Lom'Lae Beach Resort, Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

Location & Map

Lom'Lae Beach Resort

Lom'Lae Beach Resort is located on Koh Yao Noi. The island is between Phuket, Krabi and Phang-Nga Bay. It lies 42 kilometers south of the mainland of Phang-Nga Province. The bay has an area of 141,067 square kilometers, consisting of 44 islands. The two most important of these islands are Koh Yao Noi (Little Long Island) and Koh Yao Yai (Big Long Island).

Lom'Lae Beach Resort has many attractions yet maintains its natural beauty.

The warm and friendly people of the island lead simple lives by the sea. Along with fishing, occupations include herding, and rubber, coconut and cashew nut plantations. Not far from the coast of Koh Yao are many exotic islands that increase the beauty of Lom'Lae Beach Resort.

It lies 42 kilometers south of the mainland of Phang-Nga Province. The bay has an area of 141,067 square kilometers, consisting of 44 islands. The two most important of these islands are Koh Yao Noi (Little Long Island) and Koh Yao Yai (Big Long Island).

Map of Koh Yao Noi

Map of Lom'Lae Beach Resort

Koh Yao Noi

Koh Yao Noi, with 4000 inhabitants, is one of the largest islands surrounding Phuket. Its broad shape is a triangle of 10 km basis and 12 km high. Its sister - Koh Yao Yai - extends south of Koh Yao Noi. This twin Island is even bigger and wilder and offers wonderful spots for trekking.

A beautiful straight separates the two sisters: According to the legend this straight has been created when a gigantic Naga (mythical dragon) rushed from West to East to marry the Princess of Krabi. For centuries, the whole marine area between the Island of Phuket and the coast of Krabi used to belong to sea gypsies, each family establishing a home on secluded beaches during the rainy season and sailing the rest of the time from island to island.

Today's inhabitants of Koh Yao Noi are certainly related to these sea gypsies, but the main historical evidence show that ancestors of Koh Yao people migrated from the East cost of the Malay Peninsula about two centuries ago and did settle both on Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai.

These migrants, like all people of South Thailand, have mixed origins (Thai, Mon, Malay, Indian, Chinese). But the Malay background still prevails: people from Koh Yao still look very different from the majority of Thai people, they speak a particular dialect with many Malay lexical traces, there are skillful sailors and fishermen.

Nowadays, local activities are mostly oriented towards agriculture - rice, rubber tree plantations, fruit, palm oil and coconut plantations - and, obviously, fishing: One-half of the inhabitants dedicate to small scale fishing activities; Sea farms (fish, shrimps, shells…) have been well developed during the last decade. Traditional boat building is also to be seen. Tourism has not been developed on a large scale: Remaining on Koh Yao Noi is a unique opportunity to quietly observe traditional life styles and people genuine activities, and meet with welcoming people.

On the other hand, Koh Yao Noi did benefit the wealthy economy of Thailand and infrastructures development (roads, telephone lines, electricity, schools, hospital, administration center, post office). The Island remains a very natural, quite and easy place to live: Koh Yao Noi and its surroundings gathers in a short distance some of the most interesting things to be discovered in South Thailand, in one of the most beautiful location.