Avani + Khoa Lak and Koh Lanta Thailand hotel review

It’s been, gulp, nearly 23 years since I last visited Thailand as a 19-year-old gap year traveller, the very same year Leonardo Di Caprio was starring on the Big Screen as Richard, also visiting Thailand in the brilliant Y2K cult hit film, The Beach about young travellers seeking adventure in a secret paradise on the beaches of this magical country. When I was there in 2000 with my best friend, also intrepid backpackers, decked out in combat trousers, henna tattoos and bandanas with All Saints' Pure Shores (the theme tune to The Beach) blaring out of all the bars, and Tuk Tuks transporting us everywhere, we too felt the same thrill at all that Thailand’s coast has to offer. The remote, unspoilt beaches with the occasional wooden hut, hammock and bamboo bar shack where you could sink a Chang beer at sunset and feel totally, utterly removed from the everyday madness of life back home. The beauty of tropical nature and sense of complete calm was all-encompassing. 

Since then, the pure shores we experienced have largely become built up, heaving tourist destinations, with a McDonalds or a Starbucks lining almost every street corner in popular destinations such as Koh Saumi, Ko Pan Ngan and Ko Phi Phi ( near to where The Beach was filmed.) 

So for those wanting to experience a more authentic, unspoilt Thailand holiday of 20 years ago, but also not necessarily wanting to bunk up in beach huts with travellers fresh from Full Moon parties, the Avani + hotels on the coast of the Andaman sea in Southern Thailand offer the perfect destination - and affordable luxury at the same time. 

The Avani+ lifestyle brand has a number of resorts in Thailand, but if you want to two quite different experiences - but both situated in unspoilt nature - then the recently opened Avani + Khao Lak and the more traditional style Avani+ Koh Lanta are both stunning destinations for a complete getaway from the madness of life in 2023. You might not find Leonardo DiCaprio hanging out in a beach bar, but you will definitely find yourself blown away by the tropical beauty of both destinations and achieve a sense of peace and calm, but also with an element of adventure.

KHOA LAK

Opened in April 2022, this large resort has 327 rooms and is a one-hour drive north of Phuket city and airport. Situated in an uncrowded and unbuilt up area on part of Khoa Lak's 15 mile stretch of white, unspoilt sandy beach and is within reach of rainforests, limestone mountains and  three national parks. Any other hotel property on the beach stretch is hidden behind the mangroves and there are no high rise buildings and even at high season, you feel like you have the whole beach to yourself, with the odd beach bar under bamboo awnings dotted along the shore. The staff are all super friendly and the resort is eco-friendly operating it’s own water-filtering system for drinking water in reusable glass bottles to reduce single use plastic. And all vegetables and herbs used in the restaurants are grown onsite in the grounds in their farm to table scheme.

The resort is set around four swimming pools with one comprising a fun water park that the kids won’t want to leave! Indeed, this resort is perfect for families as the amenities for children are brilliant, not only the water attractions, but also a petting farm with rabbits and chickens and the AvaniKids club. However, those without kids need not be put off as the resort is expansive enough for children to have their own area and the grown up pool, closer to the beach, is a more reserved, chilled place to hang out for adults. 

Very clean and extremely comfortable beds, the property has varying tiers of rooms available, leading up to the beachfront suites, each with their own mini plunge pool. The products in the bathrooms are all Malin and Goetz, which was a treat. 

With five dining venues to choose from you’re spoilt for choice and while there is a variety of Western and even Indian cuisine, whenever we opted for the Thai dishes on the menu, these tended to be the best, especially at the Beach House. Breakfast, included with half board at Elements restaurant offers an extensive buffet and great coffee. Venturing outside the resort, local seafood restaurant Zab Nua is a hidden gem and gives serious Y2K vibes as its streetside exterior belies the sensational food on offer. Try the whole Seabass. Nearby Memories beach bar and surf shop, on yet another completely unspoilt beach, is perfect for a sundowner. 

One of the real highlights of our trip however, was a cookery class with the exceptional chef Kwan at the nearby Nai Mueang restaurant, a hidden local gem and word of mouth favourite close to the mangroves. Prepared to be blown away by the delicious, traditional dishes Kwan teaches, including her authentic Thai green curry (I’ve been cooking it wrong all my life), chicken and cashew nuts and a delicious and deep fried King Prawn and fresh egg noodle starter. 

What’s not? Onsite there is Thai boxing, a rock climbing wall, gym and sunrise yoga. But the concierge can also arrange boat trips to desert islands and bamboo rafting through mangroves, which I highly recommend. Although bring a change of clothes for the bamboo rafting, you get very wet! The hotel booked our trips through the brilliant local companies Eco Khao Lak adventure and Khaolak Wonderland. 

KOH LANTA 

This is a real escape-from-everything destination and very romantic. Accessible only by local ferry, this island is in the middle of the Andaman Sea and due to its southernly location, the presence of Thailand’s Muslim community is felt a lot stronger than further north, where Buddhism is more widespread and as such it is reflected in the architecture and cuisine. This island really feels remote and the Avani+ resort is exceptional. With only 92 rooms, this feels more boutique-like than the Avani+ Khoa Lak and the design of the hotel draws inspiration from the Arab and Chinese seafaring heritage from nearby Lanta Old Town. Nestled on top of a cliff and spread out over the peninsula, specially designed buggies transport you across the hilly terrain of the resort. The hotel has its own private beach and is also near two public beaches. Anvani+ Koh Lanta is a scenic two-hour car journey from Krabi International Airport (including ferry crossing) and five hours by car from Phuket, but it’s definitely worth the distance. 

With six different room and suite types leading up to the Grand Ocean Residence perched on top of the peninsula that sleeps six and has its own private garden and pool, each room offers spectacular views. Whether you have a cliffside room or poolside, you will have panoramic views of the ocean and many of the rooms come with individual plunge pools. Each room boasts hand-drawn wallpaper and chinoiserie floor tiles.

Watch out for the stunning, but very squawky double beaked hornbill birds that live in the palm trees around the resort and might swoop to steal fruit from your balcony! 

There are three dining areas to choose from: Cliffside, The Pantry and The Reggae Bar. Cliffside is the main restaurant offering the best views in the whole resort and the Thai food on offer is fantastic. Try the pineapple and King Prawn fried rice. It also serves extensive Western cuisine. Situated by the pool, which also offers a swim-up-to bar with fantastic cocktails. But it is the Reggae Bar - built into the cliffs on wooden platforms like a treehouse - that is a local legend and one of the best places on the island to watch the sunset with a Chang beer and a plate of spicy peanuts. Outside of the resort a visit to Lanta Old Town (30 mins by car) is well worth it, not only for the shopping opportunities (fabulous freshwater pearls) but also the foodie delights. We had a fantastic local meal at the Shine Talay restaurant, one of the best on the island and situated on wooden stilts above the sea. 

The opportunity for boat trips, diving and snorkelling in the Andaman Sea surrounding Koh Lanta is unparalleled. A day’s boat trip is a must. Starting early, the first port of call is snorkelling at Koh Rok and then twin islands of Koh Rok Nok and Koh Rok Nai. With a distance of only 250m between them the clear, turquoise waters reveal a wide variety of soft coral, colourful anemone and tropical fish from parrot fish, clown fish to butterfly fish and purple and blue starfish. Even the odd - harmless - reef shark. Koh Rok is a fantastic remote island where you can stop for a picnic lunch and see giant monitor lizards roam the beaches and hermit crabs scuttle over your toes on the powder white sand. This really is the textbook definition of paradise. We spent the day with the brilliant Rattana Island Tour and the Masaman curry they served up for lunch on the beach was awesome. Rock climbing in the mountains can be arranged by the hotel and for those wanting a spot of retail adventure, there is a sprawling night market a mere 10 minutes away from the resort. 

Bliss. One of the best things about Thailand, is of course their world-famous massages and the treatments on offer at Avani+ spa, really are out of this world. The Comfort Zone Tranquility Body Ritual is an all over massage that will leave you in an even more relaxed state than you thought possible. And Glorious Sikn Facial is a must after a few days of suncream clogging up pores. It really left me glowing and prepped my skin ahead of my long flight back home. 

Flights from the UK to Phuket or Krabi International Airport leave daily, but do not fly direct. Transfer in Bangkok or Dubai. 

Avani+ Khao Lak Resort offers stays from £123 per room per night including breakfast.  

Avani+ Koh Lanta Krabi Resort offers stays from £136 per room per night including breakfast.

Save when you book via Booking.com with these Booking.com discount codes.

For more information visit www.avanihotels.com.

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