Pullman Khao Lak Resort — Hotel in Phang-nga Province

We booked a 9 day all inclusive stay through Luxery Escapes. All meals and a drinks package were included. After a 12hr flight and another 1.5hr drive all we wanted to do was have a shower, settle in and have a sleep. The day was overcast, around 30⁰ C and the humidity was stifling. We arrived around 11am. We were told our room wasn't ready yet but we could access the resort and the drinks package but we'd have to pay for lunch as it wasn't included on the first day. I was tired and although a little annoying I really didn't care. The grounds were lovely and the pool looked inviting but I wanted sleep. The front of house staff were lovely and our room was made available before the scheduled time. The room was nice but the air con wasn't working. After numerous calls and complaining from me they eventually gave us another room. This one worked. We went down for dinner to the buffet. There was a good selection of foods available or so it seemed. 90% of the servers was empty or down to dregs. I didn't realise this was a blessing as most of the food is far from appetising. The next morning we went down for breakfast. I saw a large container of crispy bacon. I love bacon.....I thought I loved bacon. I'm really not sure how you stuff up cooking bacon and I thought maybe today was an off day. Nope. They stuffed it up every day. Every day the bacon was like it had been deep fryed to within an inch of burning it. There was little flavour to it and it was most unsatisfying. As a person who could eat bacon every day I only ate it on two days. The second time was to reassure myself that it really was that bad and that my old innersoles from my workbooks would have tasted better. The consolation at breakfast was that there were some nice local dishes on offer most mornings and there was also fresh omelettes made to order as well as cereal and pastries. Breakfast was by far the best offering on a daily basis.

Lunch was restricted to a limited unchanging set menu. Considering what was on the menu I would have thought it difficult to stuff it up. The cook obviously saw this as a challenge and succeeded time and time again at stuffing it up. Meals would often arrive cold, chewy or just unedible. Don't look for consistency in the meals because there isn't any. It's hard to stuff up a club sandwich but yes they even managed to do this. Oh and don't order any hot chips. They probably won't be hot. Dinner: my advice is go down to the local markets and buy some of the street food on offer. It's definitely tastier, hotter and readily available. Don't be fooled by the tantalising photos of what the special theme for food of the night is. It's a lie!!! I would have thought being in an Asian country that Asian food would be hard to stuff up. Yep they did that with ease. Don't eat the fish!!! I tried it on several occasions. Much to my wifes horror, I even asked if it was normal to cook and serve the fish with scales on it as that's what I got almost every time. Other times it just tasted off and I made use of a nearby napkin. Desserts on the whole were reasonable. But this is meant to be a 5 star resort. Most of the food served wouldn't meet the quality and standards of a mass produced meal at a school camp that was cooked by the volunteer Parents and Friends committee members. Overall I rate the food a 1 out of 10. Service from the staff gets a 6 out of 10. Most of the bars are understaffed and wait times for drinks are long. Food service is slow, understaffed and language can sometimes be a barrier but is generally over come. My tip, order 2 drinks at a time. Yes one will get warm but at least you'll have a drink whilst you wait for your food. House keeping and grounds people gets a 9 out of 10. The General manager (Frenchman) is a nice guy but seriously, you've had this food problem for a long time now by looking at your reviews and it's still absolute rubbish. Given the hotels location (it's a long way from anywhere) shuttle buses should be free. Overall, all things considered I can only give you a 2 out of 5. It was very...

We had an all inclusive package that included free flowing cocktails, beer and all meals at the buffet restaurant. I would like to start with the positives,

the Pullman team are exceptional in that they are friendly and always willing to go the extra mile to make your stay an enjoyable one. A particular call out to Jee Party, Jee Ice, Jee Faye at the Tharn pool bar absolutely made our time there.

Jee Nok was incredibly attentive and friendly and had great attention to detail, again went above and beyond.

Jee Tukta at the foyer bar was also amazing, friendly and fun, our only issue was the lights at the bar kept flicking on and off, for three days and even after complaining/lodging a work order still nothing was fixed. It distracted from the ambiance and was actually annoying, we kept thinking the bar was closed, please get them fixed for her!!

The rooms were great, clean and functional. The view was spectacular from our ocean view room so no complaints there. The housekeeping team did a great job, always so happy and friendly with what you have to know is a difficult job! Thank you team!

The pool area was beautiful, it would have been awesome to have an adults only area/pool so we were not bothered by other people’s kids playing and enjoying themselves (as they should be) we were just not there for that, ours was a couples getaway for my birthday and we were really keen for a chill and sunbathe/swim/read books vibe, we did do a lot of that but just with some very loud kiddies in the background. The pool facing the beach was not really big enough or deep enough so we stuck to the main pool, the pool bar was also a big draw card for that.

The gym facilities were fantastic, a very well equiped gym that we used quite a bit.

The spa was very lovely and the girls in there really took care of me for my spa massage on my birthday Jee Fon, Jee Fali and Jee Gift were so sweet and sang me happy birthday with a birthday brownie! Really special and thoughtful, the massage was also spectacular, thank you Jee Fon with your magic hands!

As previously mentioned this was an all inclusive package which included all meals, normally this would be something that would excite us but it became apparent after the first day that the buffet was not what we have experienced in all of the other 5 star resorts we have stayed over the years. The buffet is honestly the biggest letdown of this location and trip. Coupled with the proximity of the resort to Khao Lak (some distance from Khao Lak town) it is not easy to just leave and go somewhere else to get the beautiful fresh food that this region is so famous for. The buffet food was actually something we started to avoid. @pullman this is your biggest opportunity here. Reading reviews and talking to others at the resort this was and still is the biggest and most consistent complaint or grievance that your customers have, most, like us will simply not come back, for your future customers beware, they have been aware of this issue for months and yet there have been no improvements so I would suspect without a complete overhaul of the buffet there is unlikely to be any change.

The location of the resort from Khao Lak town is considerable and currently it is very isolated, that may change but should be taken into consideration when planning to come here as you will be spending a bit on taxis...

We were on an all-inclusive 10 day package through Luxury Escapes. The service and experience at the Pullman Khao Lak was something one wouldn’t expect from a 5 Star resort. The Hotel’s management kept denying us what was in the package from the outset. We were told that we could only dine in the Plai restaurant having a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner contrary to what was in the package. The Signature dinner was to be served in the Plai and not the Kram as was is in the package. Prior to purchasing this LE package, we wrote to the resort querying the restaurants that can be used with this package. The resort confirmed that the Plai and Kram could be used. We then had to prove through emails to get the entitlements.

Resort: The resort itself is new and nice with 2 swimming pools, a gym and a nice clean beach. The room is clean, comfortable with good quality linen. The room has provisions for hanging clothes but has no drawers/cupboards. Restaurants: You walk into a restaurant, your room number is taken, and you need to walk around yourself looking for a table. Food and drinks: The quality of food was well below the standard of a 5 Star resort. Food was not replenished. If it was, there was a long wait and guests are kept hanging around. Some drinks on the menu weren’t available. Once I was even served a warm beer at Plai. At the buffet, they ran out of bread. After a 15 minute wait, frozen bread and bread sticks appeared. At Kram the choice on the menu was limited and on a few occasions, we were served cold food. Coffee: There is no barista coffee served. There were self service coffee machines at the Plai only. As a result of the choice and quality of the breakfast dishes, out of our 10 days, we skipped breakfast and had it only thrice. I suggest if you need to eat and enjoy of what is there, go to the restaurant as soon as it opens for lunch at 12 noon and at approx.. 6–6.30 pm for dinner. Massages: We were advised that we could have only Thai massages. Once again, we had to pull out documentation on the package and prove to them that were entitled to "a choice of oil or Thai" massage. We were then allowed the choice. The masseuses at the Spa were very good. Staff: The language barrier is there but the staff are polite, wonderful and will always try to assist. They appear to be under pressure, stress and show signs of being very unhappy on the job. Service: Service was almost non-existent. You had to self-service yourself to exist. After ordering a drink, we waited 40 minutes and had to eventually cancel the order. At the Kram they were so short staffed that guests had to get the menu themselves, order their drinks and bring it to their tables.

I commend Karen from reception who has been understanding and very helpful in resolving our issues. At no time did any of the managers speak or apologise for their short comings and attempts to deny us of what was in the package. Instead, they hid behind Karen who was the go in-between us and management.

May I emphasize that the staff are polite and wonderful. They do need training and a manager to give them guidance. The visible ratio of guests to staff is questionable which is resulting in the poor service.

This resort doesn’t deserve a 5 Star status. The problem here is not the staff but the...