Narima Bungalow Resort — Hotel in Ko Lanta Yai

Narima is quite the special place to stay, and will stay in your memory even longer.

So, my girlfriend and I had been staying in Bangkok for most of our trip, and last minute we decided to book a trip out to the islands for some r&r.

Koh Lanta came up several times in our Google searches and from a few friends as a beautiful island with out the heavy tourism.

In need for some contrast to the big city, we decided to go for this.

Safe to say Narima blew our expectations out of the water!

We came during the end of March 2017, and we're surprised by how few other people there were and how generally quiet it was as well.

Partly, this was due to Narima's excellent location, further south tends to be less touristy /developed, with nicer sands/waters (in my opinion).

There are a small handful of astounding beaches on the west coast of the island, and we were amazed to find ourselves amongst maybe only 2 or 3 other people at times, max of 7-10 people. It felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves.

Not only were the beaches in the area so nice, commonly there were restaurants and bars built down on the beach that had such a beautiful, rustic handmade look. The cocktails and prices and food never, ever disappointed.

But I digress, back to the hotel -

Narima also had plenty of scooters for rent, which made getting around the island so much more fun and easy (and cheap) . We were a bit worried about the logistics of driving here, specifically since we didn't have any major experience on motorcycles previously... However we learned easily and quickly and the roads further south are not very busy so this ended up being one of our favorite things about our trip.

If you're going to be here for longer, you can book just about any tour imaginable from the hotel, and they take care of the logistics, charge it to your room, and give you a time. Very low stress and helpful. Everything from boat tours, to elephants, caves, to snorkeling, and a slew of transportation options to get around and to Krabi airport.

Oh, and the hotel's food and drink / bar was amazing as well. Many a cocktail was had from their beach side bar, everything was made fresh and with real ingredients.

Food was great too, very tasty, plenty of Thai dishes and on par with the other hidden restaurant gems scattered through out the island.

Oh and the rooms! They are legitimate bungalows, but with AC, heated(sometimes) showers, running water, fan, etc. They fit the rustic vibe, and will not provide you with the same things that massive / expensive resorts offer you but for us, that was entirely the point. They did the basics well, we slept great, there were digital lock safes as well. Loved them! There are hammocks out front on each bungalows porch as well.

Also, random side note, you will see so much tropical wildlife around here. At night there are SO MANY HERMIT CRABS, look for their trails in the sand. You will see a wide variety of lizards, snakes, and maybe some other things.

Long story short, totally reccomend this place, its honest, laid back, beautiful but with out the heavy tourism overhead. It won't stay this way for ever.

Would gladly come back here...

We absolutely LOVED staying here for 6 nights in an Ocean Front bungalow. I have no idea what one of the previous reviewers was talking about when he said the staff were unfriendly! More likely the guests! The staff were actually one of the big highlights for us. They were always friendly and they went above and beyond in terms of looking after us. On the day we checked out we had an early morning ferry to catch so they arranged a breakfast pack for us and while we waited at reception for our pick up we were given freshly made coffee that we didn’t even ask for. They were a sensational team and I truly can’t rate them highly enough. I read a review somewhere online for Narima and the reviewer said it wasn’t worth paying the extra to get an ocean front bungalow. That person was an idiot haha. If you can afford the extra few dollars it is 110% worth it. If you can ask for A11 bungalow, in my mind that is the best (see photos). We were in this one and while it is a bit of a walk from reception, you are at the end of the line of bungalows and you only have one Neighbour on one side and solid jungle on the other side with no bungalows behind you at all. The bungalows themselves are much better in person than the pictures I saw online. They are kept pristine and have excellent air conditioning along with a ceiling fan. The shower is electric but the best one I’ve ever used and while the pressure isn’t massively strong, it gets hot enough to burn your bum! The bed is huge but quite hard so if you like a soft bed then you’ve been warned. The location of the resort is also amazing. For us, it was a massive plus to be away from the hectic north. Down where Narima is it’s more wild with its of greenery, the best beaches and small little strips of shops and eateries. We rented a scooter direct from Narima and used it every day to visit beaches, restaurants etc. A short scoot south of Narima is an area with some amazing restaurants. If you like Thai food the best I’ve ever eaten is available from A La Carte. They have the most amazing BBQ but if you like your food spicy you’ll need to ask them for spicy. Also nearby is the amazing Phad Thai Rock & Roll and K.Himalaya for when you fancy some Indian food and the best naan I’ve eaten in ages! My only knock on the Narima was more about the guests. When we were there, there were A LOT of families and young children but that has nothing to do with the hotel. We didn’t spend heaps of time during the day or night at the resort so it wasn’t a massive problem for us but I would have preferred a little less of the family atmosphere. All in all I highly...

The Narima was a dream! We stayed in the C (farthest from the beach) row of bungalows and were very satisfied. You truly feel like you're in a private jungle-- orchids, lizards, hermit crabs abound.

The bungalow is mostly made of wood and grass. It includes a decent air conditioner and fan. The shower had a heater but quit working after a day or so. We encountered a few ants in our room, but nothing major. The porch includes a comfy hammock.

The continental breakfast is good-- mostly American food (French toast, poached eggs, fruit.) Eggs are also made to order. The only drawback is that the buffet is outside-- so ants will be a problem if you're a late snoozer.

The seaside bar and restaurant were amazing. Cocktails were made with fresh fruit and topped with orchids. The food was always hot and well-spiced. We had a hard time tearing ourselves away to eat somewhere else!

The manager, bartenders, waiters and waitresses were all very helpful and kind.

I recommend renting a scooter. These people are pretty trusting-- they literally hand you the keys and take your word for it that you know what you're doing. Returning the bike was easy-- they took the keys and said thanks! Didn't even check our gas tank afterwards.

I recommend this hotel to young travelers and couples. I do not recommend it for very small children or elderly individuals, or those with physical impairments; it's a little bit of a steep hike to your room and the beach is rocky.

Speaking of the beach: it's gorgeous! But to enjoy sandy, non-rocky beach time, I recommend riding your scooter southward and pulling off into a public beach area. You will most likely have the beach to yourself. The beach around the Narima is beautiful and swimmable-- but you need to mind the rocks.

All in all, we had a wonderful time and would do it all over again!...