The Sands Khao Lak by Katathani

7 of us 5 adults 2 children stayed for 9 nights. The children absolutely loved there stay swimming in the various pools , the family room, enjoyed the whole atmosphere. My wife and I stayed in a Sea View room however, we couldn't see the sea because of the trees ! not that was a problem. The room itself was quite basic no real amenities other than a small fridge a couple of cups, a couple of small glasses tea facilities but nothing else. We are both in our 70's and the room was up 6 flights of stairs the nearest lift being some distance away and was on 2 levels which for the less mobile could be real problem. We as a family only eat in one evening and that was good, As with breakfast a lot on offer was buffets not to my taste. Drinks at the various bars were by local standards very expensive. I have though to praise the staff, v without exception they brilliant nothing to much trouble and always with a smile on their faces. My daughter in law broke her ankle soon after our arrival i Thailand and her stay was made her stay so much better with all the help they gave her in getting around. Thank you.

What a resort.. what a stay.. what a time we had.. only bad thing is that it all ended.. we had a lovely small 3 days stay at this resort earlier this month. A massive resort with multiple wings and room locations, huge and spread out, so many restaurants. But i must say even with the scale and size, the quality is top notch and not diluted at all. We visited at the time of Thai school holidays and the resort was full and buzzing with travelers and local families. Firstly the room and checkin, we booked a family suite in the Aqua wing as its most loved by families with young kids and very close to the water activities. Check in was smooth and took about 20 mins which is not bad given the sheer number of people visiting and checking in. Room was great with a separate kids room (woohoo) and a super nice comfortable large bed in the main room for adults. The bed and sleep quality - 10/10. Had a nice huge balcony overlooking the pools and waterpark. The aqua wing is noisy and buzzing during the day and expectedly so with so many kids and we didnt mind that at all. But after 7 or so it becomes very peaceful and calm and one could really enjoy time in the balcony with a few drinks looking a well lit resort. We visited to celebrate our son's 11th birthday and wow what a delicious complimentary cake sent to the room with decor. Made his day and ours too, probably one of the best cakes i have had. Nice big clean bathroom with a well sized bath tub.. good for 2 adults as well :) Food and breakfast - we had lunch in Manta ray cafe once which was good with wide choices although not much vegetarian stuff but still enough. Breakfast was a massive spread and yes you can pre order vegetarian food and they bring you on the table freshly cooked dishes. Me and my wife enjoyed the eggs, omelettes, avocado on toast and other veg food like fried rice, vegetables curry. They have it all. Kids going crazy with so many options to pamper them. Facilities and activities - Pools and fun in the water above all else. So many different pools and even adult only pool so keep the noise away. Waterpark is fun and the team managing is very good and friendly. Frankly we spent most of our time in the water only. But they have so many things more to enjoy. They do classes for kids and adults which are complimentary - we all enjoyed aqua aerobics, wife did an hour long yoga session and my son loved the kickboxing session and the coach too. He enjoyed the fish feeding experience too, plenty of them in the pond. Games in the club include jenga, chess ( giant outdoor chess too which was great), table tennis, pool tables - gym was great too but no time to exercise. They have a lovely kids club too which keeps kids of all ages engaged - including playstation and ball pits. My boy spent so much time here and didnt want to leave the resort, we made use of this time to get massages :). Staff in the kids club are very attentive and helpful, very safe for them to be there by themselves. We didnt visit spa in the resort but instead chose to get massage and spa outside in the nearby market area. Lot of parking spaces, we drove a rented car and no issues with parking. Hotel also arranges for tuk tuks to ferry to Bang Niang and nearby places and we saw some oldies availing of tuk tuk rides. Very close to Bang Niang night market which is a must visit for food, drinks, dessert and local shopping experience. Lots of restaurants are nearby too within 5-10 mins of driving distance. Service is great and all the staff we found are very cheerful and friendly and quick to offer help. Fully recommend and if you have kids who love water and time on the beach, stop your hotel search here and book right away. you wont be disappointed

This is our fourth visit at this hotel and it is still as amazing as ever Room maids Janji Phakhwan are super friendly and helpful leaving towel displays. The breakfast has a large selection of local cuisine - curries, stir fries, soup noodle station, congee and western selection of eggs, bacon, sausages, pastries, cereals and various fresh fruits. Was good to see Jimmy and to meet Julian, Fom and Piyapond (CRM). Also bumping into Chita was a nice surprise.

5/5 Stars - Magnificent resort in Khao Lak and extraordinary service !! The Sands Khao Lak is a magnificent, superb, and ultra-modern resort. The property is beautiful, clean, and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. The swimming pools and the beach location are perfect for a relaxing stay.  A major highlight is the incredible Aqua Park and its fantastic water slides. It is a truly unique area and the perfect reference point for families. Children and parents will find absolutely everything they need to enjoy the ultimate family vacation.  The dining experience is also very good. The resort offers a great variety of choices, from the fresh breakfast buffet to the lunch and dinner menus. The food is absolutely delicious, and the service in the restaurants is highly satisfying.  What stands out the most is the superb quality of the customer service. The entire team at the Front Office and reception is warm, professional, and efficient.  I want to give a special thank you to Julian from the management team. He is highly professional, understanding, and very efficient at handling guest requests. His dedication to excellent hospitality is greatly appreciated.  Everything about the hotel is well-organized, and the staff makes you feel welcome. I highly recommend this resort for a stay in Khao Lak. Thank you to Julian and the team !!

Good facilities for children, but very disappointing rooms and customer service We chose The Sands Khao Lak mainly because it is presented as a high-quality family resort with excellent facilities for children. We are travelling as two families, each with two children aged 3 and 6. We booked Family Slide Rooms in the Aqua area, at approximately 3,940 THB per night. Unfortunately, the room we received was a major disappointment. The room felt old, tired and poorly maintained. There were cracked and worn surfaces, visible signs of neglect, dust and sand on the floor, and a strong unpleasant smell of dampness/mold that was noticeable as soon as we entered. The room also had very poor sound insulation, and we could clearly hear activity from outside. However, what turned a room problem into a very negative experience was the way the situation was handled. We spent approximately three hours on our arrival day trying to find a solution. We had to approach the staff more than once, and initially felt very little empathy regarding the condition of the room. At first, we were told that the hotel had no available rooms in other areas and that they could only move us to another room of the same type in the same section. For us, that was not a real solution because the issue was the condition and atmosphere of that room category itself. I then said that if there was no suitable alternative, I wanted to cancel the reservation. The staff member called the manager again, and only a few minutes later we were suddenly told that another room was available in a different area of the resort. We were shown a Family Room in the Lagoon area, which was newer, but it was also a cheaper room category than the one we had already paid for. We asked either to receive the price difference back or even to receive hotel credit for the difference. Both requests were refused. We then asked to see a ground-floor room with pool access. Despite the inconvenience, the hours already lost and the condition of the original room, the hotel required an additional 2,500 THB for the stay. We asked whether the hotel could waive this relatively small upgrade charge as a gesture of goodwill. They refused. Because our booking was made through a travel agent, staff also repeatedly tried to refer us back to the agent instead of taking responsibility for the condition of the room we were physically given at the hotel. In the end, we paid the additional 2,500 THB ourselves simply because we wanted to stop dealing with reception and start our holiday. There are also issues in the replacement room that we would not expect from a resort at this level: the main bed is uncomfortable, the water pressure in the bathtub is extremely weak, and the children’s sleeping area is much smaller than it appears in the hotel’s promotional photos. To be fair, the water park and facilities for children are genuinely good, and this is clearly one of the resort’s strengths. But for us, good children’s facilities do not make up for poorly maintained accommodation and, especially, the lack of effective customer service when a genuine problem is raised. The most frustrating part was not that a problem existed. Problems can happen anywhere. It was that we had to spend around three hours dealing with it, were initially told there were no alternatives, and only after requesting cancellation did another option suddenly become available. Families considering this hotel should check very carefully which building and room category they are booking. The actual condition of some rooms may be very different from the impression created by the hotel’s promotional photos. I have attached photos showing the condition of the room.