5 Best Hotels in Koh Lanta, Phuket and the Andaman Coast

Guests repeatedly return to the Layana for the pampering, understated luxury, and a relaxed peaceful environment. The scenic location, attention to detail, and friendly efficient service make this a top resort, with spacious accommodations kept in tip-top shape. Some suites have beds looking directly out to sea and a top floor terrace with a writing desk, minibar, and sofa, and all have lovely outdoor rainfall showers. The romantic seafront restaurant serves delicious, reasonably priced Thai or international dishes while also organizing wine tasting nights and cooking classes. The impressive spa is highly professional and its unique menu will leave you spoiled for choice.

In the laid-back and increasingly trendy Old Town, or Sri Raya, Mango House is a home away from home, with three seafront suites and three villas, all in Chinese-style wooden houses that stand on stilts over the water. The spacious interiors are even more impressive than the outside area, with high ceilings, modern amenities, and decorated in a simple colonial style. They also each include a kitchenette and terrace. Mango House's restaurant is popular for its Western-style brunches, burgers, and specials, as well as its live DJ sets, with friendly, in-the-know owner Duane on the decks. In off-season months Duane welcomes writers and artists to rent his accommodations for longer periods at much lower prices.

If you're staying in a resort on a beautiful white-sand beach with crystal-clear blue water, you should treat yourself to a room with a view---and at Nakara, you'll have one, even if you end up in a room at the back. Whether lying in bed and looking out through your window or lounging on one of two daybeds on the deck, you'll appreciate the tranquillity of the Andaman Sea. Ask for one of the rooms away from the restaurant and pool to ensure quiet. When it gets too hot, retreat to the air-conditioned bliss of your cottage, which has wooden floors and rattan walls, and enjoy the modern amenities.

Most of the bungalows at this chill resort have views of Koh Ha and balconies where you can sway in a hammock or kick back in a palm-straw rocking chair. The rooms are basic, with cloth canopy ceilings and rattan walls. It almost doesn't matter that the shore here is rocky rather than sandy; many guests take courses with the in-house dive shop, practicing in the pool or the crystal-clear sea. Others snorkel or just soak up the view from the large Jacuzzi.

One of the first upscale resorts in the area to market the "less is more" philosophy, SriLanta remains an island getaway for edgy urbanites. Breezy rooms are basic, but have comfortable lounging areas and are tastefully decorated. Sadly, most rooms have no view, and the beach is a short walk down the hill, which can be uncomfortable for some. The spa has massage tables on a platform above a large fishpond. SriLanta is reasonably priced for what you get (one of the nicest resorts on one of the nicest beaches), but the service is quite ordinary for such an extraordinary resort.