Has anyone been there since the tsunami? Le Meridien Khao Lak is open now and advertises $59.00 rates Dec 1 - Jan 31 - a winter warmer special.

From what I know some resorts and hotels are fully re-opened or re-built but others are either being repaired or are closed. Not too much information comes out, no doubt a lot quieter than it used to be.

Do you know anything about the Merlin resort there?

I am not an expert for Khao lak, I was there a couple of times before the Tsunami and you should note it was Khao Lak that suffered the most !
The times I went before I thought the beaches were 'ok' but the main road area was very full of touristy shops and restaurants but not much else, there was not much to do there then and I doubt less now, I am not knocking the area but any particular reason for Khao Lak ?

We like places that are quiet. We aren't shoppers and don't care much about trying a different restaurant for every meal.

Because it was so affected by the tsunami, it feels like a good place to spend money. It's easy accesss from Phuket, but Phuket is absolutely, positively not what we are interested in...but cheap flight from Chiang Mai to Phuket. Even Koh Samui was getting too much for us 3 years ago, and Chaweng was not even tolerable to us.

Merlin resort isn't in the town area, but is south of it on the south side of the national park. They've been open since January, and will be in full operation. They've quoted us a fantastic rate, well below the rates on the sawadee.com reservation sites, with lots of extra perks. Seems "resorty" for our personal style, but our daughter wants an amazing pool in at least one place we stay.

kim...consider the koh phi phi island village...it sounds like just what you are looking for. koh phi phi was devastated by the tsunami...its rebuilding and cleaner than ever.
the koh phi phi island village is beautiful...you can look it up on its website or thru booking internet sites...
we were just there...and i can not wait to return

I was in KHao Lak 3 months after the tsunami - the main bay area of khao lak was devastated. Unbelievalbe damage. However, they were crews working on certain resorts to get them reopened. Heart-breaking. I know they need the tourists back since the local economy is tourism sensitive. Very beautiful area.

I just booked at the Le Meridien based on those rates. I know that they are desperate to bring the tourists back and I have heard that the Le Meridien is 100% functional right now.

I wrote to Le Meridien and they told me 100% operational now. Problem is, for our period of stay, that $59.00 rate is actually $235.00++ plus extra bed charge plus meals. So, we booked the Merlin Khao Lak for much, much less...for our stay. The $59.00 rate for Le Meridien is unbeatable, and if I could get it, or even under $150.00, we'd be there as it looks gorgeous.