bert710

I after reading post after post and visiting countless sites to determine the best place to stay I am asking for help. My girlfriend and I are in our mid-thirties and we are spending just over 2 weeks in Thailand. The last half in Khao Lak. This is my 1st visit to Thailand and although she lived in Thailand for 2 years she was never on the Andaman Coast. So even though the weather is better we on the other side (supposedly) we are set on the location. Now we just need to pick a spot.
With all that said we are planning on beach time, scuba, some quiet but we like interesting places to eat and good beach bars with some night life. We are not much for hotels but prefer beach bungalow type places.

I have posted lots about the Bahamas and other places I have visited so I am looking for help from Fodors this time. Thanks!

rhkkmk

be very careful in picking where you will stay in KL as there was so much destruction there that many things are still not fixed properely.....

bert710

I am a bit worried about the reconstruction a little. That is one of the reasons I was hoping that someone may have visited there recently and could help. We like the La Flora (at least the website); but, we welcome all input. Costs are less of an issue than getting a cool spot.

Thanks,

KimJapan

We were in Khao Lak in January 2006 and there was visible damage but lots of rebuilding. We really liked Khao Lak...the beach there is very, very nice...quiet, scenic. Recent reports have the damage factor down a lot and the rebuilding mostly finished, but lots of new construction too.

The thing I would worry more about is that because it is low season, many shops and restaurants are closed, though not all of them. It's also not the best time for scuba, as the sea is often rough due to rainy season.

Have a look at www.khaolaklovers.com for great up to date information.

The Similana Resort is a small bungalow type place that is really nice. It is on a hillside, so they lost little in the tsunami. Gerd and Noi's is on the beach an was rebuilt soon after the tsunami, one of the first on the beach to finish reconstruction.

crellston

we stayed at the Similana the xmas before the tsunami and really liked it. As Kim says the resort is built on a hillside with the public areas at the top of the hill and most of the rooms/treehouses scattered around the beach and mangroves. It is at the end oof a very wide and very quiet sandy beach. It is quite a way out of KL centre so you really need a car to get to the restaurants etc. as there is nowher close by. There were lots ofother places in the centre Le meridien and sarojin spring to mind if you are looking for something more luxurious.

We spent 4 days on a liveaboard for the diving which was excellents (Sea Dragon were the dive outfit). A word of warning though, July is not the dive seasons and teh conditions will be rough and you may find that many of the dive centres are not operating so if this is a primary reason for your trip, i would check first. Koh tao on the gulf cost is good for diving at this time of year.

TC

I have not been to Khao Lak yet, but we will be there in November. I have been doing a lot of research on hotels in the area. We are considering Baan Khaolak Resort for the following reasons: bungalow style, good beach, location close enough to walk to town for dining, price is good, very close to pier for departures to diving, good reviews on TripAdvisor, has been rebuilt since Tsunami. You might consider this one or if my logic is faulty, I would appreciate comments by those who have been to this resort.

http://www.baankhaolak.com/plan-seaviewvilla.html

mlb

I was in Khao Lak for 7 days last May. During the "green" season it is very quiet - there are lots of restaurants and shops closed. But, you get great rates at the hotels and normally it doesn't rain all day every day. We had a lot of fun visiting the beach, and taking day trips to phuket and phang-nga. We stayed at the Sarojin and it is a very nice resort.

La Flora is also nice and has a good location on the beach. I heard the restaurant was not so good, so look into that.

I would also point you to the Ramada Khao Lak as they have incredible rates right now through their website: ramadakhaolak.com

This resort was being built while we were there and it is in a good location - close to Khao Lak town and restaurants. It also looks very nice, has gotten good reviews, including by the Bangkok Post.

Be prepared for a quiet, laid back time in Khao Lak during this time.

If you seek it out, you will still see remnants of the tsunami, but they are rebuilding the resorts at a good clip and have cleaned the beaches for the most part, so don't let that stop you from going. It is not noticeable.

bert710

A little late but a response is better than none. We ended up at La Flora. Yes it was low season and yes there was a bit of construction and clean up going on but all in all it was wonderful. We were never without something to do and found the food there to be perfect. My wife had lived in Thailand for 3 years (not Thai) and we asked the cook to not use the menu when he cooked for us. I thought as far as La Flora went it was a very nice resort with beautiful beachfront cabanas. I highly recommend staying in those.