Phuket, Thailand

Thailand felt like the perfect honeymoon destination for us. Known for its beauty and exotic backdrop, we just knew that Phuket would give us chance to slow down after the whirlwind of wedding planning. We spent two weeks there in May 2025, splitting our time between Phuket and Koh Yao Noi (a small island just off Phuket), along with a mix of luxury stays and practical airport hotels either side of the trip.

Looking back, this balance worked perfectly. It was indulgent but not overwhelming, adventurous without being exhausting.

1 – Geology

The geology of the miniture islands just off Phuket look martian. The dramatic limestone cliffs and formations felt straight out of Avatar. We were fascinated to learn how the erosion of the sea has ‘eaten away at the rocks’ over thousands of years. We captured some out-of-this-world images of Thailand’s raw geological gems, you can read more about our this in our boat trip write up below.

2 – Cannabis outlets

We were blown away by the number of cannabis outlets on offer across Phuket, available and openly advertised on what felt like every street corner. Maybe it’s just their relaxed way of living, but not seeing this in the UK naturally stood out as something different. “Pass the Dutchie…yea maan”

3 – Mosquitos

The only down side of our holiday, was the dreaded mosquitos. But it was a big downside. I tried hard not to let them or the multiple bites ruin our honeymoon, though unfortunately they were a constant challenge, especially at Six Senses. We dowsed in DEET cream and even that wasn’t enough.

Hotel: The Surin (6-Night stay)

We spent our first full week at The Surin Phuket, and if we had to choose a favourite hotel from the entire honeymoon, this would be it. The standout feature is undoubtedly its location, set on a stunning private beach that felt peaceful, exclusive, and postcard-perfect. The sand was soft, the water crystal clear, and it never felt crowded. We found ourselves spending hours simply sitting, swimming, and taking it all in. 

There was a lovely atmosphere throughout the resort, the vibe was relaxed but not too quiet. The food was excellent, particularly the Thai restaurant on the beachfront. 

The resort’s location, set on a stunning beach, is a wow-factor. It really is as good as the pictures show, with soft golden sand and aqua blue clear waters (though waves do create sediment from sand displacement)

The Surin felt effortlessly luxurious without trying too hard. Everything worked, everything flowed, and it felt like a place designed purely for enjoyment and relaxation. 

Room/Beach hut:

Our room/beach hut was clean and pleasant, perfectly in-keeping with what you’d expect at a Thai tropical beach resort. I noticed some reviews on here mark the room decor down which I don’t agree with – if you’re wanting simple authenticity that sits perfectly in its surroundings then the rooms at Surin are an ideal fit. Those looking for shiny and bling accommodation might want to try a Dubai hotel instead. The housekeeping team were fantastic at keeping our room clean and tidy, topping up with aromatic candles and cookies at turndown for the ultimate treat. 

In-room touches

It’s the small touches that set The Surin apart. Not just fresh fruit, cookies and coffer. But good quality attire including flip flops, hats, fans and umbrellas/parasols too – we made good use of them all. 

Food

Sunset Restaurant – Thai Cuisine:

The on-site Thai restaurant (Sunset) offer a delicious array of authentic Thai cuisine, straddled between an onsite lake and the beachfront in the most perfect position for watching sunsets. Well perfect position if there are no clouds which unforutunatley wasn’t in our favour during our stay. The glass building, with a thai architectural design is stilted across the water and looks stunning by night. The traditional dishes on offer as shown in our collage below, demonstrate fine cuisine with exceptional quality. Our evening meals here averaged circa £100 including 1 or 2 drinks which is more than reasonable, particularly for the quality and atmosphere.

Sunset Restaurant – Italian Cuisine:

The sunset restaurant offering italian cuisine, also offers views of the sunset. In an elevated position, overlooking the pool and sea, this restaurant oozes ambiance. Although the food was impeccable, and perhaps just a personal view to critique this – but eating Mediterranean food in Thailand just didn’t feel as right as the delightful Thai restaurant. And for that reason only, we ate here just once. Circa £120 for a first-class meal for two which is very reasonable.

Poolside Dining

The final evening meal food option at the Surin is the poolside dining. But don’t be put off by the reference or positioning here. The food was still decent and didn’t feel at all like a typical ‘beach bar snacks’ option when the sun goes down. In fact, when darkness emerges, so does the tableware and ambient dining touches. We enjoyed our meal here and laid on the sunbed reading in the darkness to the sound of crashing waves after – quite heavenly.

Lomtalay Restaurant – Breakfast

Breakfast buffet, which is included in the stay, was good quality and offered a wide range of usual foods with a couple of chef stations for egg/omelette and crepes/pancakes.

The Surin resort complex

The resort is very unique, in what feels like beachfront yet set up into the hills! You’ll need a healthy pair of lungs to get around via the Sqid Games-esq staircases that span the entire complex. Not a problem for us but would take caution if going with anyone less mobile. The pool has black tiles which offers a very different look to a hotel poole but also creates an ultra-warm experience. As well as an on-site gym and library cum games room. The surin has all the amenities for a steady stay. The pool area is situated right on the beach and offers a delightful area to relax, with views across the ocean all day right through to sunset. A gentle, warm sea breeze offers a pleasant break from the high temperatures. The on-site gym overlooks the sea and is regularly topped up with drinks and fruit refreshments.

The Surin hotel’s private beach:

Our Surin top tips:

• take insect repellant as it’s not possible to sit outside in an evening without being bitten.
• prepare for a workout every time you leave your room as access to anywhere on the resort requires stairs.
• consider visiting the shops and restaurants just outside the resort for cheaper alternatives, particularly alcohol.
• for an extra special treat, try one of the restaurants at Amanpuri resort (next door), you can book this via The Surin reception team and you’ll get free buggy collection/drop-off. 

(Overall rating 93/100)

Offsite trips while staying at The Surin

Dining Trip to Hotel Amanpura

Disclaimer – we didn’t stay at Amanpura, but as next door neighbour, we popped across one day to dine and ate at the exquisite Japanese restaurant, Nama which follows Japan’s UNESCO-recognised Washoku tradition of cuisine, focusing on artfully crafted sushi and sashimi. 

This place is something else. The sound of a Khim playing in the hotels main square is the most relaxing, yet lifting experience.

Amanpura hotel complex communal area:

Nama – Japanese Restaurant

Utterly exquisite. High end, immaculate quality authentic japanese cuisine in the most tranquil of surroundings. This experience was up there with just a handful of my favourite lifetime dines. We even popped into the chefs table area to see where all the eastern mastercheffing magic happens.

Evening trip to Boat Avenue Night Street Market

We took an Uber to Boat Avenue Night Street Market, a recommendation from the Hotel Manager. The traditional market is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the streets are closed down at 7pm to facilitate a haberdashery of stalls and unique goods. The smells and sounds of the market, in the warm, humid temps was lovely. Worth a trip – not sure I’d be brave enough to buy and eat there though.

Hotel: Six Senses Yao Noi (6 night stay)

Our second week was spent at Six Senses Yao Noi, a stunning ‘eco-resort’ on Koh Yao Noi island which which was slightly more expensive than The Surin and very different in feel.

There is no denying how special this place is. Six Senses has a strong focus on sustainability and wellbeing, which really comes through in every aspect of the resort. From herb gardens and mushroom farms, to animals on site and fresh eggs you can collect for breakfast, it feels deeply connected to its environment. The villas are tastefully built using wood and thatched roofs, blending beautifully into the jungle landscape with minimal impact on nature.

The service was outstanding. We had our own GEM (Guest Experience Manager), Margie, who we could message at any time. She helped us book trips, reserve restaurants, and generally made sure everything ran smoothly. The GEMs are a really personal and thoughtful touch to what the resort has to offer.

Six Senses also places a big emphasis on wellbeing, with its onsite spa, gym and open-air fitness studio, Muay Thai boxing and healthy, nourishing, local food options

It’s the kind of place you leave feeling replenished and restored. In many ways, it reminded us of a Thai version of Center Parcs, albeit much more upmarket. It’s easy to see why celebrities and high-profile guests choose to stay here.

However, there were a couple of downsides for us. The resort is starting to look slightly tired in places, and the jungle environment inevitably meant mosquitoes, unbearably lots of them. Unfortunately, this had a real impact on our stay. Despite covering up from head to toe and using DEET constantly, we were both still badly bitten, which meant we couldn’t fully relax or enjoy the outdoor spaces in the way we’d hoped.

Room/Villa:  

A huge thumbs up for our room, or should I say, detached villa and grounds with pool! This self-contained mini-home was a cosy delight – dark inside, perfect little hobbit home. Considerate and tasteful to its surroundings, the villa was finished off with natural products inside and out. The glass floor to ceiling windows/sliding doors really brought a sense of being part of nature, was as though we were among the rainforest. We had a sunken bath overlooking the scenery, an open air shower and his n hers tasteful bathroom giving a nod to the both the sustainable and wellbeing ethos of the resort.

Food at Six Senses

The Lounge – for breakfast

The Lounge, by morning, transforms into the breakfast buffet and dining room. And what a splendid array of foodstuffs on offer. Not only do you have the usual breakfast fodder, but also a huge selection for international warm cuisine (if curries, stirfrys and spicy stuff is what you dig in the morning). They also have an entire section for those with specific dietary requirements (gluten, vegan, wholefoods etc) – the first morning we had three rooms to enter (including the ice cream parlour – but this was closed down due to it being low season so we couldn’t take advantage for the remaining five days.

The Lounge and Hilltop restaurants – for evening dining

We ate in the Lounge and at the Hilltop a couple of evenings – but were susceptible to the mosquitoes at both. That said, let me be clear, the food was still not to be sniffed at. We ate a mixture of dishes, from lasagnas and pizzas to samosas and jerk chicken. I can’t fault the quality or the ambience of either restaurant.

Nihan – Thai restaurant for evening dining

Nihan dining was for me the better option on Yao Noi, though we are self-confessed spicy food lovers, Thai food especially. But Nihan brings a traditional thai atmosphere to the dining experience. As though you’re eating in a treetop bench over a running stream in a rainforest. A couple of the evenings we dined were wet and the ambience of

Six Senses complex:

As I mentioned above, there was something a little Avatar about Thailand, and nothing displayed it better than Six Senses. Walking about the majestical forests, glowing lamps, sounds of insects chattering and warm wonderful air. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so at-one with nature.

Six Senses, inside the communal area

Inside the all on-site buildings you’re left with a sense of the outdoors in. That’s partially due to the building materials used, but also the display of the outdoors in. The gym overlooks the forrest, the spa is umberellad into the landscape and the den looks like one giant treehouse. I made good use of the gym and I partook in Batik painting – a nice chilled out afternoon in the sustainability lab.

Hilltop Pool

If the view from the Hilltop pool overlooking Phang Nga Bay isn’t the most delightful landscape I’ve ever seen, then it’s most certainly up there in the top five. By the pool is an under thatched roof structure – perfect for cover on those wet days! but also a welcome place to escape the sun. The hanger size building is a tasteful retreat offering chilled comfy seating overlooking the bay. The infinity pool is suitably insta friendly and we spent many hours on top deck lapping up all that this vantage point had to offer.

Hotel private beach:

The private beach is just that. Not practically accessible by anyone else on the island, it really presents a sense of robinson crusoe. The golden sands are like sugar and there’s something very sweet about this spot overall- the swinging love chair and open air cinema cement that.

Sustainability:

What sets Six Senses apart from most hotels is its commitment to sustainability. In Yao Noi, it’s more than a written statement on the website, it’s woven through the entire operation. Below I capture a snapshot of the livestock, the herb gardens, veggie plots and locals who work hard to ensure tourists don’t ruin their home. For the sustainability side of Six Senses alone – I’m going to give a full 10/10, a score I’ve never given before, but that’s quite fitting as I’ve never experienced this at a hotel before. Well done Team Yao Noi!

We loved Six Senses for what it stands for, but the little niggles mentioned above took that shine off.

Six Senses. Our Six Senses top tips:

• take insect repellant, long trousers and scarves as the resort is rife with mosquitos – early morning and after sunset is when they’re mos prevalent.
• make use of the free onsite buggies, there are plenty of dialling points dotted across the complex, otherwise you can be taking some strenuous uphill jaunts in the boiling temps.
• consider booking some of their excursions – you’ll see in our write-ups below, we did the James Bond and Island Tuk Tuk tours – both of which were fantastic.
• make use of your GEM and be sure to tip kindly afterwards. The staff here are primarily Thai nationals who work incredibly hard to give tourists a memorable experience. 

(Overall rating 89/100)

James Bond Island Tour, featuring Koh Pan Yee

Our first excursion was a long tail boat trip to James Bond Island and the floating village of Koh Pan Yee, with stops at caves along the way. Our tour guide, a young teenage local, completely made the trip. He shared fascinating insights and guided us through each of our stop-off destinations. Cost of excursion £295 for circa 4 hours.

We explored caves filled with bats and ancient human paintings, which added a sense of history and mystery to the day. The limestone formations rising out of the water were incredible — jagged, dramatic, and almost unreal. It genuinely made us wonder how landscapes like this formed, and how early life on earth must have looked.

Caves and ancient art

James Bond Island itself was visually striking but extremely busy. It felt overrun with tourists (including us!) which conflicted with the image I had of it being a peaceful and untouched haven. In addition, the beachfront was lined with pop-up stands and the pressure to buy souvenirs was borderline uncomfortable. We ended up buying a plastic James Bond gun, just to stop the cajoling, though made good use of it for a photo shoot, mimicking the ironing bond pose.

James Bond Island

The real highlight, though, was Koh Pan Yee. the floating village where an entire community lives on the sea, complete with schools, football areas and local businesses. Seeing how people have built and sustained life on floating structures for generations was humbling and unforgettable.

Koh Pan Yee – floating village

This trip gave us a real sense of classic Thailand, and we both absolutely loved it.

(Overall rating 89/100)

TukTuk tour of Yao Noi

Our second excursion was another highlights at Six Senses was a Tuk Tuk tour of Koh Yao Noi, which gave us insight into everyday island life beyond the resort. The island is predominantly Muslim, yet it felt like a place where people of different religions live peacefully side by side. We visited the village centre and saw the workings of the mini island including way of living and way of earning. Cost of the tour £70 for circa 2 hours.

Yao Noi island’s production and sustainability

The industrial and commercial side of the island include rice paddy fields, rubber trees being harvested, and a surprising variety of fruit including pineapples, dragon fruit and durian. Our tour guide was fantastic, incredibly knowledgeable and attentive. When he noticed our interest in the rubber trees, he stopped to explain the entire production process in detail, which made the tour feel personal and engaging rather than scripted.

Island’s deprived neighbourhoods

As we drove through the island in the three wheeler, we couldn’t help noticing that some areas felt quite “third world”, with shack-style homes often built on stilts (something we were curious about), but this only added to the authenticity of the experience.

We loved this tour and would highly recommend.

(Overall rating 89/100)

Nature everywhere

Having nature everywhere is just part and parcel of Phuket. The vibrant tropical plants, intense colours, and plenty of reptilian creatures. We captured a few in our collages below

Creatures of Phuket

Exotic plants of Phuket

Honeymoon touches

Honeymooning is only something we get to do once (usually!) in our lifetime and so to be made to feel special was just an incredible bonus. From turn down treats in the room, 3-course romantic meals to cards, flowers and fizz! We were well and truly spoiled.

Airport hotel stay: Sugar Marina Hotel

As we had a late evening landing and early morning take off, we decided not to put delays to chance and booked a two night stay in a local airport hotel close to Phuket International. Sugar Marina Hotel was just perfect. It was clean, noise-free, air conditioned and for £45 an unexpected bargain. A big recommend if you’re flying into the late or early hours.

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Date of visit: 2 May to 18 May 2025