Naraya Resort — Hotel in Ko Lanta Yai

Naraya is a small resort and consists of ten bungalows. It has recently been taken over by its new owners, Craig and Mod. Together they have invested a lot of time and energy into improving everything here and making this resort their own. Their passion is evident from the moment you arrive. A warm welcome awaits as you walk into the reception area. Craig provided us with some ice-cold drinks on arrival and then we were shown to our room.

The accommodation has all recently undergone a bit of a facelift. So everything looks lovely and fresh. The rooms are spotlessly clean and very well appointed. They all come with an extremely effective air con system, which can be completely controlled by the guest. But the owners have realised that not everyone likes air con, so the rooms are also fitted with a fan unit should you prefer to use that. There is a fridge, a large wardrobe, a wall mounted TV and a large double bed, which is very comfortable and will guarantee a fantastic night’s sleep. We also loved the way that the bathroom towels had been shaped and displayed to look like two elephants. A really nice touch.

The rooms have several windows, which makes them bright and airy, yet the tastefully chosen decor manages to create a very cosy feel at the same time. The large bathrooms offer a toilet, sink, mirror and heated shower. Guests are also given good quality shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body moisturiser for free.

Each room is provided with two free bottles of drinking water per day. These are glass bottles because the resort is consciously trying to help the environment. Guests are asked not to throw these away, as they are taken, cleaned and then reused. It is also nice to see that the staff separates any plastic waste from your trash so that it can be recycled. Something we had not seen in action before, but very commendable.

In the mornings there are a few choices of breakfasts available to all guests. We enjoyed the German Muesli with yogurt. But we were told by the guests sitting at the next table that the full English breakfast was extremely tasty too.

The resort is situated near the centre of Koh Lanta, which is an ideal spot to use as a base to enable easy exploration of this beautiful island. surrounded by local amenities such as restaurants, bars, shops, laundries, etc. Everything you could possibly need is just a couple of minute’s walk away at most. But if you wanted to explore further afield, the resort offers scooter hire at great prices and a safety helmet also included.

The beach is a three minute walk away and is absolutely incredible. It’s one of the more peaceful, laid back beaches on Koh Lanta. But there is still a really good selection of beach bars and restaurants to choose from. This side of the island also benefits from the breathtakingly picturesque sunsets which have to be seen to be believed.

Apart from the lovely accommodation and great location, the thing that really makes Naraya Resort special is the staff. Craig and Mod are fantastic hosts and will make sure that your stay here is enjoyable and stress free. They put customer service first, which is why we would highly recommend this resort to families, couples and groups of...

Was planning to stay on the resort for 1-2 nights and then move on to some other beaches on the Island. Didn't happened, we ended up staying for a whole week (all our time in koh lanta) as both me and my friend really enjoyed the resort and was blown away by the level of customer service the lovely owners provided. So instead we ended up renting two motorcycles, a perfect way to explore the island. The owners even had the bikes delivered to the resort as theirs was already rented out. This at no extra fee at all, same price as renting it on the street. The location is just a short maximum 5 minutes away from the beach and in the close proximity is plenty of restaurants, laundry shops and a 7-11 store.

Another great thing within a few minutes walk from there is the massage place called Scorpion massage. Strange name! Anyways, the massage was provided by an old very skilled Thai lady and it was the best Thai massage I ever had! Cured a finger I had had problems with for months in two sessions!

The owners felt genuine and was very helpful with providing tips both for our stay in koh lanta and also helped us improve our travel plans for the rest of you trip in Thailand.

About the room. Great value comes to mind. The rooms as spacious, have a low price but still have many of the touches from much more expensive accommodation. It's for example few mosquitoes there in comparison with most other beach resorts that we have stayed on. Still they provide both an electric tennis racket and every evening, without us asking for it a staff member lights up a mosquito spiral so you can sit on the balcony without worrying about getting bitten. Black out curtains and facial towels is also unheard of in this price range.

We would like to thank the owners for a great stay! See...

So many positives. Craig and Mod the owners are lovely, very welcoming and helpful and able to help with bike rental, excursions, onward travel etc. If this is your first trip to Thailand I would say this would be a very useful first stop for you as they give lots of tips and advice. The room was very clean and comfortable and the electric mozzie zapper was very welcome! Air con worked well. The full English breakfast was also a treat. |The beach is less than five minutes walk away, across the main road and then down a sort of dirt / sand path at the back of some businesses. This is fine in the day but is unlit at night. It never felt unsafe but is obviously very dark and even with phones lit I tripped on some rocks and cut my legs open. After this at night we found it easier to exit the beach through some of the bars further down to the right and walk back towards the hotel along the well lit main road. Klong Khong beach itself was full of lovely bars and restaurants with good music, fire shows and entertainment at night. The beach it’s self however is not suitable for swimming, it’s very rocky and stays at knee deep for a very long way out. Enjoyed our stop here and felt three nights was just...