Guest reviews The Sands Khao Lak By Kata Thani Resorts

by uk_pathfinder Castle Bromwich, United Kingdom

Great hotel on the beach

Visited with my wife as the first stop of a four centre holiday in Thailand. Staff very welcoming and friendly. Room was large with a large balcony overlooking the central lake. Breakfast in the floating market restaurant was very good with loads of choice. Also went to one of the buffet evenings and ate at the manta ray restaurant. Food excellent in both and not too pricey. Drinks quite expensive but all bars have happy hours at various times. This was really two hotels in one with a large pool area aimed at families and a completely separate pool area aimed more at adults. Restaurant also divided into family and adults only areas. Did not use what looked like a very well equipped gym as I preferred to take early morning runs along the beach which is accessed directly from the hotel grounds. Would highly recommend this excellent hotel.

by Salcheltenham Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Excellent in every respect

We stayed here last April and returned, which isnt always a good idea. However, the hotel was even better. The facilities are exceptional, brilliant gym (opens at 0600), great rooms, exceptionally comfy beds, loads of sunbeds and everything is really well maintained. The regular painting and room maintenance programme is clearly ongoing all the time, as all rooms were immaculate and many were being refreshed. The staff are really wonderful. I cant say anything negative at all (other than the drinks outside happy hour are expensive - ie over £2 for a small bottle of water). Fresh wonderful bedding, towels, beach towels, tea/coffee & water and bathroom amenities provided daily, even provide some washing powder to freshen up little bits. Great location, brilliant places to eat nearby with loads of choice, but the food in the hotel is also exceptional - highly recommend the Talay restaurant on the beach side..

by 341lucym Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Best resort we’ve stayed at !

Absolutely cannot recommend this hotel enough. We have been to Phuket several times, always staying at Kata and Karon. This year, we decided on staying at Khao Lak, given it was only us two adults and our 7 year old, and deciding we wouldn’t miss the nightlife too much. Absolutely beautiful place, plenty enough nightlife (and happy hours) for us this time around. Sellers aren’t as pushy as Phuket ... felt safe as anything walking around at night alone. Hotel is spectacular... absolutely nothing I could fault. Free buffet breakfast the best we’ve seen. Pools are beautiful - plenty of deck chairs to choose and pools (with 2 swim up bars). Happy Hour each afternoon at sunset in the coconut bar (thb110 cocktails - approx aud6 each) not to be missed. Could not fault a single thing about this resort. Staff are super friendly - didn’t encounter one rude / disinterested staff member in our whole 10 days ..... massages in the Sala near the beach are awesome - best massage I’ve ever had. Seriously, if I had to complain about something, it would only be that on booking, I wish we were told that 10 days wouldn’t be long enough! We are going home in a few hours, and already thinking of ways we might be able to stay longer ! Thanks again for the best holiday ever !

by bevina2013 North Sydney, Australia

Amazing

I cannot rate this hotel highly enough. Just got back from a 10 day family holiday. It is perfect for families with young kids. Amazing kids club, pools & slides. We upgraded for a room with a pool & it was definitely worth the extra money. Staff are so friendly and hotel was so well looked after. Highly recommend this hotel - you won’t be disappointed.

by stepwalk Gosford, Australia

Fly and flop heaven.

Having been to Thailand a number of times but not for a few years, my wife and I decided to have a “fly and flop” break. We selected the Luxury Escapes 8-night package to The Sands Katathani Khao Lak and upgraded to a Seaside Junior Suite. Our choice of this resort was certainly not regretted as it was one of the best managed large resorts in which we have stayed. The resort was immaculately maintained, the beach was beautiful and clean, the staff generally efficient and friendly, and the location excellent for accessing the local restaurants. Those local restaurants served genuine local Thai food, especially when we requested such, despite their worries about the spice level, all of which was delicious. The included breakfasts were generally good and comprehensive, but we would have preferred more Asian options; the resort seems to cater more for European tastes. Our two included dinners were again OK, with the set menu choices in Talay restaurant being better that the buffet in the Floating Market restaurant. The rest of our meals during our stay were outside the resort. The prices in the resort for beer and cocktails was acceptable, but obviously not as cheap as you could buy from local stores outside. However, the wine prices were just outrageous! Fairly basic white and red wines that could be bought in Australia for $7 – $9 a bottle were $85+ per bottle!!! We bought some bottles of white and sparkling wines from the local store which together with some beers came to $250. Pricing that against the resorts wine list gave a total of over $750 for less quality wines, had we purchased in the resort. (No that wasn’t just for one days’ drinking!) This is a very family friendly resort with great facilities for children. This was not a bother to us at all as a couple as the resort is huge and has three large pools, one of which was adults only. Families were also given a separate section in the restaurant for breakfast so overall there was little noise or bother from any children at any time. Our Seaside Junior Suite was great, but the “Seaside” description was misleading even though we did get a glimpse of the ocean through the trees. Once we arrived, we thought it might have been better to have upgraded to the “pool access” rooms, as they really were, being able to swim into the interconnected pool from your balcony. The rooms seemed very well maintained and nothing was missed at any time through our stay eg topping up coffees, replacing tissues, fresh etc. The free-flow nightly beer and cocktails were appreciated even though the cocktails tasted like there was a lack of a full shot of alcohol in them. The bars also got quite crowded on occasions, but the staff kept the drinks flowing. Overall the package was great value for money and Khao Lak is a great place to experience the Thai hospitality.