Mayalay Resort-Green Hotel

Omg where to begin. We LOVE this place! My husband and I are four months into 18 months of travel, and finding Mayalay Resort and Koh Ngai has been one of the absolute highlights. We came here for four nights at the start of our time in Thailand and loved it so much that we returned for 8 more a few weeks later. And we could easily have stayed a month but 8 nights was all that was available with the high season kicking off in November. This island is as close as you can get today to 80s and 90s Thailand, the beach is beautiful, the water blue and clear. There are no hotels or large resorts, no motor vehicles or 7-Elevens. It is heaven with such a relaxed chill vibe. Ngai doesn’t have a permanent population so as a result is much cleaner than any other island we have visited so far. The staff at Mayalay are amazing (special call out to Oscar & Yan who looked after us so well and are worth their weight in gold and the Manager AJ), the food is fabulous and the huts are super comfortable with all that you could possibly need. Be sure to book in for a massage too. The stretch of beach Mayalay is situated on is also definitely the best on the island (the northern end is quite impacted by the tides). It has a few neighbouring bars just to the north that are worth a visit too. We will miss our Sangsoms at sunset. We are already talking about returning the same time next year and will definitely be staying at Mayalay again if we do. 6 stars from us guys! Thank you so much for having us.

I love this hotel because of its location and friendly staff. I have been here twice, I just love the island and vibes. I prefer the hotel, because it has a best location in the island in my opinion. There are still some things that need to get improved, fx bungalows are bit tired, but still cosy enough. The staff is also very nice and helpful. I feel very safe and relaxed here.

This is our favorite place to go to when we’re in Thailand. The island is very quite and calm and very beautiful. The resort is nice, has bungalows on the beach. The restaurant and reception is really cozy and they serve very good food. They have sunchairs at the beach and you get beachtowels. The staff is very nice and helpful. We will definitely go back here again. The only things that needs improvement is the wi-fi and the bungalows needs some renovation.

This is a fantastic resort. It’s simple but nice and clean. The staff is really friendly and they can speak english. The part of the beach down the resort was the best part of the beach on Koh Ngai. The food was good but the breakfast could offer more option to vegans and vegetarians. We want to go back!

A stay in paradise Lovely stay in paradise with the beach just outside the bungalow.

Absolutely a tropical paradise - with a couple of exceptions. The customer service is amazing and first rate service as soon as you arrive. The snorkeling trip with Mark was the best thing we did in our month in Thailand and I highly recommend it! The cabanas are very comfortable; although the mattress is rock hard. Fresh seafood is delicious! In hindsight, I would have just rented a garden view instead of the sea view for the cost since all of them are just steps from the beach and not worth the extra cost for the sea view. I do have a couple of recommendations though: STOP BURNING TRASH!!! This is completely unacceptable and the noxious fumes you are creating is poisoning your guests and the environment. Unfortunately, all the resorts on this island do this archaic practice and the smell is unbearable. There is also a large unregulated garbage dump along the trail to the other side of the island that needs to be cleaned up. Second recommendation is for the resort to use biodegradable cardboard straws. There is no place for plastic in a paradise like this. Lastly, stop anchoring the boats in the very sensitive sea grass and reefs. If you want to protect this island, these practices must stop immediately. I would have gladly of paid extra for my stay if I knew it went towards preserving this unique and beautiful location. With all this being said, it is a breathtaking (no pun intended with the burning trash) experience and far less tourists than on other islands.