KHAO LAK (Page 1 of 2 - Go to Page 2)
We visited Khao Lak in December 2006 - we were very close to visiting in December
2004 and count ourselves very lucky that we couldn't get the flights we wanted
and landed up going to Cuba. The tsunami devastated the area and around 5000
people lost their lives.
We found Khao Lak to be a magical place with very friendly people, especially after what they have been through. It is somewhere that I am certain we will return to.
Baan Khaolak Resort, Nang Thong Beach (Khao
Lak Town)
This is one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed in and we have certainly
never taken so many photographs of a hotel room before! It was really gorgeous.
The whole resort is laid out in a very low key manner. It's luxurious without
being pretentious, and just has a really nice ambiance. There are several
different types of rooms, but they were all really nice. We initially tried
to book a superior room, but they were fully booked so we were offered
a good discount on a seaview villa. We certainly didn't regret that, as
the villa (R203) was just gorgeous. It's decorated in Thai contemporary style,
large with a king size bed, with a lovely seating area by the window, looking
out to sea, with a step up to a 2 cushion seat. There's a fridge with free
drinking water supplied daily and a TV. The door from the main room opens
to a large sink and dressing area with wardrobe, safe and cupboards, steps
down to a huge walk-in shower and a separate door to the toilet. There are
robes, slippers and big fluffy towels. Very impressive!
Considering the hotel had only been open since 1 November 2006 the grounds were lovely too, and will no doubt be even nicer as the gardens mature. There were always staff watering them, so they are obviously putting a lot of effort into this. The swimming pool was lovely to swim in and the beach restaurant was a nice place to have lunch (we didn't eat there in the evening). The bar was nice to have a cocktail while watching the sunset and the staff were all very friendly. There was a library room which had free internet access, and a small gym. We have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this hotel and we certainly hope to return here one day in the not too distant future.
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Seaview
Villa R203 |
Seaview
Villa R203 |
Seaview
Villa R203 |
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Baan
Khaolak Reception |
Baan Khaolak pool |
Baan Khaolak pool |
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Beach
at Baan Khaolak |
Sink
& walk-in shower Seaview Villa R203 |
Looking through
to bathroom in R203 |
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Superior
Suite |
Beach front villa |
Beach Front
villa seating area & view |
The hotel is located on the best section of Nang Thong
beach.
There are some nice comfortable beach loungers but watch out for some
people putting their towels out then not using them for a couple of hours
- happens everywhere! The sea was lovely to swim in too. It was nice
to go for walks along the beach but further along was much stonier. The
location of the hotel is also good for eating out at night or shopping.
It's on the edge of Khao Lak town and easy to walk to nearby facilities.
Some of the hotels in Khao Lak were a bit isolated and would require
a taxi to get into town, but we liked being able to walk everywhere.
Visit Baan Khaolak's website. If you book a room at Baan Khaolak after seeing this review, we'd appreciate if you'd let them know you found them on TravelJimmy.com - thanks! Click here to make a reservation at Baan Khaolak
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Baan Khaolak beach restaurant |
Main walkway to beach |
Seaview villa at night |
Baan Khaolak entrance |
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Other hotels to consider
We hired a car to explore the area and went to check out
a couple of other hotels that we'd considered. Both were based on Bang
Niang beach and although it's a lovely beach too, there was a great deal
of building work going on (December 2006) and not much around. We like
being able to walk into town for a meal or drink and the Baan Khaolak
is ideal for that. If you don't mind being more isolated, these two hotels
looked lovely.
La Flora Hotel, Bang Niang
While in Khao Lak we visited this hotel to have a
look around - we have not stayed here. La Flora is a beautiful
hotel with a large swimming pool, with jacuzzi, restaurant, nice grounds
and lovely rooms. The beach looks nice and there were mountain bikes available
which would be fun if you wanted to explore the nearby area. Visit La
Flora's website. If you book a room at La Flora after seeing this
review, we'd appreciate if you'd let them know - thanks! Click here to make a reservation at La Flora Hotel.
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Deluxe Studio Room
at La Flora Hotel |
Pool at La Flora |
Beach at La Flora |
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Entrance to La Flora |
Grounds at La Flora |
Seaview Villa at
La Flora |
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Ayara Villas, Bang Niang
While in Khao Lak we visited this hotel to have a
look around - we have not stayed here. Ayara Villas is a small boutique
resort, tastefully designed on a lovely area of beach. The rooms are
basic but clean and bright and the seaview rooms have lovely views. We
had lunch here and the sweet and sour chicken and chicken fried rice
were very tasty and excellent value for money. Good selection of food
on the menu too. The swimming pool and all except the seaview rooms are
across the road from the beach, restaurant and reception but the road
appears to be very quiet, so this should not be a problem at all. Ayara
Villas is owned by the same team that own
Duang Jai in Ao Nang, Krabi, which we
can thoroughly recommend. Visit
Ayara Villas website. If you book a room at Ayara Villas after
seeing this review, we'd appreciate if you'd let them know - thanks!
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Seaview villas at
Ayara Villas |
Room in Seaview
Villa at Ayara Villas |
Beach at Ayara Villas |
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Beach at Ayara Villas |
Swimming pool at Ayara Villas |
Patio and sea view
from Villa |
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More photos and information about Khao Lak