khao lak or krabi

Hi there,

We are thinking of going to either Khao Lak or Krabi as part of our honeymoon. We are spending a weeek in Phuket as well. Is Khao Lak worth visiting? Or would Krabi be a better option? Can you do island tours from khao Lak? We are after somewhere relaxing with nice beaches, good food and a base to take trips from. We were thinking of staying at the Khaolak Orchid Beach resort. Is that a good choice? Please let me know as the more reviews I read, the more confused I get!

khao lak or krabi

Having been to both, both are great locations with different attributes but we now prefer Khao Lak. It does not have the spectacular limestone cliffs and formations in the sea but being in the middle of a National Park has a different kind of scenery and beauty. It is recovering superbly from the Tsunami, has an excellent range of accommodation, great beaches, restaurants and bars and an atmosphere that is still not too commercialised. It is also a good spot to take tours from, either land based North to the Khao Sok National Park or by speedboat or fast boat (which is slower!) to the fabulous Similan Islands, the 3rd best diving/snorkelling site in the world.

Have a look at this link for some tours:

http://www.khaolaklanddiscovery.com/

Go to Phang Nga Bay either from Phuket or Khao Lak. John Gray%26#39;s Hongs by Starlight last March was one of our most memorable experiences in Thailand. Web page at

johngray-seacanoe.com/thailand/hong-by-starl…

The Orchid Beach Resort looks a nice resort from the outside. It is on a nice, secluded beach but there are no restaurants or bars nearby within walking distance. A taxi to KL town for those would take 10 minutes or so.

khao lak or krabi

Thanks loads for your help. Will go to khaolak. What resorts do you suggest then which are nice and nearer town?

Nang Thong Beach is the beach nearest to Nang La On which is commonly referred to as Khao Lak or Khao lak town. The Baan Khao Lak is a new resort, which has received consistently good reports. Some photos at

http://photos.orange.co.uk/album/5660332

Next but one to the BKL is the Paradise Resort. Lovely small ';romantic'; resort (bit pricey) but not many reports on it. Some photos at (forget the German text, unless you speak it of course!)

www.mykhaolak.de/forum/board.php?boardid=39

and here for info on the resort itself and rates:

r24.org/khaolaklovers.com/…

A bit further North (20 minutes along the beach, 10 minutes by taxi, especially in the dark) you have the excellent Ramada (we%26#39;ve earmarked that for the future after a good look around it. Photos at

http://photos.orange.co.uk/album/5335443

Next but one to that you have the Mukdhara, a much larger resort. Pics at

mykhaolak.de/resorts/khao-lak-mukdara-beach-…

Can%26#39;t not mention our favourite Le Meridien which is even further North than the Orchid Beach, but a 5* resort on the best, IMHO, beach in KL. A big, beautiful resort with beach restaurants nearby. Superb breakfast, plus other dining options, some better than others but only 15 minutes by shuttle (100 baht per person each way) or taxi from KL. It%26#39;s the only hotel we%26#39;ve ever enjoyed enough to return the following year, so we are prejudiced.

Photos at:

http://photos.orange.co.uk/album/3635279

If you were confused before, I bet you are even more now. LOL

Never mind, it%26#39;s a big important decision, just keep firing the uestions in.

Thanks loads Andora,

Will check out those hotels and see what we can afford! You have been really helpful.

Hey,

Which would be the better resort for being in the mix of things (walking distance)?

What about the Merlin Resort? La Flora sounds nice so does the Ramada.

My husband hates getting in and out of taxis (poor man) so likes to be close enough to walk.

SydneyGlennie

Sydney and Glennie,

Must say you%26#39;ve touched on a few of the best to be in the heart of Khao Lak. I live here and give you a small, but certainly not complete, list of hotels that will put you in the heart of Khao Lak:

Seaview Resort

Nang Thong Bay Resort

Suwan Palm

All the above are right near the beach. Seaview is the finest of them. You also have:

Ramada (say hello to our dear friend and manager, Duke)

La Flora

Mukdara

All these above are actually on Bang Niang Beach (we live in this area) and are First Class hotels. You won%26#39;t go wrong with any of them. They are all right on the beach. A short 100-150 baht taxi/shuttle ride into Khao Lak (2km). In between you%26#39;ll find many restaurants, gift shops, internet cafes and tour operators to cater to your adventurous side.

Away from the beach, but only 15 minute walking distance you can find these:

Andaburi Resort

Khao Lak View Point (I ';lived'; here for 4 months once)

Palm Hills Resort

In my opinion, Khao Lak has Krabi beat hands down. But I%26#39;ve never spent much time in Krabi, so I%26#39;m surely bias. I can say, though, that Khao Lak is sensational. Its no wonder it is the 5th fastest growing region in Thai tourism. It has tons to offer!

Say hello to Monty the Tailor for us when you get there!

Forgot to mention:

The Merlin Resort is on the opposite side of the mountain (aptly named Khao Lak, where Khao means %26#39;mountain%26#39;). It is approximately 8km from downtown Khao Lak, and its over the mountain, too. Not something you would walk. It is rather secluded. A fine resort with first class service, it is more for the quiet traveler. If you don%26#39;t mind the distance, you can get great rates there during low season and enjoy the fine service. Not much in the way of restaurants, shops in the immediate area. You%26#39;ll find yourself in Khao Lak every day, so why not stay closer if possible.

Hey Johnny

I still have to convince my husband that he will not be bored in KL. What can I tell him to expect? We have been to Samui 3times which we love, Pattaya which we didnt think much of and of course Patong where we stayed at the holiday inn which we loved. We both want to be on a nice beach with plenty of restaurants to chose from and I would love to tour the KL area and pay hommage to the people there trying to rebuild their lives. I need to convince him.

Is the beach swimable or a bit wild? We intend to be there early May so how long would you suggest we stay for before moving on to Patong.

Glennie

Well, to give you an idea of how much KL has grown since that fateful day:

In season 2005/2006 we had about 80% volunteers and the rest tourists.

In season 2006/2007 it was just the reverse.

In early May you will find the beaches to be beautiful. The water can at times be a bit rough during this period. KL will be entering the early stages of their monsoon season, but you won%26#39;t get too much rain until June-August.

Restaurants will be enough for you to find. The array is very impressive and the major hotels will always have theirs open.

Bored in Khao Lak?? No, not possible. Seriously, you call us at 089-990-0216 and I%26#39;ll send you guys off the beaten path here that will make your vacation one to remember. No kidding. We live here and there%26#39;s reason for that!!

Cheers,

Johnny and Roong

www.operationplayground.org

Thankyou Johnny and Roong,

Your feedback has been great. I hope you wern%26#39;t joking when offering me your phone number because we might just take you up on it. Patong beach isnt really the greatest beach ive seen but Id imagine KL beaches to be cleaner with whiter sand, would I be thinking right? There seem to be many great resorts to choose from so that is going to be a big decision.

I read a forum about the tides and people being swept out to sea, is it really that bad? In Aus there are strong tides at certain times of year as well we just stay away at those times.

Can you advise on a site I can look at with a map of KL so that I can get a feel for the beach areas that the resorts are located on?

Not comparing to Patong but is there some shopping there? If so how good?

I know Im rambling (sorry)

Glennie