instead, they have put all of the people in the hotel buildings at the top of the hill nearest the infinity pool. But I do not know how much longer this is going to last until they are going to need to open up more of the resort. It kept getting busier every day that we have been here. Part of that might be because of it now being the weekend and people are able to get away right now, and it might be because people are feeling pretty safe right now and are willing to take that chance and travel.

Carving work that has been done on the pillars holding up the entry point from the pier when first arriving on Koh Yao Yai

Many of the places that can do so are taking advantage of this time of lower numbers at their location, and Santhiya Resorts is no exception to this trend. The buildings in the lower part of the resort that are not being used right now are seeing a lot of upgrades. There was a lot of evidence of construction that had been going on, and there were places where they were making unique carvings into the wood to help to add to the unique atmosphere of the place. It will just make it that more of a great getaway the moment the crowds finally do return.

The view of the sunset from the beach at Santhiya Resort on Koh Yao Yai

It is still strange to know that all of the amenities that are usually available are not here at this time. We thought we would be getting different menu options at the other restaurant, but they used the same menu, and the food was still cooked at the restaurant up the hill and then carted to the restaurant down below. All we did by going down the hill was change the scenery, but it was still a fun evening though we did not get to experience everything out here to experience. I still should not complain. I have found myself in the middle of paradise for a quarter of the price. I did not have to contend with the crowds that would normally be out here, and it has been so great that I decided to stay an extra day.

It has been a great part of this summer vacation, and I will have fond memories of here, but I am also excited to see what the next step will bring as I force myself out of my pool chair and to more exciting adventures.

Koh Yao Yai – Siam Summer

The infinity pool at the Santhiya resort

Koh in Thai means island, and there are a ton of places in the country that start off with that tag. In fact there are so many of them that it starts to get confusing as to which ones I am supposed to visit. So far, I have only been to three of them, and Koh Yao Yai is only the second one that I have been to since I moved out here a month ago. You would think that they would all be similar to each other. There would be a resort to go to, a bunch of restaurants to eat at, some kind of beach and a whole lot of relaxation. And even though all of these elements are present on each of the islands they all have different features that make them appealing for different reasons. Koh Samui has a town associated with it and there are a lot of people living on that island. Koh Samet is the quick little getaway close to Bangkok that gets really busy any time there is a long weekend in Thailand. They are both great for different reasons, but so far, I have been enjoying Koh Yao Yai the best.

It has a pool that I have been spending a lot of my time at and it has a beach even though it is not very big and I am planning on working my way down there today. But the thing that sets this place off from the other two that I have visited is the fact that it is super quiet. I am pretty that Covid has affected the amount of people coming to this island, but I do not think that it would have changed much if things were back to normal. First off, this island is located in the southern part of the country with the only way to get to it by taking a ferry from Phuket to here. It is not as easy to get to. Secondly, the island is not as built up as the other two that I have visited. There are two resorts that you can stay at if you decide to come here. I am staying at Santhiya, and even though it was a little more pricey than the regular ferry, I was able to take the resort’s private boat over to the location. It was worth the price because I could feel the stress melt away as soon as I got on the boat and the further away I got from the shore of Thailand.

One of the beautiful carvings found in our room

The place is absolutely beautiful. I have found myself in a tropical forest without the sounds of the city anywhere to be found. The weather has been gorgeous here as well. I know that this cannot always be the case, but it has been fun sitting by the pool and watching the clouds build up and dump on the land on the other side of the water while completely missing the place where I am staying right now. Everything is made out of teak wood including the transportation. Not all of it is custom carved because the art work that makes up the main buildings is too precise for this to be the case, but there is enough original artwork through the place that I am always surprised by what I am seeing. And when we first arrived at the dock and were being escorted to the car that would take us to our room, I saw that the pillars that supported the dock were being worked on at that moment by a couple of carvers to make a unique design for anybody that happened to come by.

Another view of the sunset on Koh Yao Yai

I have enjoyed all of the islands I have visited in Thailand so far, but I am especially enjoying the isolation and the relaxed atmosphere of Koh Yao Yai the best. I have also been lucky enough to have visited it at the right time. The price right now was one that could not be beat, and I do not know if I could have been able to afford it if I had come during the return of the tourist. I do feel lucky to have landed in the right place in the world for this pandemic and I am glad that I get to enjoy it safely while the opportunity is here.

Until the next time, be careful and stay safe.

It’s No Rayong – Siam Summer

One of my friends at the school I am working at probably would not like me mentioning the joke that we use now when talking about the places we visit. We make reference to one of the places we visited earlier in the summer when we talk about the place we are staying. We may talk about the beautiful rooms, the expansive pool, the gorgeous beaches, and the way it just calms the nerves yet never be satisfied because, “It is no Rayong.” Rayong is the city that sits across the from Koh Samet, and many people only visit it long enough to catch a ferry over to the island. It is a nice place, but it is the great vacation place that Koh Samet is. We spent a couple of days there waiting for the island to open up, and though we had fun, it was not a place I would go back to for vacation.

A view of the resort that overlooking the bay

The place I have ventured to right now is no Rayong, but it will do. It is a resort tucked on the island of Koh Yao Yai all by itself. It is a paradise. Everything is made of teak wood including the song tols and there is a pool that is a hundred meter walk from the door to my room that overlooks the bay and gave me a beautiful sunset to watch last night. It is a five star hotel and we are getting it for a steal right now because they are trying to attract any person to come out here and enjoy their time. They have been hit just as hard by Covid-19 as many other places in the world, and they are starting to get things running again, but are doing everything in their power to be extremely careful so they do not have to backpedal later.

She told me she was smiling for this picture

This is the reason that I am bringing up Rayong, and the lesson that can be learned from what happened their recently. It turns out that an ambassador’s daughter broke her quarantine early to go out and party with her friends at one of the bars in town. She later found out the she was infected with Covid-19, and now because of her inability to follow the rules, she has caused problems for many people. First, there is the group of people she exposed to the virus. Hopefully, they do not have any health concerns because of this, but no matter what, they will not be able to go back to normal life until they can prove that they are not going to affect other people and cause the disease to spread again.

The marina in Phuket that we had to visit to be taken over to Koh Yao Yai

Secondly, there is the town of Rayong itself that has been affected. The school have been told to close down until further notice. The businesses are going to also have to shut down, and even if they were willing to break that request, there are people who are cancelling their plans to the area so they won’t have the customers they would have had if the outbreak had not happened there. The island of Koh Samet is a great example of going through this problem. As soon as the news came out, many people cancelled their reservations, causing them to slip back into the slump that they were trying to get out of in this first place.

There are many consequences to someone be selfish and not doing what is asked of them. I know that this person was given a special privilege due to their prestige considering that most people who come into Thailand have to quarantine in certain hotels that are closely watched, but the rules are in place for a reason. This disease does not care about who you are or your social status or your political leanings. It does not care about international borders or what timely thing that you might be missing out on. It functions under the laws of nature, and all we can do is the right thing to make sure that we are mitigating any potential of this spreading further and causing more disruption to our daily lives.

We took our masks for a second so we could get a picture on our song tol made completely of teak wood

Life does not have to be miserable and we do not all have to live in our houses if we play it smart. I am lucky to be in a place right now that is letting me have a vacation during my summer months, and I appreciate that. But I know that there are some things that I need to do to make sure that my loved ones, those who I come across and I are all safe. It is as simple as keeping a certain distance from people, wearing a mask while out in public, and if I do get sick, not to go out and try to grab a little bit of fun because I am afraid of missing out on something. If we all do our part, we can all enjoy life until we can discover that vaccine that will keep everybody safe.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you stay safe and think of others around you as we fight this pandemic together the best way we know how.