What I think about it? The Haven Khao Lak, Thailand
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- Went on a short vacation to Khao Lak. First I had to fly to Phuket International Airport. An hour direct flight from Penang with Firefly Airlines. Then it’s 1.5 hour trip on the road from Phuket airport to Khao Lak, a southern coastal town in Phang-nga province.
We stayed at The Haven Khao Lak for 9 nights booked through Luxury Escape. The hotel has its own beach front along Khuek Khat beach. Extremely private as it’s the only hotel along the beach. I think the hotel has a policy with no children under 12. It’s good for anyone who doesn’t want to have screaming kids 😂 Although the hotel has 110 rooms and almost full, it doesn’t feel crowded. There are plenty of daily free activities for guests that I’ve tried and enjoyed. Beach yoga, water tai chi, stretch and abdomen exercise on the beach! Free bicycle and kayak which was nice. The longest swimming pool I have ever swam, and I swam every morning while I was there. Followed by a free 8am exercise class. All staff are nice and friendly.
The negative comments if I have to be picky is that the hotel needs a lot of maintenance and there is no dining option for air conditioning seating areas at breakfast or the main restaurant serving lunch and dinner. There is not enough fans in the restaurants. I felt sorry for the staff. I could see them sweating as they were working hard serving customers. I hope this will change in the future as it is quite a nice place to stay and some guests I’ve met are nice and friendly. Some staying longer than us. For 2 weeks. One couple staying for 1 month! There is some renovation noises at the pool restaurant while we were there. But fortunately our room is on the opposite side, which is nice and quiet.
We made a short day trip to an old town called Takua Pa Old Town. That was nice.
In Khao Lak, there isn’t much to do except some small shops and Bang Niang market, which it seems all tourists visiting Khao Lak would have been there at least once since most hotels provide a free shuttle. Other than that, it is about winding down and relaxing by the pool or on the beach. For the more adventurous, there are several organised day trips in the area.
#khaolak #thailandtravel
Wow..! Beautiful place. Enjoy your holiday ya
@@obasan6788 thank you 🙏 😊
You have to see it with good weather....colors are stunning. And of course go to Surin Islands
@@francisinghels9765 …thanks for the tips. Surin islands look amazing from googling 😊 is the good weather in Khao Lak around Jan-Apr?
Wow lovely and that monastery looks so amazing, I saw a couple in Nepal so peaceful to be at.
Very envious, an hour flight to Thailand 😮😮😭😭.
I did Penang beef curry last night with Moy ploy paste as all this drives me crazy for tasty exciting food. Think I put a little to much fish sauce in 🙈
@@stever456 ..Moy Ploy is a good brand for Thai curry paste. I’ve use them myself. Did you mean “panang” curry? Not Penang 🤣 probably auto spell check used your most frequent typed word and changed your panang to Penang 🤣..I’ve found out that panang curry originated from southern Thailand and that in Khao Lak ie Phang-nga province where its most popular. Best to cook with prawns. Try that next time if you eat prawns. Oh yeah..we can get carried away with the fish sauce 🤣..it would be very salty and strong. Try again next time with less fish sauce and add some brown sugar to balance the saltiness 😊
@@foodtripwithvictor I’ll remember that thanks 😬👍
@@foodtripwithvictor I’ve noticed everywhere it’s spelt Penang 🤔
@@stever456 are you talking about this brand curry paste you’ve used? www.thai-food-online.co.uk/products/thai-panang-curry-paste-400g-maeploy It is not a “Penang” curry paste. It is a Thai style curry.
@@foodtripwithvictor ah yes, know what you mean they are Thai ones. I do have some Teans Gourmet rendang paste 👍
Thank you for the basic details. Much appreciated. What time of year did you go? The video is 9 days old so assuming you went during the last week of July? Also, was the ocean water calm ever for swimming etc?
@@maryjayne8746 you’re welcome. Yes that’s correct. I went there mid of last month in July. That part of the sea was rough when I was there. It wasn’t calm for the week I was there. I was told the sea is more calm during the dry season between Jan-Apr 😊
@@foodtripwithvictor Good to know. Thank you so much. I am trying to join family that is already booked and waiting to hear from the resort. Fingers crossed they can make a room available.
@@maryjayne8746 you’re welcome. Hope you get a room and enjoy your vacation there. Cheers, Victor
Would love an answer to a question I have :) we booked this hotel this December, I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews on this hotel which is great, but a lot of people mention that it needs maintenance, and tiles missing in the pool ? How big of a deal is this ? We chose a swim up room, how are the rooms in the hotel? We want a cozy nice hotel with an awesome pool but I am worried about the maintenance reviews, but then again, i don’t think there’s a flawless hotel anywhere, great video by the way :)
@@danielkamph7046 …it wasn’t a big deal for me after swimming in the pools with the broken tiles. I got used to it after couple of days. The pool attached to our pool room wasn’t cleaned when I checked in. Water was a bit murky. In between tiles filled with algae. I was hoping it will be cleaned after 1-2 days but no one came until I took some videos and went down to the reception to complain. They responded immediately and sent someone to scrub and vacuum the pool. It was better the next day. I only used our room pool for dipping and the main pool for swimming. We stayed 9 nights. After the 3rd day, I tried not to look for the flaws but try to enjoy what’s good about the resort. The daily long swim in the biggest and longest pool I’ve ever swam, the daily free activities, the complimentary bike and kayak, the beach which is very private as there’s no other beach hotels nearby, the daily free shuttle that runs on set timetable to Bang Niang market and Khao Lak town, no running and screaming kids because the hotel has a policy of no young kids, not crowded even hotel is almost full, no noisy and rude Chinese (from China) tourists because there is no big shopping malls for them 🤣, and the friendly staffs. It’s also easy to meet other tourists as most staying there for more than a week and everyone seems nice and relax.
The resort is old. We were told it’s 10 years old but we reckon it’s more than 10 years old with the room furniture and interior decor with dark wood furnishing. The main compound also look old and dated which needs work. But I guess that’s the charm of this place. When we were there, there were renovation works at the main restaurant. After a while I don’t notice them. My eyes were mostly drawn to the coconut trees and pine trees soaring into the sky.
One thing you must know is there are 5 separate buildings for the rooms. I wasn’t happy with the first room which was dark and old and located too close to the main lobby. I looked at 2 other rooms in a separate buildings which has more open space and natural lights and feels more private and quieter. Personally I think a pool connected to the room is a nice idea but not necessary.
To sum it all, we had a nice, pleasant and relaxing time at The Haven.
Cheers, Victor
@@foodtripwithvictor thank you for your thoroughly response, I also believe they try to keep that old charm with dark wood in the rooms etc, but when you say you got used to swim in the pool with the missing tiles ? Is it that many tiles that are missing ? Like big tiles everywhere or just a small one here and there, pool is the main reason we booked this hotel so that’s the least part I want to be disappointed in xD thanks !
@@danielkamph7046 ..some small broken tiles here and there. You won’t notice them unless you’re looking for it. I only saw them when I was swimming with my goggles. You will love the pool. It was never crowded in the pool. Most guests lounge on the deck reading books or having drinks at the pool bar.
@@foodtripwithvictor this is the perfect answer :) thank you I feel confident booking this hotel with my family :)
@@danielkamph7046 ..enjoy your holiday. If you can, get the bicycle and ride to the local temple as in my video. It’s a beautiful temple. I went after breakfast so it wasn’t too hot and humid yet. Non touristy and locals praying. I felt peaceful there 🙏