Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort Hotel

, Phang Nga, Thailand
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Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort Hotel

, Phang Nga
2 Moo 1 Tambon Kuk Kak, - Phang Nga - 82190 - Thailand 76-427500
755 Traveller

Reviews - Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort Hotel

Loved our secluded honeymoon hideaway!

from Cossette
We've just returned from Le Meridien Khao Lak for our honeymoon and it was fantastic. The resort is really secluded, a fair ways from Phuket, you have the feeling you're "away from it all". Great for young families and people looking for privacy. The local "town" is called Khao Lak. It is a small market town and the hotel provides shuttle buses everyday. We were in Thailand a couple of years back and it's truly amazing the recovery that's taken place, the region is really up and running. We went into town one night to an Irish Pub for drinks and Thai restaurant which was great. A real "local" feel.

The actual resort is on a beautiful coastline but more importantly, it's totally secluded. Not a party place but loads of fun things to do during the day. The Spa is very good, many treatments just for couples. I had lunch there too and their spa menu is really delish. Each treatment room is actually a whole villa to yourself so it's quite private. The front desk staff also put us in the "Spa Wing" away from families with children so it's pretty nicely separated that way. The lanscape is really well kept too, surprising for such a huge place.

During the day we hung around the super clean beach and pool. I tried the snorkeling and sea-canoeing which was fun. My husband did a golf package and had a great time too. But the highlight was definitely the Thai restaurant, really secluded and delicious Thai food. Pretty good wine selection too, I tried real Thai wine for the first time. The staff there are so attentive.

On our last two nights, they upgraded us to a villa with a view of the ocean. We spent the last night of our honeymoon in our own villa pool watching the sun set, so lovely!

Prices are what you'd expect to pay for hotel restaurants, spas, etc. Depends where you're coming from I guess. When you factor in five star service, it was definite value for what we paid. I'd go back for sure!

t Cheap

from Nor_Cal_Foodie
My wife and I just returned from spending a week of our honeymoon at the Le Meridien Khao Lak . We reserved our Deluxe Room through the hotel's website. Through the hotel we also arranged to have a car pick us up at the airport. We arrived on the 12th of October and left the hotel on the 19th of October. Though it was the rainy season, what rain we did experience was almost all in the evening hours (it rained during dinner on two or three days). But other than those nighttime showers, most of our days were blissfully sunny with light breezes.

The hotel room was nicely appointed with a balcony (which provided only limited privacy) with an ocean view (awesome sunsets), a good shower, a tub big enough for two slim adults, a king sized bed, strong AC, a fairly large color TV with international satelite programming, ample closet and drawer space and a small safe (which either wouldn't open or lock on at least 3 occassions; the hotel staff promptly fixed the situation).

Though noone spoke perfect English, the service at the Khao Lak Le Meridien was terrific. Very attentive, helpful and friendly.

The hotel grounds are immaculate. We're not sure if it was the fact that we were there at the end of the "rainy season" or because of Khao Lak's relative distance from Phuket, but there were very few people at the hotel. Often we were the only ones in a particular section of the large pool or were alone walking on the hotel's secluded beaches.

Food: good but VERY expensive. The hotel provides a shuttle (not free) into Khao Lak central (the local shopping and restaurant area) starting at 6pm. We were originally told that there were no earlier shuttles because none of the town's stores or restaurants were open, but this, it turned out, was a blatant lie. So instead of spending 200-400 bhat on breakfast and lunch at a regular restaurant, the hotel tries to force you into eating at their restaurants during the day. We ate at the hotel's breakfast buffet our first full day at the resort. While the food was delicious, varied and beautifully presented, the cost was absurd (1600 bhat for the two of us). Even if you pay the 500-600 bhat it costs to get to and from the town of Khao Lak by taxi, you still wind up saving money by eating in town!

What we wound up doing was buying fruit, nuts and cereal in town and eating breakfast in our room. Lunch is not as big a problem. If you walk to the beach from the hotel and are facing the ocean turn left and start walking along the ocean's edge. After walking for about 20 minutes you will reach the White Sand Beach and will have 3 restaurants from which to eat at. The food is good, and though prices are slightly inflated, the amazing views more than makes up for it. If you're feeling lazy or indulgent, the food at the open air restaurant next to the hotel's pool isn't too expensive and is quite good.

As for dinner, the city of Khao Lak provides the best options. If you choose to eat at the hotel you likely won't be disappointed by the food, just know that you'll be paying WAY over market value. In Khao Lak center the restaurants we liked best were the Discovery Cafe (good Satay, friendly staff, nice variety, better flavors than most of the other places that cater to the foreigners) and Jo's seafood (a little past the actual town center, but right on the water with good food and warm, family atmosphere). Khao Lak Seafood and Jai Restaurant were just ok, pretty bland and not great service.

In terms of gifts/souvenirs, we didn't find anything too exciting or unique. The only thing we found that was really neat was a painted buffalo skin that was etched/cut so that it looked like a Chinese paper cutting.

Through the travel agency in the hotel we booked a couple of excusions: elephant riding and bamboo river rafting as well as boating and Kayaking in the Phang Nga Bay. Elephant riding was exciting but overrated. The cave kayaking was fun and beautiful.

Hope you enjoy your stay as much as we enjoyed ours.

Good Choice For Relaxing Holiday

from KL_Sue
A beachfront hotel with fantastic facilities and very nicely landscaped gardens. Huge pool area with a one minute walk to very long stretch of clean beach. Rooms were modern and tastefully furnished. The diving operator at the hotel has a big fast boat and you can do a day's diving in Similan Islands from here (others have slower boats which mean overnight stays on the boat). Overall, for the price the hotel was a fantastic bargain. There is also little evidence from the Tsunami which hit this part of the coast very badly.

The Sarojin (a hotel in Conde Nast's Hot List) is next door and is a great choice for dinner (you can walk along beach for 15 mins during the day, but at night you need to take an outragously priced car from the hotel). The hotel is quite isolated in that apart from the Sarojin there aren't really any other choices for eating and drinking including local places. So expect to spend pretty much all of your time hanging around the hotel, which for me was ok for a weekend but any longer and I would start to go mad. But you can arrange golf, elephant treks, boat trips etc as a diversion.

As a vegetarian, the food choices at the hotel were very limited, and after a sympathetic chat with the young executive chef it seems that they struggle a little choice-wise because of the hotel's location and availability of skilled kitchen staff. A few service issues like dirty glasses not being collected from around the pool for 48 hours.

Fantastic

from BeautyAngel
We stayed at the meridien for 16 days and just returned yesterday.
I am lost for words to say how fantastic this stay was,everything was perfect.
We booked a Delux pool room and after a week was upgraded to a pool villa free of charge due to maintenance work being carried out.
We enjoyed both rooms but as you can imagine the upgrade was amazing.
All the staff of the hotel, even down to the bell boys couldnt do enough for you,and it truly came from the heart.
I celebrated my birthday while I was there,that evening we went to the Thai resteurant where I received a beautiful chocolate bthday cake and all the staff sang to me.
One day we also booked a driver for the day and we received a young lad called Chan(apparently pronounced Sion).His english was fantastic and he also went out of his way to take us to non touristy areas which was great.
We are definately returning next year cant wait.
Any questions need answering, please ask.

Thanks

Sian

Top of the Line

from Druidfire
My fiancee and I were in the Meridien from 8/21-8/25 in a pool villa. It was a great and luxurious experience. The room was crisp and new, with a large plasma tv (though we never watched it) that compares not unfavorably to other 5 star rooms we've stayed in. And we've stayed in Four Seasons, Ritz Carltons and Kempinkis. We were not right on the beach so our pool garden and mini-jakuzi and outdoor shower were fully enclosed and private. The bathroom was gigantic with a tub, an indoor shower and another outdoor shower.

It was low season so the hotel had few guests. That was no problem as far as I'm concerned. The beach was excellent and every time we went swimming we were the only people there. There is nothing like having a whole beach all to yourself.

I was there at the same time as the previous poster. There are four restaurants there. On the night in question, there was a special buffet dinner at the Lillawadee near the lobby and the other restaurants were closed. The buffet included sushi, and various thai and western foods all fresh and tasty. For 2 people it came out to 3500 baht or about $95 dollars, including several glasses of wine. That isn't cheap, but remeber this is a hotel restaurant. On other nights, the other restaurants (at least 2 of them were open, and both served excellent food where 2 people could eat very well for about 50$. Again, its a hotel restaurant.

The hotel is secluded. It far from town and Khao Lak really isn't a town so don't plan on leaving the resort. Not worth the bother.

The hotel arranged 2 day trips for us. The first was an elephant trek and the second canoeing in phangnga bay. Both were lots of fun. Staff were very friendly and helpful. On the last morning my fiancee was stung by a jely fish (I think?) and a nurse on site was there to help. (these things can happen anywhere in the sea so no fault of the hotel)

We should add that we were very lucky with the weather. Total sun for the first 3 days. On the last morning before check out it rained heavily for 30 minuted and the stopped. The sun came out again after that.

The fact that this hotel is (relatively) affordable can hardly be held against it. Overall this was a great value for the money and I would gladly stay again.

Close to Paradise

from mario1128
Last June we went first time to Khao Lak, atracted by the very cheap rate offered by The Sarojin Resort, we falled inlove with Khao Lak, visited Le Meridien, imediatelly decided to come back. So first week of July we did, and this time at Le Meridien was thousand times better than expected. The Hotel's beach is fantastic( comparing to Laguna Phuket, where we cannot swim on monsoon season), the outdoor facilities(swimimng pool, gardens...)are the best we've been in Thailand, Bali style, the service is extra...you seat at the Lobby, someone comes immediatelly with ice water, cold towell, we are on the way to the main pool, they immediately prepare chair, towels, umbrelas....at breakfast from the second day waiters know your eggs tea, coffee, juices preferences and bring it to your table before you ask...The Baan Thai restaurant is superb...and so afordable...I never thought to come back this year to Khao Lak, but couldn't resist and already booked another short trip this August 24th to Le Meridien Khao Lak, It is definetely the best value in the region. This is the place where they make you feel really special. The minus, Spa is expensive, last time we didn't try, mabe they could discount for families on low season... MARIO COSTA

Unforgettable

from skbj
We stayed at Le Meridien Khao Lak in January with our 11 year old son, and I have thought of it every day since: I use a photo of the idyllic grounds in the evening light as a screen saver. We have just booked a return visit. Reading through the comments of other visitors to the hotel, we can only endorse their enthusiasm for the beautiful setting, helpful staff and excellent food. We particularly enjoyed eating at the Baan Thai in the evening, but for our son the best meal was the lavish breakfast buffet encompassing Asian, European and American food which he heaped in unlikely combinations onto his plate. We were there on holiday, but also to visit a Thai charity caring for children who have been left destitute by the Tsunami. When we explained this to the hotel Manager, Greg Anderson, he invited the orphan children to a party - swimming in the paddling pool followed by ice cream, balloons and games in the Kid's Club. We were very impressed by the kindness of all the staff who helped to make this an unforgettable occasion for the children.

Other highlights of our trip were a one-day elephant trek through the tropical rainforest, various treatments for all of us in the Spa (our son was very intrigued by his pedicure), an introduction to scuba diving, and some first-rate jazz entertainment in the evening. This is a hotel that deserves to be popular, in an area where people may still be hesitating to go. Catch it while you can before the crowds discover it. It is the Thailand that I remember thirty years ago, serene, untrammelled; a secluded paradise, but with 21st century comfort. The local people, who are restoring life to the area with such brave resilience, will be so pleased to welcome you.

Fantastic hotel

from mdemo
Having travelled extensively in the far East we decided to give Khao Lak a try (particularly as the Meridien is part of the Starwood Group of which we are platinum members. I can't recommend this hotel highly enough, service was excellent, food very good (we are not generally great fans of hotel food) and i wasn't overpriced for a five star hotel. As other reviews mentioned you can walk for miles on the beach without seeing anybody else (how many places can you still do that in!) We were upgraded to a fantastic lagoon villa which was beautiful and very peaceful. Outside the hotel there are a few restaurants in Khao Lak and the town is very unspoilt (this could change with more tourism) but we did see damage at some of the other hotels along the beachfront, but the Thai people are very resilient and are building things back very quickly and i am sure it will be back to normal in a few years. The only drawback at the hotel was the spa which was lovely, but way overpriced. I can never understand why they charge so much, there were literally no bookings when I went which is a shame as if they charged say 25% less they would be full. We are planning to return next March and can't wait!

I love Khao Lak

from glamourgirl
I have been lucky enough to have travelled around the world but last xmas we all went to thailand, Bangkok first and then onto Khao Lak, I did not know what it would be like, but i am glad i went. The people are the most friendliest i have ever met, the town is small but there is plenty of bars and resturants. The beaches are clean and unsploit you can walk for miles without crowds. There is plenty to do, i went white water rafting on xmas day that was really cool. Our second Hotel was the Le meridian and we stayed in a Private Pool Villa, these are well worth the extra money. Your own garden with a tall wall so nobody can see you, the room was large and clean. The resort was excellant and all the satff friendly and helpful. The resturants in the Hotel were also good and value for money. I am returning to Khao lak soon as i have made lots of local friends. As for the disaster which struck last xmas (very sad) mostly all things have been repaired you will not see tall crains and building sites just the lovely landscape and sunshine. I would recomend this part od thailand to anyone whom is thinking of going near phuket.

Beautiful and peaceful

from traveluk
A wonderful hotel and excellent for a relaxing time. We have just got back from 10 nights at the hotel. What a gorgeous beach in a great hotel with wonderful, attentive staff.

All the rooms are extremely well furnished, the pool area is huge with a seperate pool and play area for the children. The beach is one of the best in the area and as others have said you can walk for miles without seeing another soul. Try the Tsunami victims beach cafe. They are lovely people who are struggling to make a living and at present tourism is very low. The hotel gardens are impeccable and The Spa was extremely well run with discounts being offered weekly. However for a real bargain try the massage by the beach cafe it was fantastic and a third of the price at the hotel!

If there was a criticism it would be that due to low occupancy only two restaurants were open.I totally understand this however a nightly buffet would have been better than having to eat at the same two for 10 nights. This was a minor observation rather than a complaint.

If you are looking to scuba dive I recommend Sea Bees diving school in Khao Lak. They took us out to the Similan Islands and a ship wreck. A very professional outfit.

Top Local Tips for Phang Nga

Elephant Trekking & Canoe Trip We used Khao Lak Lah Own Tour (run by a lovely lady called Ga) to book the above trip, and it was very good value. Lovely day out, excellent Thai meal at her restaurant overlooking the river, plenty of wildlife (snakes, butterflies, elephants, dragonflies) and stops at lovely swimming spots. Ga also has a restaurant in the middle of Nang Thong main road (good food), runs a laundry service, massage service, taxi service, motorbike hire and other tours - she's a very busy lady!

Elephant Trekking & Canoe Trip We used Khao Lak Lah Own Tour (run by a lovely lady called Ga) to book the above trip, and it was very good value. Lovely day out, excellent Thai meal at her restaurant overlooking the river, plenty of wildlife (snakes, butterflies, elephants, dragonflies) and stops at lovely swimming spots. Ga also has a restaurant in the middle of Nang Thong main road (good food), runs a laundry service, massage service, taxi service, motorbike hire and other tours - she's a very busy lady!

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Other names for Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort Hotel

  • meridien khao lak
  • le meridien khao lak
  • Address: 2 Moo 1 Tambon Kuk Kak, - Phang Nga - 82190 - Thailand
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