PHUKET: From the high ceilings of the grand lobby to the intricate carvings on the furniture, the newly-opened Santhiya Resort and Spa on Koh Yao Yai is best described a teak palace.

Chosen for its durability, the golden teak wood that adorns the hotel adds an extra touch of splendor to its already spectacular setting on Yao Yai beach.

The resort's owner, a specialist in wooden furniture and gazebo design, is the mastermind behind the architecture and landscaping of this luxury hotel.

Santhiya is deserving of its Thai meaning, ''natural beauty''. All the rooms have a view of the ocean and surrounding islands. From the resort's wide deck, guests can step out onto the fine white sand of Yao Yai beach. Lush forest cradles the hotel from the eastern side.

Traditional Thai design is part of Santhiya's philosophy.

''When people come to Thailand they want to experience the Thai style,'' says the resort's Deputy Managing Director, Danny K Sukomol.

Decorations and ornaments around the resort are handmade, supplied by different communities across the country.

''All the products here we are using are from local communities. In Thailand we call that Otop - one district, one product.''

Santhiya commissioned a small village in Koh Samui to make the shell chandeliers. The large doors to the walk-in dressing room of the Ocean View Pool Villa Suite were sourced from central Thailand, as were the pure silk runners on the beds. The futon cushions come from Chiang Mai.

Recycled materials have been used cleverly. The roof of the pool suite is made from reclaimed wood from railways and old houses. Inside, the ceiling is made from teak scraps.

It's a pleasant 20-minute journey to Koh Yao Yai from Phuket using one of Santhiya's two speedboats.

With an increasing number of international airlines offering direct flights to Phuket, Santhiya is ideal for those looking for a tranquil getaway but with the convenience of an airport nearby.

It's a 50-minute drive from the moment guests are greeted at Phuket airport to when they arrive at the Royal Phuket Marina from where Santhiya's boats to Koh Yai Yao depart.

The resort opened this month, on the auspicious day of 12.12.12. It's a staggered opening with more rooms and features of the hotel opening between now and this time next year.

As of December 2012 there are six pool villas, one restaurant (Chantara, meaning 'beautiful moon'), a fitness center and spa that offers Thai massage and Aromatherapy.

In addition to the villas' private pools, the resort has a main pool that features a 50-metre high cascading waterfall.

Guests have access to kayaks, complementary WIFI, as well as tours and excursions of nearby areas.

The 150 square metre Ocean View Pool Villa Suite has a bedroom which opens onto a private pool, a living room with a futon that turns into a sleeping space for children, and a walk-in dressing room.

The private infinity pool varies in size from 35-55 square metres, depending on the landscape and terrain of the individual suite.

A highlight of the room is the enormous bathroom, which features both an indoor and outdoor section with an open roof (the walls are very high so privacy is never an issue).

Danny Sukomol says Santhiya's owner searched for nearly a year before finding this spot on Yao Yai. It stood out because of the 1.2 kilometres of white sandy beach that allows for swimming all year round.

Santhiya Yao Yai follows in the footsteps of Santhiya's first, award-winning resort at Koh
Phangan.

An Ocean View Pool Suite starts at 18,000 baht during the high season, and 20,000 baht during the Christmas-New Years peak season.

Sophie Brown, a journalism masters student at the University of Hong Kong, is currently an intern at Phuketwan. She is a former communications officer at the anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International.