Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas invites guests to renew and recharge, immersing in the healing touch of nature with its new five-night wellness retreat inspired by Traditional Thai Medicine and the elements.
To step foot onto Koh Yao Yai – Thailand’s last unspoilt island, lush with flora and fauna – is to find release, to leave the worries of the everyday behind. Named one of TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2025 and among the Top 15 Resorts in Thailand by Conde Nast readers, Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas is a cocoon of peace hidden away from the world. Verdant, tranquil and unfolding over a kilometre of golden coastline with the iconic limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay on the horizon, the setting immediately inspires stillness within. And in its luxurious Wellness Lagoon Pool Villas, set back from the rest of the resort and surrounded by resident water buffalo grazing at will, guests can enjoy all-enveloping retreats that restore harmony to body and mind.
Each guest’s journey begins with a consultation with the resort’s traditional Thai medicine practitioner, who, based on a physical examination and detailed health history, determines their dominant element, whether earth, wind, water or fire. Then, according to the individual’s heath needs and goals for that stay, the practitioner will draw up a personalised schedule of wellness treatments and activities that bring their elements back into harmony.
These are arranged by a dedicated villa host, who also ensures the minibar is stocked with healthy snacks, herbal infusions and fresh fruit, and that thoughtful touches such as a lavender mist and eye mask await each evening at turndown.
Tranquil days may begin with a sound bath and breathwork out on the sundeck, followed by a one-on-one muay Thai session or aqua aerobics in their private pool. Daily treatments are enjoyed within the villa’s private treatment sanctuary, exploring the therapeutic yet soothing effects of ancient Thai treatments, massage, acupressure and herbal remedies. Sacred fire therapy, for example, practised only by a handful of experts across the kingdom, draws out impurities and releases blocked energy, providing immediate relief. Tub moh gleua, or salt pot therapy, meanwhile, utilises a heated concoction of sea salt and medicinal herbs to increase blood circulation and detoxification all over the body, particularly in the abdominal area.
The wellness cuisine on offer is equally restorative, with a carefully designed menu of dishes that nourish, detoxify and calm, drawing heavily on nature’s gifts of leafy greens, whole grains and fish fresh from local waters. Signature dishes include the Buddha bowl with vitamin-rich, seasonal vegetables; cauliflower soup spiced with turmeric, known for its anti-inflammatory properties; and baked salmon, high in omega-3, served with quinoa and wild herbs. Meals can be enjoyed under the stars out by the pool, or on a remote stretch of windswept beach.
In between activities, guests are invited to soothe the soul bird watching, with binoculars and a guide provided, and the surrounding flora teeming with native oriental hornbills, junglefowl, the occasional sea eagle, as well as bushy-tailed squirrels frolicking in the treetops.
“At Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas, guests enjoy a slower, more natural pace of life, one that inspires renewal while also being among the most luxurious of experiences”, says Stuart de San Nicolas, General Manager. “With every detail and every moment of their stay carefully curated for their wellbeing, they return home renewed and revitalised.”
Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort & Villas can be reached in just 35 minutes by speedboat from either Phuket or Krabi. Wellness Lagoon Pool Villa retreats begin at THB 39,600+++ per couple per night, inclusive of half-board dining, one in-villa breakfast, THB 2,500 resort credit, one 90-minute spa treatment each and roundtrip airport transfers. Guests may also benefit from additional wellness inclusions such as a daily 30-minute wellness treatment, a daily 50-minute private elemental movement class and evening turndown amenities.
