Myself and hubby are off to Thailand on 8th Feb, stopping first at the Amari Coral Beach in Phuket for 5ngts, followed by 9ngts at Le Meridien Khao Lak. I%26#39;d seen mixed reviews about Le Meridien when we booked it but was happy to go ahead as the comments were leaning more towards great than godawful. I%26#39;ve looked at the latest reviews this morning though and there%26#39;s more reviews slating the service and staff and now I%26#39;m wondering if I%26#39;ve made a mistake booking it?!?!?! Anyone stayed there and can comment?
Also, is it really that far from civilization that we won%26#39;t be able to eat anywhere other than the hotel? I don%26#39;t mind being secluded as long as we%26#39;re not off out in the sticks with no other options apart from hotel food.....because that%26#39;s not gotten the best of reviews after the Christmas season now!!!
WHAT SHOULD WE DO?!?!?!?
Le Meridien Khao Lak - now I'm really worried!!!!!There are some beach restaurants within walking distance of Le Meridien. I think I%26#39;m correct in saying that the hotel does a shuttle to %26#39;Khao Lak Town%26#39; which is in reality a combination ofy Bang Niang and Bang La On, where there are many shops and restaurants. These can be seen on the listings and maps within the shops and restaurant pages at www.mykhaolak.de
For a report on Le Meridien, I%26#39;ll leave that to Alan who is, no doubt, writing a reply as we speak!
Le Meridien Khao Lak - now I'm really worried!!!!!i did not stay there but passed by. it is islolated and you%26#39;ll need transportation around. the local taxis are quite expensive....no less than 100-150 baht per ride.
i can recommend the Baan khao Lak where we stayed- less fancy but more central (few min walk from town), relaxed and beautiful beach. take the pool/beach villa and you will not be dissapointed
The Le Meridien is a super hotel. We stayed there last April and are returning there in March for 3 weeks. It is true that there are staffing issues, but there are throughout hotels In Khao Lak. So many staff were lost in the Tsunami and there have been so many new resorts opened or refurbished that trained staff are at a premium and training of new staff inevitably takes time.
Though the resort is secluded, some would say remote (it%26#39;s greatest appeal to us!), there are dining options locally - one beach restaurant within 200 metres, the excellent restaurant at the Similana next door and three beach restaurants just beyond that just before the Sarojin. There is a local restaurant opposite the main gate andone further up the main road to the left which has excellent reports.
The shuttle to Khao Lak (100 thb per person each way) runs three times each way from 6pm (about 20 minutes) where there are plenty of restaurants, bars and shops. If you decide to stay out after last shuttle (9m from KL) taxis are about same price or you can hop on the free transport to the Khuk Kak (bar/restaurant inside Le Meridien grounds serving Korean and Indian food and draught Singha at 80thb).
So plenty of options. Out of 19 nights last April we only dined in the hotel 3 times and never paid more than 700 thb total locally for food and beer.
We are booked in for 7 ngihts at the Le Meridien at the end of this week so will let you know how we go. Many thanks to Arandora for all your helpful info - I have taken a list of recommended restaurants etc. Looking forward to sipping my cocktail by the pool!!
Give our regards to K. O if she is still there working on Front Desk (and still singing at the Happy Snapper - a ';must'; visit!) and K.Pen also - if they are tell them Khun Ball%26#39;s friends from England look forward to seein them again in March.
Have a great time!
Alan %26amp; Barbara
Thanks Alan and Barbara
We are really looking forward to the trip. I have seen a couple of recent posts about John Greys trips so having a quick look to see if that is something we should add to our list (growing rapidly and don%26#39;t think we are going to have enough time to do it all). Will say ';hi'; for you and looking forward to sampling all the yummy thai food at the restaurants you have recommended. If you think of anything else we might be interested in would appreciate it. Once again thanks very much for all the info you have provided and will get back and let you know how our trip went.
Deb
Ayula
Have you written anything that I can read about the Baan Khao Lak Resort.
We are booked to go in May and apart from Ted there is very little written about the resort.
I have looked on the Khao Lak forum and the german language forum, but would like to hear from some one who has actually stayed there.
Cheers
Deb,
One place I%26#39;m sure you will be visiting is the Rim Lay - the beach restaurant near Le Meridien. Please tell the owner, Khai, that Alan (the Manchester United supporter from last year) expects him to be wearing the Manchester United scarf I gave him when we return on 18th March - even though it will be 30C+. I hope his son has ';seen the light'; and changed over from Chelsea! Oh those battered prawns!!
Alan
Will look out for the Man United scarf (wrong team though, Leeds would be my choice!) Battered prawns sound very tempting so I am sure we will be paying Khai a visit. Will catch up when we return.
Deb
hi , i%26#39;m just back from x-mas @ Meridien Kaho Lak. I posted a review which i think is balanced. The hotel is a great hotel but there are some issues with service in the restaurants.
Having said that it was x-mas so I imagine when you visit it won%26#39;t be as hectic.
Shuttle in to town every evening is 100bht p/p , juts take 1 way and grab a taxi home which is only 250bht anyway.
In Khao Lak there are plenty of good restaurants such as Viking , Jai , Noms etc
Don%26#39;t worry keep your booking it is a lovely hotel with an amazing beach.
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