For many, Thailand is associated with a vibrant evening life, with elephant rides, visits to Buddhist monasteries and the like. But there are places in the Kingdom of Smiles that are completely dedicated to relaxation. And if you get tired at your work so much that on vacation you just want to lie in a languid bliss near a tropical lagoon, you need to go on vacation to Khao Lak. This resort is located on the Andaman Sea, in the province of Phang Nga. Nearby is the island of Phuket - the exact opposite of Khao Laku. So those who crave fun and drive need to overcome only 80 kilometers to be in the epicenter of the nightlife of Patong. More relaxed tourists Khao Lak offers to enjoy the natural beauties: waterfalls, rocky bays, mangrove forests. This resort specializes in spa services, massages and yoga. But where to stay in Khao Lak? We bring to your attention the hotel Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa. A detailed review of this Thai Quartet is dedicated to this article.
Nuances and features of the rest in Khao Lak
This resort is a paradise for ecotourists. And the Thai government also outlined Kao Laku this role. In the vicinity of the resort there are just three nature reserves. The most famous of them is Khao Sok National Park. Entrance to it costs as much as 300 baht - a fairly large amount for Thailand, but quite justified for such a unique place. Another attraction of the resort is Similan Islands. They also preserved virgin nature. Similan Islands are among the ten most beautiful in the world. The bulk of tourists to Khao Laku attract beaches. They are here for every taste, there are even pebble coasts, rare for Thailand. At Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa in Khao Lak, not only families with children stay, but also tourists who are looking for a contemplative vacation. The resort provides an opportunity for active pastime. Kayaking, canoe and mountain bike rental, jungle jogging, elephant riding and, of course, diving - all this is available in Khao Lak. Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to relax in this reserved corner of the country.
How to get to the hotel Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa 4 * (Thailand)
More and more tourists, including from Russia, prefer not to overpay to intermediaries, but to travel to Southeast Asia on their own. And for them we will explain how to quickly and easily get to the resort of Khao Lak. From Moscow to the international airport of Phuket, liners fly two airlines - Aeroflot and Russia. The time on board is about nine hours. Next, take the Phuket - Khao Lak bus. He travels for about two hours, and a ticket costs one hundred baht (approximately 100 rubles). If it’s cheaper for you to fly to the capital of Thailand, then there are many ways to get to the resort. You can fly to Khao Lak with local airlines in just an hour and a half. If you are tired of flights, take the buses. Cars depart regularly from the south terminal of Bangkok. Travel time is eleven hours.
When to go to Khao Lak Resort
Khao in Thai means "island". This small piece of land lies not far from the mainland, in the Andaman Sea. In climatic terms, it is located at the junction of two zones. In winter, or rather from November to early March, tropical winds reign over the island. This is the most favorable time to relax, the so-called high season. During this period, dry, clear sky, calm sea. The temperature is quite comfortable for Europeans. In the afternoon, the air in the shade warms up to +28 degrees, and the water in the sea - up to +26. In the spring months, Khao Lak is still dry. But it gets very hot. The thermometer column on some days reaches +35 degrees in the shade. Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa is open all year. But it should be remembered that from the beginning of June to the end of October the island falls under the influence of monsoons, which bring precipitation. In the rainy season, the sea is often worried. But temperature indicators remain high - up to +33 degrees. Heat in the wet period is much more difficult to tolerate, since high humidity creates the effect of a Turkish bath.
Hotel location in Khao Lak
Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa is located in a secluded area, a bit away from the resort's urban infrastructure. This arrangement has its pros and cons. Let's start with the latter. Shops, restaurants, massage parlors and a small market are nearby, but prices are much higher than in the village. To buy cheaper products and services, you need to walk the road for about fifteen minutes. Sangteo (pickup with two benches for passengers) to the central beach of Nang Thon - 150 baht, to Bang Niang, the evening market - 250 baht.
Now about the pros of the location. The hotel is literally a few steps from the virgin rainforest, right on the beach. A five-minute drive takes guests to the gates of Koh Lak Lam Lu National Park. This attraction of the island with a diverse exotic fauna, flora, granite cliffs and waterfalls is a must. To make up for the inconvenience of the remoteness of the hotel from the city infrastructure, the hotel provides a free shuttle service to the center and the evening market.
Territory
Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa 4 * is a whole complex of buildings and villas. Thus, the territory of the hotel is large, if not huge. The central place in the complex is occupied by the inner lagoon, in which there are huge catfish and carps. Near it, the letter “P” lined up five three-story buildings. Rooms 4 and 5 have a direct view of the sea, and this must be taken into account when choosing an apartment. There are four more buildings with numbers from 6 to 9. They are new, four-story and also overlook one side of the inner lagoon. But in these buildings there are no elevators, so you need to ask for a room on the lower levels. The villas have the best position. They are arranged in two rows in a checkerboard pattern near the beach. The villas are cute little one-story Thai-style houses. The hotel area is very well maintained. Everywhere there are a lot of bright tropical greenery and flowers. Affects the proximity of the national park: the hotel is inhabited by small monitor lizards.
Rooms
Two hundred and seventy guest rooms at Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa are divided into categories: superior, deluxe (bedroom with living room), family rooms, family suites, villa and villa with private access to the pool. In buildings from 1 to 4 are located rooms of the lowest price types. Family rooms are two ordinary bedrooms with an adjacent door. All guest rooms have balconies, and if they are located on the ground floor, spacious terraces fenced with a reed fence. There are chairs and a table on them, there is a rope for drying clothes. Each room has a very roomy safe, silent and powerful air conditioning, satellite TV, minibar (two bottles of drinking water are replenished daily), desk. The pleasant things include an electric kettle with cups and replenished bags of drinks, two body bathrobes that are pleasant for the body (not waffle), the same number of beach towels, slippers and umbrellas. In the luxuriously decorated bathroom with shower and bathtub, guests will find a hairdryer, daily replenished shampoos, shower gel, soap, shower cap and cotton buds.
What room reviews say
Guests at the Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa were pleasantly impressed by the decoration of the cozy bedrooms. The villas have sliding glass doors, and while lying on a spacious bed, you can watch the waves roll onto the beach. The buildings on the lower floors are a bit dark because the trees obscure the view. But due to the architectural features of the buildings, the area of the rooms under the roof is smaller than those located closer to the ground. If it’s hard for you to walk up the stairs, note that there are no elevators in the buildings. The maids clean the fame, wipe the dust, wash the floor and make the bed. But if you want towels to be changed, you need to throw them on the floor in the bathroom. To get new bedding, put a special card on the bed.
Breakfast
Morning meals included in the price are served buffet style at the Laguna Restaurant. For breakfast, they give eggs in different forms, bacon, sausages, oatmeal, soup, Thai noodles, chicken with vegetables, croissants, fruits. Despite the presence of Russian and Chinese groups, the assortment of dishes was always the same. Empty trays were quickly replaced by full ones. But the variety in breakfasts was not much, except that the fruits every day could be different. But the main restaurant of the Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa 4 * hotel is open around the clock. After breakfast (from 10.00), there is an à la carte menu. This restaurant has a wine cellar and tastings are sometimes held. The beach has a Beach Club Ocean Grill & Bar. This restaurant specializes in seafood and grills. In addition, artists perform there every evening. Drinks, fresh juices and cocktails can be enjoyed in the lobby bar, which has an extensive shaded terrace with lagoon views.
Where hotel guests eat
At lunchtime, Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa (Khao Lak) arrives at the mackerel shopkeepers with a stroller with a roasting pan. For very ridiculous money, you can buy kebabs of chicken or seafood, soup, puttai, baked corn and even soup. Reviews urge not to disdain this fast food. All products are fresh, no one has experienced food poisoning. A little further from the hotel there are two cafes - "Mali" and with Mexican cuisine. Food in the restaurants of the hotel itself is expensive, but very tasty. Fruits in local shops are better not to take. There the prices are 70 baht per piece of mango. It is better to use a transfer and go to the center or to the market. There for such a price you can buy not a little thing, but a kilogram of fruit.
Beach, Pools
Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa is called a front line hotel. The beach here is wonderful: white sand, casuarines, minor ebbs. Depth is average. The sun sets in the sea - you can sunbathe until 17:30. The hotel shares a bay with four more hotels, so there are not many people on the coast. On the right side, the beach is bordered by a cliff overgrown with jungle. On the left you can see a scattering of large boulders. No water scooters, no loud music, no intrusive merchants - only complete relaxation. Loungers, umbrellas are enough for everyone. To match the sea and pools. There are four of them: two for adults and one for children. One of the pools has a water slide. The most expensive room category has its own tank with a jacuzzi function.
Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa 4 *: overall hotel reviews
The diligent and friendly staff tries to create an atmosphere of relaxation in the hotel. There is animation, but the guys are unobtrusive, do not disturb peace. Yoga classes are held regularly. The hotel has a spa, but its services are paid. Reviews favorably note the work of masseuses. Wi-Fi pulls from all rooms, and even on the beach it is. Tourists say that there are few Russians in the hotel, but Chinese groups often call in.