Cape Panwa

This was our 8th stay at this amazing hotel. So they must have got something right. For the first time we stayed in a pool villa and it was so worth it. We had early morning and late night swims and it was so spacious. It was fun floating and watching the beach tram pass by. It was great to be living in the heart of the wonderful gardens and waking up with the wildlife. Our previous visit was post covid and it was a little sad then. Now the hotel and the resort are back to full strength and thriving. It is the hotel’s 40th anniversary next year and so we are definitely planning our next visit. All the staff are so attentive and helpful. It is so difficult to pick out anyone .However the wonderful Ukrainian receptionist is worth a special mention. She is bubbly, efficient and helpful, always there with a ready smile and looking very glamorous despite the time of day and the heat.

Had a five night stay after exhausting tour of Vietnam/Cambodia and Thailand. This is a beautiful hotel in serene and tranquil surroundings. Room overlooked the bay and was clean and spacious. Buffet breakfast was excellent and evening meals very good with a wide range of choice. Pool was fantastic and beds a plenty. Private beach is beautiful. Shuttle bus to nearby village is brilliant. Special mention to the Lighthouse Bar and their Happy Hours.....superb..... Good live music during dinner and also at Lighthouse Bar. Staff very helpful and attentive Hope to visit again.

Yet another visit to one of our favourite places on the planet. We normaly visit in July or November so were interested to see how the sea and the weather would be at this time of year. We had blue skys every single day with just a brief shower at 10 pm one evening . Reception is really helpful and I would like to mention Pim, Maggie and Ivy who helped out with several requests during our visit as we kept losing things!! The restaurants we visited in the hotel, Andaman cafe, Bamboo Bar, Uncle nans and Panwa house were all superb but the big surprise for us this year was Uncle Nans. A previous visit a couple of years ago had stopped me wanting to return. It wasn't bad but just not as good as the others . This time we ate there 4 times because the food was really good and what a great menu. The ambience feels authentic too and the music was perfect for an italian restaurant. The addition of some new very good quality wines which can be bought by the glass , secured our repeat visits ! Pansa, the manager seems to be everywhere, he was helpful selecting dishes and wines and a perfect host. Our preference for Uncle Nans meant that we ran out of days to try Top of the reef which had had a major makeover since our last visit , the menu looks amazing though so that will have to wait for our return. However the addition of more outdoor seating on the deck has transformed the outside bar area and I believe it's possible to eat there as well which would be really good. We were always greeted by the lovely Aiice and Supatra . Aiice plays piano and sings at the venue. Perfect service here with just a raised eyebrow necessary to order more drinks from the staff. Panwa house is a perfect Thai themed restaurant on the beach and we enjoyed two meals there both of which were really tasty and beautifully presented. Worth a good look around inside on a hot day to as it's a very old building full of antiques and old books. It's a cool spot out of the sun if it gets a bit warm. The themed evening with fire show and buffet outside the panwa house is highly recomended for a holiday video with a great range of dishes from the buffet. Bamboo Bar on the beach now has a free ice cream machine which operates until its runs out at about 11 am each day , it was really really popular , however I went for the passion fruit smoothies which are really refreshing. I must mention Sandy who is one of the main reasons we go to the beach so much, she is a perfect mix of fun and service quality, she works so hard . Everyone who has been to the beach will know her as she is a real character. Big Bang (Somnuk )s also there each day making sure things run smoothly but we chatted to most of the staff there and they were all lovely. Food here was perfectly good for lunchtime and smaller meals but for a larger menu I would recommend taking the tram back up the Andaman Cafe which is much more complehensive and has more international options. I heard some other visitors on the beach complaining about the fact that because of low tides , the reef / rocks are exposed during very low tides and thus it was not possible to swim. There is a smaller pool beach side for these times but my recomendation would be to check the tide times posted in the rooms and if its best for swimming at 10 am ... go to the beach slightly earlier as going down at 3 pm and expecting a high tide might end in dissapointment!! The beach was really clean this visit despite the slightly windy weather bringing in leaves twigs and other man made detritus on oocasions. The beach team regularly swept the high tide mark so that it was always clean. The lighthouse Bar has remained pretty much the same since we first visited and for us that is part of its charm, there's a happy hour at 9.30 which is perfect for post dinner drinks. The panwa Trio and on saturdays a new band play live music between 10 and 11 pm. It's our favourite way to finish the day with a cocktail. So are there any things that could be improved.? Well since the music has been changed in the bamboo bar and the Andaman cafe , there's not much to improve, but I do still find the shuttle service timings over the hill a bit hit and miss. If you book a table at uncle nans at 7.30 you need to try and get the shuttle over at around 7 otherwise you might well be late. We have already planned a return in november and are excited to go back. Having spoken to many people around the hotel it seems we are not alone as repeat visitors, many coming for several weeks at a time. Hope to be able to do this one day!

Our third visit to this hotel—and it still doesn’t disappoint. Nothing quite compares. The setting is stunning, with a beautiful beach, and the staff truly go above and beyond every time. Special thanks to Sandy at the beach bar for always taking such great care of us, Dear for arranging an amazing room upgrade on arrival, and Pim for going out of her way to help track down an item we’d left behind at another hotel in Khao Lak. Both the hotel and the surrounding village feel like a home from home for us, which is why so many guests return time and time again—it really says it all. The only small change we noticed since our first visit is the switch to newer, metal-framed sun loungers. While perfectly functional, we did feel this is a slight step down from the original rattan-style beds with large cushions, which suited the beach setting beautifully. The layout also felt a little more compact than before. That said, it didn’t impact our stay—we were still able to find comfortable spots—but it’s something we mention only because we love this place and know how exceptional it can be. Another fantastic stay at Cape Panwa. We’ll definitely be back.

We have just returned home after 2 weeks at cape panwa .The room u315 was excellent walk in shower large comfortable beds nice sea view and nice seating area plus a large balcony . We are in all the restaurants as we were on a full board the food was very good our favourite was top of the reef next to otters bar ( happy hour 5pm to 6 pm ) the lunch at bamboo was good with large portions the beef burger was superb , we never had a problem getting a sun lounger at the beach or both of the pools, all the staff were so well mannered and spoke English and nothing was to much trouble , we did the trip to Coral island with the hotel which was good approx £30 each . The drinks at the hotel are not cheap approx £5 for a small beer but don’t let it spoil your holiday enjoy . At night you can drink at half the hotel price at uncle Johns bar just out side the hotel one minute walk up the hill . This is a lovely hotel and you get a fresh beach towel every day from the beach or the pool