The morning road trip up Phuket Island from Chalong was torrid and time-wasting so when the speedboat transfer from the Yacht Haven to Paradise and TreeeHouse Villas on the northern tip of Koh Yao Noi blasted off into the miasma of mid-morning heat, the collective feeling of relief and escape from the stress of today’s Phuket were palpable.
Just under an hour later, we swept past a vaulting, iron-stained limestone karst cliff and into the shallow bay upon which the aptly named Paradise Resort stands, with the stunning newly-opened TreeHouse Villa next to it. It was a “Wow” moment for sure as our boatload of happy passengers collectively took in the dramatic scene before us.
Paradise Resort has been a renowned beautiful escape from Phuket since it opened in 2004 and actually lives up to its highly aspirational name without any hint of exaggeration. The owners recently expanded their slice of paradise with the adjacent John Underwood-designed TreeHouse development, comprising two-storey villas set on sky platforms, each one with its own decking, private Jacuzzi and magnificent views across Phang Nga Bay’s ancient limestone karst topography, made world famous by the James Bond movie classic “The Man with the Golden Gun.”
The two resorts sit embraced within a stunning amphitheatre of old-growth rain forest, bracketed by towering, ancient limestone karst cliffs. Here the air is pure and well-oxygenated and as a result, the deep breathes and attandant smiles seem to radiate naturally from guests and staff alike.
We met our host, Marc Landgraf, dropped our bags in our TreeHouse villa and were soon on our way with new Trek mountain bikes supplied by the Resort’s Activity Centre down Koh Yao Noi Island on a bumping speedboat.
The helpful and friendly locally-recruited staff members dropped us at Thakhao Pier for the start of our 20 kilometre ride around the island. We pedaled south along the mainly flat and noticeably quiet beachside road, enjoying the fresh clean air and abundant shade of the fringing trees. Beguiling ramshackle wooden cafes and bars beckoned us, offering fresh coffee and Thai delicacies, but we stuck with our ride enjoying the enlivening feeling of stepping back in time and sanity to a more authentic version of Thailand than seems to exist back on Phuket these days. Smiles and friendly Thai greetings were everywhere as we passed little homes, flower-bedecked and proudly maintained, often with sleeping cats on their porches. Almost all the doors stood open to the island’s breezes, even though no-one was around, a strong testament to the close sense of community and trust which characterises the Muslim villagers on the island.
Cresting a hill, we almost crashed into a couple of black and white goats lying in the middle of the road such is the traffic density in these parts. These denizens of Hades elected to clop along just ahead of our front wheels, neck bells clanging, for about a hundred metres, before finally figuring out that a sharp left turn into the safety of the rubber trees was needed.
Skirting a hillside of terraced paddies hosting a convention of silently munching water buffaloes, we came to a village school disgorging its boisterous contents of happy children. Here we had a ten-year-old sister collecting her five-year-old brother on their sixteen-year-old brother’s Honda Dream, any road laws that might apply being summarily ignored in the heat of expediency. Both under-age speedsters were clad in perfectly pressed scouting uniforms, presumably heading off to some campfire jamboree and singsong. A motorcycle and sidecar overtook us loaded with perhaps ten further acolytes of Lord Baden Powell, almost knocking us ditch- wards with a happy greeting of “hello farang”.
More roadway indecision took us on a snaking course past the village police station where the boys in brown (or actually in lurid boxer shorts in this case) were out front on the grass contesting a fierce game of takraw, so onerous is the crime scene in Koh Yao Noi.
We cycled to the other main Manoh Pier with its lovely views across the waters to Koh Yao Yai island just a short ferry ride away. Onward through the little main town, then up the west coast of the island and so back ro Thakhao Pier to complete our island loop after three hours of very enjoyable riding including a couple of stops for beachside coffees.
The Paradise speedboat was awaiting us as arranged and in no time we were back on their fabulous east coast beach, supping cold post-ride drinks and thinking about the sumptuous lunch we felt we had earned. It is reassuring indeed to know that such delightful cycling is still available, just across the waters of Phang Bay and so close to Phuket, and that such well-named resorts as the Paradise and TreeHouse Villas offer such an endearing taste of “Paradise” as part of their Activities Program.
“Bicycling” Baz Daniel fell off his first bicycle aged three... a case of love at first slight. Since then he has spent a further 65 years falling on and off bicycles all over the world, but his passion endures. When not in traction, he found time to become Senior VP of the world's largest advertising and communications group, finally retiring to Phuket in 2006. He has been penning his Blazing Saddles column, chronicling his cycling adventures in Phuket and beyond, since 2013.