The Sands Khao Lak by Katathani

The advertising of this hotel boasts ‘a resort for everyone’ which sounds great if it were true. It’s a beautiful resort, professional and polite staff, perhaps the best shower anywhere in the world, great location, fabulous food but the ‘everyone’ doesn’t seem to extend to childless couples. Every and I mean every effort is made to accomodate children and their parents which is lovely but it leaves us childless neglected, ignored and passed over. This is a wonderful place but if you are looking for an ‘adult’ retreat best look elsewhere.

We absolutely loved our stay at The Sands as a family of four with two boys (aged 3 and 5). We were lucky enough to be upgraded to a Family Pool Access Room, which was an absolute game changer. Being able to jump straight into the pool before breakfast each morning was such a treat for the kids (and us!). The facilities are fantastic. We spent hours on the waterslide, floating around the lazy river, and swimming in the front pool. There was never a shortage of things to do. The breakfast buffet had an excellent variety and was the perfect way to start each day. The beachside massages were amazing and very reasonably priced. Our boys also loved the kids’ club, whether they were simply playing there or joining in the organised activities. The Saturday night fire dance was another standout and definitely worth seeing. Our room was cleaned daily, bottled water was replenished every day (and whenever we requested more), and every staff member we encountered was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The on-site mini mart was handy for snacks, drinks, and souvenirs, and happy hour at the kids’ pool was a nice bonus. The complimentary golf buggy shuttle to the main street made getting around easy, and there were always tuk tuks waiting outside if we wanted to head elsewhere. We honestly couldn’t fault our stay and would highly recommend The Sands to families. We can’t wait to come back!

Our impressions of our 5-nights stay at the Sands Khao Lak are as follows: • Our room was clean and comfortable. It was well-maintained by housekeeping. • The restaurant staff are friendly, attentive and helpful. Some staff have excellent English communication skills. • The buildings, the pool and the grounds are also well-maintained and in immaculate condition – very impressive! • Dining at the restaurants, however, was disappointing at times. The variety of dishes at the breakfast buffet was impressive. • I understand that some buffet dishes - for example, seafood – cannot be kept “fresh”, and can quickly become dry. This was our experience with the fish and prawns. When you advertise “fresh seafood”, it creates reasonable expectations that are not always the reality. • Our worst experience was dinner at Talay Restaurant on our last night. The Crispy Pork Belly dish was very dry, and the pork meat was quite tough. It did not appear to be freshly cooked. Our other dish, Red Snapper Fillet, was also extremely dry and certainly NOT freshlyly cooked. Due to our dissatisfaction with a number of our meals, it is unlikely that we will return to, or recommend, The Sands Khao Lak. I hope you find this honest review helpful.

Just returned from our first trip to Thailand staying at the sands for 11 nights in a family swim up room. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left everything was perfect. The hotel grounds where kept amazingly clean, fantastic facilities for adults and children. Food and drink where all lovely. Every single member of staff we encountered where polite, welcoming and could not do enough for you. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our holiday from start to finish and are already planning our next trip. When we do return we will most definitely return to stay at the sands.

We had a fantastic family holiday at this resort. We upgraded to Sea View Junior Suite and were very happy with the rooms and how quiet they were. We were above the adult pool area so very nice and quiet. The upgraded rooms were a good size and helpful for the room we had our 3 teenage children in next door to us. The staff were exceptional and made us feel so welcome from the moment we arrived We were very happy with the resort facilities and had daily breakfast and ate two of the buffet nights. The Saturday night buffet with the fire show is a must do. The location of the resort is great. You can either walk up the driveway, or take the complimentary hotel shuttle and you are right in the middle of the shopping strip. If you like to watch sports, head to Patty's over the road and you won't be disappointed. We highly recommend The Sands for a fantastic family holiday destination.