The Sands, Khao Lak by Katathani is a gorgeous beachfront resort in the centre of Khao Lak, Thailand. Adjoined to Nang Thong Beach, the modern resort is spread out and rooms are available with private pools, lagoon views, pool views or beach views.
It's roughly an hour and a half drive from Phuket airport however it's still close enough to book in popular tours such as Phi Phi Islands Day Tour, James Bond Island and Phuket Night Markets. Most tour companies in the area arrange an air conditioned van to take you to and from your hotel and don't forget to bargain the price down on your tours. Haggling is not just for the markets!
FOOD
Food is a little pricey in the resort compared to the restaurants in the area or of course the markets, however the food is fresh, convenient and tasty and I didn't mind the cost for a night or two of delicious food in a clean and comfortable setting.
Floating Market Restaurant
The breakfast buffet is located in the Floating Market Restaurant and a-la-carte meals can be ordered during lunch and dinner. Themed buffet nights are held every couple of days including Thai Night, International Night and BBQ Night. Entertainment is performed most nights during the dinner service. A duet sang popular songs in the courtyard and a fire dancer performed during the BBQ themed night.
The breakfast buffet is my weakness. All of the fresh, tropical fruit imaginable and this kitchen happily makes vegan meals if there's nothing readily available in the buffet. I may have become known as "Miss Vegetable" in the Floating Market Restaurant while I was there.
Those little, white, round puddings in the picture above are Thai rice puddings. Made up of rice, coconut milk and garnished with carrot, corn or yam, they are one of my new favourite things. I couldn't help myself from going back for more (and smothering them with peanut butter...do it!).
Talay Restaurant
Overlooking the beach, Talay Restaurant serves a-la-carte meals for lunch and dinner. It's the perfect way to end the day - with cocktails, good company and delicious food while watching the sun set over the sea.
The Bars
There are 3 bars on the resort - the Coconut Bar, Mango Bar and Pineapple Bar. The Coconut Bar is the most popular as it's located closest to the beach and has swim-up pool access. There's something special about being able to swim up and order a cocktail to enjoy while you're in the pool, especially during Happy Hour. The veganised Pina Coladas and Long Island Iced Teas are my top picks.
Room Service
Room service meals are a little more expensive and a little smaller in size. But so convenient.
I ended up ordering room service twice during my stay. One night because after a full day tour of island hopping, swimming and soaking up the sun the only kind of dinner you can imagine is one that's eaten while laying horizontally. And the other because I came down with the flu on our last 2 days of our trip and was stuck in bed with a fever. The meals were brought to the room within half an hour and were warm and fresh.
ROOMS
The resort and it's rooms were clean and well maintained. We stayed in a Lagoon View Room, a fair-sized open plan room with a modern interior and a balcony overlooking the lagoon. Some rooms had humidity issues and we were advised to keep the balcony door closed at all times for this reason.
ACTIVITIES
The resort is perfect for a horizontal holiday if lying beach/poolside sipping on cocktails is your thing. Although if you like to get out and about the resort has plenty of activities too.
Classes: Thai cooking classes, Fruit and vegetable carving, Cocktail making
Fitness: Yoga classes, Beach volleyball, Thai boxing, Walking program, Stretching Class, Tennis Court
Relaxation: Thai massage (my favourite)
Fun: Giant chess board, Movie nights, Computer rooms with internet access
Tours: Tours such as Phi Phi Islands, James Bond Island, Phuket Night Markets and more can be booked via the reception desk or from the tour companies on the main road.
The Thai Cooking Class is available in Easy or Intermediate levels and goes for approximately 1.5 hours. I chose the Easy class (spring rolls and pad thai) as it was the easiest to veganise. The class was less hands-on than I was hoping. Our group filled and rolled our own spring rolls, otherwise it was more of a demonstration with a volunteer or two chosen to stir the ingredients.
The Fruit & Vegetable Carving was a fun group activity. It's harder than it looks and our group spent most of the class giggling and eating the food we had poorly carved. You get to keep the knife used for carving so who knows, I may still have a chance to perfect cucumber leaves and tomato flowers in my Sydney kitchen.
Yoga classes are held in the activity room by one of the hotel staff who also assisted with the food classes. Each posture was announced with "and then" which was a little funny but overall it was a relaxing 1 hour class and I left feeling stretched and warmed up.
The best Thai Massage I've had in my life was by Mam on the massage beds at The Sands. Overlooking the beach, it was a beautiful and relaxing way to spend 30-60 minutes and each time I walked away feeling like jelly (vegan jelly, of course :P).
We did tours of Phi Phi Islands, James Bond Island and the Phuket Night Markets (highly recommend all of them). Tours are easy to book and most times we only booked it the day before. Tours can be booked at the reception desk at the hotel but it's worth walking to the main road for a better price (haggle!).
For those interested in having a destination wedding, The Sands provides wedding packages for the couple and their guests.
SHOP
Next to reception is a small, albeit overpriced mini-mart that sells souvenirs and packaged groceries. A tailor is also available at the resort. During the high-season the resort puts on a night market in the cenre of the resort.
KIDS
The Sands is super family-friendly and there's plenty of things for the kidlets to do including kids club, an outdoor playground, the kiddy pool, a mini water slide and bubble zone.
Overview
Best time to visit | November to February
Must do | Indulge in a massage by the beach and dine at the buffet
Vibe | Older couples and young families
Value | 4/5
Service | 3.5/5
Rating | 4/5
Hotel Details
Address | 10/18 Petchkasem Road, Moo 7 Kukkak Takuapa Phang Na 82190
Website | www.thesandskhaolak.com
Telephone | +66 (0) 76 428 800
Email | booking@thesandskhaolak.com
Related Posts
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| Nang Thong Beach (adjoined to The Sands) by dusk |
My vegan brother in law couldn't believe our pics of the piles of fruit. He got VERY excited which reminded me of your comment about the buffet breakfast :)
ReplyDeleteHehehe that sounds like something I would do!
DeleteThis looks like a lovely resort for relaxing! Love the fruit platter! I've always wanted to try fruit and veg carving :) What a wonderful trip it must've been!
ReplyDeleteFruit and veg carving is quite time consuming but it's so therapeutic and can look so good after a bit of practice!
DeleteHow cool! Thanks for sharing the detailed info! We have to plan a trip there too:) Love the fruit platters!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :) I'm already wanting to plan another trip back to Thailand haha
DeleteAll of the information is so helpful in this series, but I also appreciate ALL of the food pictures you include. I just ate breakfast and I want to eat again. Haha.
ReplyDeleteThanks Paige haha enjoy your second breakfast!
DeleteI can't tell you how much this makes me want to go there! All that fruit!
ReplyDeleteYum, dragonfruit! And beautiful bento! So jealous! Fruit is my carb in place of bread so that would be my paradise. I will visit one day and eat all the things :)
ReplyDelete