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Thailand Magazine – Koyao Island Resort
Changes are on a small island in the middle of the glorious Phang Nga Bay in Southern Thailand. Koh Yao Noi has, unit recently, been relatively unnoticed except by a few lucky travelers who happened to stumble upon it and experience the ambiance of the locals, the wonderfully unspoiled beaches and the beauty of being able to drive home with precious little traffic. The island is now changing and, thanks to handful of ambitious but environmentally-conscious developers… it’s just the start of what looks set to be one of the most desirable locations in the region.
A Man with A Passion For Views
What do you imagine would happen if you spun together some land on an ‘undiscovered’ island; two highly knowledgeable social anthropologists; a chance of meeting with a man who collects views and a sprinkling of magic from a friendly ghost?
Even in his wildest dreams, Markus A. Frey, Swiss banker and entrepreneur had not anticipated what would materialize from this rather unusual hotch potch.
What eventually grew from this little pot of gold was to put the ‘undiscovered’ island on the map forever – starting with the birth of a unique resort and moving on to offering foreign investors the chance to have a slice of the pie by purchasing homes here.
The establishment of Koh Yao Island Resort was to fashion a special sanctuary within the same landscape that existed when a traveling Frenchman bought the land here before.
Around 26 years ago, social anthropologist and acting Consul for France, Jean Boulbe bought the land where Koyao Island Resort now stands. He kept it as it was, visiting for picnics on occasions, until four or five years ago when his health was failing and he decided he ought to sell.
At round the same time the young, Peter Pan loving banker, Markus A. Frey, happened to be a party at the French Consulate in Bangkok and, over a glass of Chardonnay had reason to strike up conversation with Mr Boulbe . Frey was immediately take by Boulbe’s adventurous character and his extensive knowledge of South East Asia and quickly found himself revealing one of his passions in life. “The most perfect view …” he told Boulbe, “While other people collect classic cars or stamps, my hobby is collecting views.”
Boulbe offered to take Frey to Yao Noi Island the very next day and the dream began. Frey was overwhelmed by the charm and beauty of Boulbe’s land, the views out to the smaller islands in the bay bowled him over and he bought on the spot. Part of the deal however was that Frey honour an old man’s wishes and take on Boulbe’s student, Gearges Cortez, to oversee any development on the land.
Cortez studied Vietnamese, Laotian and Thai tribes and culture with Boulbe and had, at this stage, vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of the region. He also just happened to be an architect – just the combination both Frey and Boulbe were hoping for.
The three men (with the help of ghost don’t forget) have since fulfilled their dreams and, at the same time, have given others the chance to share in the magic. A heavy dose of love (and of course, a little investment) was involved in the creation of Koyao Island Resort and it shows in every inch of its lush greenery and classically simple style.
The resort was the prototype for what has now metamorphosised into a growing property development team and a small scale house building operation that is not only providing a selection of well- heeled Europeans with stunning holiday homes but that is also giving kudos to the island and creating jobs for residents.
Frey, always keen to adhere to Boulbe’s wishes, has ensured that the Frenchmen’s insistent environmentally-friendly approach prevails in all his development. He initially took his advice from Cortez who knows Boulbe well and understands the island and the surrounding region better than most foreigners here. Cortez, using his knowledge of Asian lifestyle and ancient architectural techniques, created in Koyao Island Resort a blueprint for what is going to become Koyao style.
While Cortez is now off setting up new projects (see related articles), Frey has teamed up with Swiss born partner Jean-Michel Germing and is developing an unusual niche in the fledgling property market on Koh Yao Noi. The ambitious pair have just taken on the mammoth task of a six sense managed Evason Hideaway Resort and spa right next to their current resort and have their firs resident living in a property that was designed using Cortez’ original ideas and combination of the client’s own.
Frey, who is CEO at Bank Frey, Zurich, applies the same philosophies to his development work on Koh Yao Noi as he does in his banking life. “You can’t have success with secret. Where we win is our comprehensive, long term approach to asset management,” he said. Indeed this shows through in his Koh Yao Proerty development (KPD) Projects where the customer comes first and all legal, taxation and home management issues are taken care of ’in house’.
N.B. The ‘friendly ghost’ is still taking care of the island at Koyao Island resort.
What’s Happening Now
Development on Koh Yao Noi
In the wake of Markus A. Frey’s original dreams for the island of Koh Yao Noi has come a little flurry of excitement and a generous sprinkling of new ideas being born. Frey’s partner Jean-Michel Germing came up with a plan recently for “purpose built” homes and it is so far proving to be a success. One European man has already bought land and a home on the island and two more are building at the time of writing. The highly motivated and worldly wise Germing has created a system where clients are very instrumental in the design of their new home. This year, Frey and Germing have also teamed up with a local landowner to open a world famous Evason Resort on Koh Yao – a move that will, without doubt, change this region irrevocably for the better.
Thailand Magazine recently met with Jean-Michel to discuss ideas:
How did the KPD project development from conception?
“A few years ago, my business partner Dr Markus A Frey gave birth to the concept of Koyao Island Resort and the place is so beautiful that we, and some of our guest, also wanted to have a little pied-a-terre here so we created Koyao Property Developers (KPD) to build on this remote but very accessible island,” said Germing. “We had a ‘base ’ in the resort and wanted to build around it, whereby client have access to all the facilities at the resort plus domestic services provided by the resort and rental agent possibilities managed by the resort if necessary,” he continued.
What made you want to expand?
“We have not yet undertaken any marketing for this project,” emphasized Germing, ”basically guests from the resort, friends and family have so far filled our order books and the trend is developing as we speak. This is a different league of real estate,” he said.
“We focus on custom–made housing where the client can bring in all their ideas and dreams. We are there to provide back and legal reassurance and then to design and assemble the home until complete so that everything fits in aesthetically, environmentally and also financially!”
How can you reassure you’re clients that their legal needs will take care of?
We have, in place on the island, our own Koyao Law office and we have ensured that everything the client needs – from land deed confirmation, contract management, immigration queries, opening a bank account and installing satellite TV are totally taken care of.” Said Germing. “Nothing is too big or too small for KPD. Clients like the hands on approach so we built our office right here on the island.”
Is it difficult to work with individual needs when building a house for clients? What if the client chops and changes his or her ideas?
On the contrary. It is a pleasurable experience and makes every project unique,” Germing enthused. “It is fun for the client to design his own home with a team of experts as opposed to ‘buying off the shelf’ and having the same property as your neighbor. It might take more time and effort this way but it is worth it when we see our client’s face on completion.”
What are your dreams regarding KPD for the future?
“Making our costumers our employees and the people on the island happy with what we achieve.”
Do you plan to sell real estates in other areas?
“We have already started our expansion on a virgin tropical island.
You will hear from us soon.
Koh Yao Today
How do you see the KPD projects affecting Koh Yao Noi as a community?
“We are helping to develop the island in an environmentally-friendly way and to encourage quality tourism. We only sell large land portions, use natural ventilation and use all natural materials such as thatched roof and bamboo fitting,” explained Germing “ As well as that we are helping to create long term jobs, something more than the traditional rubber and coconut tree farming on the island.”
Regarding the new Evason Hideaway Resort and Spa what made you choose the location?
“You only need to stand on the land and look to know the answer that question,” laughed Germing. ”The view is one of the most spectacular in the world and the best on the island. It is a true Hideaway!”
Why did you pick Six Sense (Evason) to manage your new resort?
We are working very closely with Six Sense on this project. We like their innovative style and environmentally-friendly ‘rustic chic’ as seen in their Soneva Gili in the Maldives as well as in the Evason resort in Phuket, Hua Hin and Samui. We are embarking on a new Evason concept with Six Senses called ‘Hideaways’ and the results will be apparent in about a year here on Koh Yao Noi,” Germing said.
Do you have final comments you would like to tell readers of this article who are interested in buying a property from you?
“If you are looking for a real tropical lifestyle on a quiet and relatively remote island but still want to be only one and a half hour from an airport… come and visit us at Koyao Island Resort and we will show u around a place where you can create your dream home.”
As well as Frey and Germing, other have started to realize the full potential of Koh Yao Noi as a dream destination. The architect of Koyao Island Resort, Georges Cortez is soon to open his own, very unusual designer resort here on the island. A perfect blend between all inclusive, top class services in a stunning setting and an almost back-to-nature approach when it comes to layout, Koyao Bay Pavilions is about to open its doors once again grace the island with a little gem of resort.
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