The Sands Khao Lak by Katathani Resort

This is my third time visiting here, and I’ve truly enjoyed every moment of my stay. Trust me — you don't even need to leave the property because they have everything you need: a swimming pool, kids club, restaurant, fitness center, and more. Breakfast was excellent, and all the staff were so kind and polite. They always greeted us with a warm "Sawasdee" and a smile whenever we passed by. I’d especially like to thank Khun Hya and Khun Tarn from Mantalay Restaurant for their wonderful service during lunch. Also, a big thank you to Khun Pla from housekeeping who kept our room spotless, the three gentlemen from the activity department who were always on standby at the pool to ensure everyone’s safety, and the three lovely ladies at the Kids Club who took such good care of our children. See you again next year!

I could not fault anything with our stay. The rooms were clean and very well appointed. They were also very quiet. The pool areas were clean and very well maintained. We only ate breakfast at the resort. There were plenty of options. On the last day of our stay it was busier and they struggled to keep up with certain items, I could imagine that it would be hectic during high season, but we couldn’t fault the place.

Staying here now and by no means rate this a 5 star hotel. There is no pool side service. You need to go up and order and collect food and drinks yourself. Which, normally fine, but not when paying the amount of money to stay. Plus when you have small children swimming, it's hard to up and leave without dragging everyone over. It also comes served in takeaway containers. The cocktails are also terrible. The service and friendly staff we experienced in Phuket for 3 weeks set the bar, so this feels so disappointing. A big hotel so no personal feel to it, unlike previous hotels in the last few weeks where staff knew our children's names. Not the hotels fault, but the main street is too quiet for us (first time here so we didn't know what to expect) multiple restaurants with the same menu, just a different name. No real Thailand vibe about it, we feel like we could be anywhere and miss having a multitude of uniquely Thai food and drink vendors directly at our doorstep. Almost a month in Thailand and we've experienced the worst food in Khao Lak, which is a disappointing way to end a holiday. I'm glad we experienced The Sands, but i don't think we'll be back.

This was an absolutely fantastic stay at this hotel. We used a luxary escapes voucher and for the price and inclusions I couldn't believe how lovely it was. Three pools. A wonderful kids water playground, a family pool and adult pool and Spa. We where checked in promptly and shown to our beautiful suite on the 3rd floor just 4 rooms from the beach, which i asked for. The aircon worked a treat, we had to turn it up it was so cold. We had a lovely bath, sperate shower and toilet and a lounge area. The hot water was fantastic as was the water flow, felt let down when i got home. We ate at both the buffet and the Talay restaurant . They where great variety that was always restocked. Never a plate empty in buffet at both breakfast and dinner. We never had to wait for a table. The ravioli i had at Talay was the best I've ever had. You could tell the pasta was home made. Staff where wonderful. Foam was especially welcoming and so polite. We had cocktails next door some nights at Tin lounge. The most beautiful sunset in airconditioned bar overlooking the beach. Once we found it we always went there.. Dana was so lovely mixed the most lovely cocktails . So professionally done. Put music to our taste and a nice supply of nuts. The younger guy and girl where also lovely. They had a couple singing which where super also. We enjoyed 2 massages right on beach in covered area with fans. So relaxing listening to the waves. All therapists where lovely and you could get in whenever you phoned. We had included transport one way which was super helpful as taxi was $AUD 100. It was our 36th wedding anniversary and i think we will be here for our 37th. Even though it rained some days it was so warm we still swam and read our books on balcony. The minimart at hotel was very useful The hotel did supply unlimited water but the prices where great for a snack. There was also a buggy that would transport you to a restaurant on the street but only if it was on on the hotel list.

My wife and I holidayed with my sister and her partner, as they had previously stayed at the Sands a couple of times before and recommended it to us. We were pleased with our room and the facilities at the Sands. However, we did have some issues that marred our overall enjoyment. From the beginning our air conditioning was not working properly resulting in us feeling hot during the night. I reported the matter to reception on three separate days, even asking for an upright fan as a temporary measure, but no action was taking other than a plate of fruit being sent to our room. We also had a blockage in our toilet which we reported to reception, but again nothing was done and we eventually managed to clear the blockage ourselves. We did ask to speak to a member of the management team to resolve these issues but again nothing happened. This was especially disappointing to us and needs addressing. Our a/c problem was only resolved when Chita, Guest Services, returned from a four day break and, after speaking with her, she immediately ensured that the a/c unit was inspected and cleaned, thereafter it worked perfectly. We were aware that the hotel was family friendly and that therefore there would be a lot of children staying. For that reason we chose a junior suite with pool, lagoon access on the wing away from the children's water park. We were assured, according to the hotel's website, that the Lagoon Wing was 'To rest - centred on a lovely lagoon Wing that offers a quiet space perfect for serenity seekers'. The reality though was that most of our neighbours had children of various ages and the noise level in the lagoon was certainly not peaceful - we even had a group of teenagers playing water polo! There were signs on everybody's patio saying that jumping, diving, etc. was not allowed but sadly nobody took any notice and the area was never checked by any staff members. This was a great shame and definitely impacted on our enjoyment. We did appreciate that Chita, when she was aware of our concerns, communicated with us both via phone and in person in an attempt to move us to a potentially quieter seaside view room, but unfortunately there were not two available as we would have wished to relocate with my sister and her partner. My wife and I found Chita to be charming as well as helpful and this went some way to restoring our confidence in the management. The hotel did have a good size adults only swimming pool which we used to escape to when the noise was really bad , although from time to time children ( sometimes with their parents) would ignore the notice which was frustrating especially as nearby staff members did nothing to enforce the rules. On the plus side we found the hotel staff to be unfailingly polite and our room was kept spotless by the tireless Kam. The hotel grounds were immaculately kept and we loved the Sands close proximity to the wonderful beaches of Khao Lak. The hotel also scored well with the standard of catering and service at the restaurants that we dined in, Manta Ray and Talay. The resort has a shop, which we used on several occasions, selling a range of items from beachwear to sweets, drinks, snacks and souvenirs all at reasonable prices. The Sands is well positioned being only a ten minutes walk to the town of Khao Lak with its many restaurants , bars and shops and Bang Niang with its lively market and bars is only a short taxi ride away. Overall we felt that communication between management and guests certainly needs to be improved to deal with issues that arise and a more honest description conveyed on the hotel's website. If there are no adult only rooms/areas this should be made clear to prevent misunderstandings,( this has been noted by other guests reviews). The Sands needs to think about what exactly it is they are offering, if it is to be solely for kids and their parents please do not mislead those seeking a peaceful break. For this reason alone we could only rate the Sands as three star average. It is to be hoped that feedback will be addressed. The Sands certainly has a lot going for it and the potential to meet all guest's needs.... …. but is anybody listening?!