Baan Thai Lanta Resort — Hotel in Ko Lanta Yai

Amazing location. Beautiful gardens and wonderful access to the beach. The small swimming pool is a perfectly good alternative for cooling off when the tide goes out leaving a rocky terrain instead of sea water. However the rooms are well past their best. Beds are fine but the bathroom areas and the internet connection is a daily concern. In addition the air conditioning system is prone to malfunctioning. We stayed 7 nights and had to move rooms 3 x. After two out of 4 days when the air con didn’t work we moved to a new room (room C to room E) Then the wifi didn’t work, which we then solved by guiding the staff to the router to turn it on and off. Even then it was very intermittent. Finally in room 6 for the final 2 nights we literally had a shower with a Beecher’s Brook entrance and exit. Without due care and attention you could have a serious injury negotiating the ditch or then the drop into an all tiled floor. The face that the water then collected meant whoever showered second got a rather uncomfortable feeling of 2 inches of dirty cold water on their feet! Fortunately we only really slept in any of the rooms. The main concern for a hotel of this cost was the staff. On Koh Lanta it is evident that securing staff is difficult at present. Most of the staff seemed very attentive to the garden and beautiful decorative features but in terms of service they were lukewarm and often gave a disapproving attitude towards your requests. Restaurant and bar has very limited capacity. Breakfast is ok but lacks the same quality as buffets in bigger hotels. The rest of the time we walked either 20 metres along the beach or to the main road (3 minute walk) to access lovely cheap Thai food and drink. The hotel’s cocktails are not great and left you wondering if they used any alcohol. In contrast lemon smoothies from the Road side or the beach bar next door were amazing and a fraction of the cost. On a plus side the location is amazing and access to the beach and the sea is literally seconds away. A 4 Island tour only requires a 15 minute transfer to the boat and approximately 45 minutes from there to the islands. In my opinion Koh Lanta is for those wanting peace and quiet as nightlife is minimal. Phuket is definitely the place for nightlife and 4 hours from Koh Lanta so make sure you choose location knowing this. A visit for a few days makes sense, but I would choose a cheaper option than this hotel unless you are a gardener who enjoys that feature. But in truth most customers during our week appeared disappointed with something during their stay and no one appeared to tip. In summary the location is wonderful but the staff need training and the rooms need refurbishment. In my opinion in the event of an emergency anytime but certainly after 5pm I’m not sure who would take effective control from the staff ? Very limited English from any staff and no obvious signs of anyone responsible for ongoing maintenance issues ? Either your door won’t lock or the Wi-Fi won’t work or the air con will stop suddenly? It’s a kind of modern Fawlty Towers! I don’t tend to leave reviews but on this occasion I felt compelled to share our experience simply because it’s a long way to go for this kind of experience. Even if you are already in Asia making the detour down to Koh Lanta should reward you with more than the wonderful beach. Overall I would say the hotel is used to fund and support the ongoing upkeep of the impressive gardens. The staff that have to do their turn on breakfast almost appear pissed off! On the other hand the gardeners appear happy and content, attending to their plants and watering constantly:) My advice - Stay elsewhere and simply walk round the gardens once for a positive...

We had initially got a four night booking at this superb resort but quickly changed this to 6 as soon as we could because it was just so good. We are lucky to travel a lot so have high standards and expectations and I'm pleased to report this place blew us away And it is about as close to Paradise as you can get.||Location – perfect. ||From Reception you walk through beautiful and well attended gardens right the way past the pool and down to the beach. Five minutes down the beach we started to hit lots of excellent bars and restaurants and you really are spoiled for choice.||Our driver did have a little bit of trouble finding the resort so it is worthwhile getting the directions on your phone and try to get the hotel name in Thai if possible. Most of the booking apps do this now.||Accommodation – we started off in a garden bungalow which was superb and had absolutely everything you could think of for a comfortable stay. This was the best air-conditioning we've ever had in a hotel which was a relief and quite unusual out here. They also had a very cheap mini bar option so we didn't bother getting water from the 7-Eleven as it was just as cheap in the hotel. The fridge was cold and had a good freezer compartment for ice and this made a big difference.|| The bed was very comfortable, the bathroom was basic but had everything you needed and the same comment applies to the appointments around the room. There was a safe, tea and coffee making facilities, bath robes – I could go on but suffice to say it was just about as comfortable as you could get.||For the extended nights we upgraded to a breach front villa and if the budget allows this is very highly recommended. The Terrace overlooked the beach and sea and the views are just astonishing. This was also very well appointed and had its own kitchen and had used the spac eavailable very well to give it a big and airy feel.||Wi-Fi – free for unlimited devices and reached everywhere in the resort including the pool and beach area. It was good enough to stream video and fairly reliable to say it is on an island. ||Food – we have breakfast included and this was also top class. They give you a menu which has the cooked options available but we just used to make use of the bakery, fruit and jams.||The coffee is really good, the juice the same and a nice touch is that every day they have a mixed fruit shot available and these were delicious as well.|| Pool and beach – just about paradise. You are practically on the beach and there are lots of sun loungers available with both sun or shade depending on your requirements. These were never selfishly reserved and you had to pick of where you wanted to sit.||The views are absolutely stunning and it was an amazing place just to relax and taking the views of the islands and the sea. The pool area is also gorgeous with lots of places to relax again with stunning views.||Staff – absolutely wonderful. A smile was never far away from their lips and they Could not do enough to help you. This is obviously an extremely well managed place as everywhere is incredibly clean and well attended.||This was our first time in this area and it certainly won't be our last. It is without question that as and when we come back we will stay in this resort again and we'll leave with very fond memories and wishing we could've...

Baan Thai Ko Lanta is a small boutique resort of 15 detached villas set in the most beautiful grounds which flow directly onto a quiet beach. If you want jet skis, beach vendors and strip clubs I’m afraid this won’t be your cup of tea. If you want to capture the Thailand that started it all many years ago then read on. ||Our room was a generous size decorated in the traditional Thai style. Modern air conditioning, western bathroom, outside sala area and very peaceful. Well, other than the noise of nature. Staff were friendly and caring, special mention would have to go to Arm who treated us like royalty.||We ate here a few times as well. I’ve had a lot of Thai food over the years and am not easily pleased but Mai, the chef was incredible. Rather than have hundreds of dishes on the menu they offer a carefully curated menu that can be delivered consistently. I would recommend the chicken satay - you will not have tasted better, and the prawns in tamarind sauce. Oh yes, and the Pad Thai, an interesting twist on previous versions. If those 3 dishes were served in a Michelin restaurant they wouldn’t look out of place. The only thing missing is the huge bill, this place charges Ko Lanta prices.||There is a good sized swimming pool and a number of lounging options from sun beds, through bean bags to hammocks and a swing. You also get beach mats in the room. The sea bed is a bit rocky so best to wear sea shoes or go in the water at high tide. ||There are a number of shops and restaurants within walking distance and lots of taxi / tuk tuk operators if you don’t have a car or bike. We did a lot of homework before booking this place and we’ve driven round the entire island since we’ve been here. Very happy with our choice. It ranks up there with the best we’ve experienced over 20 years visiting the...