It's amazing what a difference a 45-minute boat ride can make. Yao Noi island seems a world apart from the honky-tonk of Phuket, just 45km away. This is a quiet island with a population of 5,000, mostly fishermen and farmers, and the Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi is in a superb location on a hillside overlooking a lovely coastline punctuated with jagged limestone outcrops. Most of the public spaces, including the all-day diner, bar and hilltop yoga platform, take full advantage of this stupendous vista. The 56 villas have been built to blend in with the cleverly landscaped grounds. Each is allocated a butler who will organise anything you wish, no matter how whimsical (sandbank dining on your wedding anniversary?) and each has a private wine cabinet and an outdoor shower screened by bamboo. The spa offers a full spectrum of indulgent treatments, and for poolside cool-downs there are 60 varieties of home-made ice cream and sorbet to sample.
WHEN TO GO
OctoberApril is driest and best for diving (Shark Point, an excellent dive site, is a 20-minute boat ride south of resort).
ROOM TO BOOK
The three-bedroom Hilltop Reserve if money is no object; or Villa 44, just below it, which has similar views and privacy.
55 Moo 5 Tambol, Koh Yao Noi, Phang Nga (00 66 76 418500; www.sixsenses.com). Doubles from 25,000 baht (about £415); Hilltop Reserve from about £7,800; Villa 44 from about £680
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