Khao Lak
Guesthouses, hotels and resorts
Nang Thong and towards Phuket
Nang Thong beach (commonly referred to itself as Khao Lak) is the area's major hub and this is where you'll find the biggest concentration of dive shops, nightspots and accommodation to suit the broadest range of budgets. The tsunami reached up to the main road here, but didn't go further as the ground slopes upwards from the beach quite a bit. As of June 2006 there was still a lot of rebuilding going on along the beach path, and most projects were due for completion by October or November. The main road, however, wasn't affected as badly and quickly filled up with restaurants, bars, clothes shops and Internet cafes in 2005. Immediately south of Nang Thong is Khao Lak mountain, which has several excellent top-end lodgings and a good budget choice in the Khao Lak Lamru National Park. There's also a small, sandy beach (Pepe Beach) accessed by a 5 minute walk through the rainforest off the main road. A few kilometres further south is Khao Lak beach, with a smattering of top-end resorts, and the Thap Lamu pier, the departure point for the Similan National Park.
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Khaolak Merlin Resort
Extravagant
7/7 Phetkasem Rd, Khao Lak beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 428 300; F: (076) 443 200The architects didn't hold back on this one -- with a fitness centre, games room, beauty salon, clinic, ballroom, conference room and no less than five pools, Merlin is the luxury traveller's idea of ... View details
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Khao Lak Palm Beach Resort
Well-equipped
26/14 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 429 200; F: (076) 420 095A lavish resort amid the national park, the buildings here are fairly packed in and it feels more run-of-the-mill than Khaolak Paradise Resort next door. The rooms are fully kitted out and come ... View details
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Khaolak Paradise Resort
Terrific, but expensive
26/24 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 429 100; F: (076) 429 129A very stylish high-end resort on the hill at the southern end of Nang Thong beach, Paradise lives up to its name. The resort feels like it's set in the heart of the rainforest even though you also ... View details
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Khao Lak Sunset Resort
Good value but it doesn't quite fit
26/7 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 420 075-7; F: (076) 420 147Khao Lak Sunset is a cheaper option than most of the other resorts up the hill at the southern end of Nang Thong, with perhaps only a little less luxury. The stark, white buildings, however, don't ... View details
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Khao Lak Seafood
Popular spot
19/1 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 420 318; F: (076) 423 311Behind its popular restaurant on the main street of Nang Thong beach, Khao Lak Seafood has a dozen relatively new, very solid bungalows around a semblance of a garden. This is quite a good location ... View details
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Suwan Palm Resort
Good choice on Nang Thong beach
30/27 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (02) 9396 200; F: (02) 9396 499This redone resort used to be called the Khaolak Orchid Resortel before the tsunami, and reopened for business after rebuilding in October 2005. Accommodation is in three-storey buildings set around ... View details
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Nangthong Bay Resort
Central location
Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 485 088;Nangthong Bay Resort has a great beach location at the end of the path that links Nang Thong's main road to the beach. Statues of women perpetually pour more water into the pool through pumps, a ... View details
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Father & Son
relaxing grounds
Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (081) 9560 662;Father & Son has group of bungalows on a huge lawn behind Nang Thong Supermarket. There are two styles to choose from -- cheap and cute bamboo jobs with mosquito nets and double beds, and better, ... View details
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Happy Lagoon
Not always so happy
Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
Sometimes referred to as the Unhappy Lagoon because of the grumpy staff, the Happy Lagoon has a row of simply-furnished, semi-detached bungalows to one side of its excellent restaurant. A bit of ... View details
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Khao Lak Bungalow
Once intimate
26/3 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 485 145; F: (076) 485 142Towards the northern end of Nang Thong beach, Khao Lak Bungalow had a breezy, intimate feel after it opened late 2005, but has since been turned into a construction site. Works are due for completion ... View details
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Jai Restaurant and Bungalows
Getting on
5/1 Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 420 390; F: (076) 420 390Jai's offers slightly less value for money than the similarly set-up Khao Lak Seafood nearby. The bungalows out the back of this restaurant are more expensive, but older and tattier, and the grounds ... View details
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Khaolak Wanaburee Resort
A river runs through it
26/11, Moo 7, Nang Thong beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 423 333-5; F: (076) 420 750A good-looking resort wedged between the national park and the southern end of Nang Thong beach, Wanaburee was still rebuilding in June 2006 and planned to reopen in December. The beach is clean of ... View details
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1,500B to 4,000B 
Under 600B 
Under 600B 
4,000B to 8,000B Bang Niang
Situated about two kilometres to the north of Nang Thong, Bang Niang beach bore the brunt of the tsunami. The ground here is flat and the wave penetrated up to four kilometres inland. Rebuilding in Bang Niang was very quick, and aside from the police boat sitting to one side of the main road there isn't a lot of physical evidence of the disaster that stands out. There are some wonderful top-end lodgings near the beach, at the southern end of Bang Niang. You'll also find some good mid-range options on the main road, a marketplace and the infamous police boat.
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Mukdara Beach Villa and Spa
Well-designed luxury
26/14, Moo 7, Bang Niang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 429 999; F: (076) 420 099The best-looking resort on Bang Niang beach sprawls over 32sq kms of well-designed luxury. Accommodation is split into two hotel wings and clusters of villas, many set around an absolutely massive ... View details
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Spa La Flora
On the beach
59/1 Moo 5, Bang Niang
T: (076) 428 000; F: (076) 428 029Spa La Flora is one of many, large-scale, top-end resorts to open in the wake of the tsunami. Most accommodation is in three-story hotel buildings spaced amid well-maintained grounds. The rooms have ... View details
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Araya Villas
Low-key villas
53/2, Moo 5, Bang Niang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 423 108; F: (076) 423 110Araya has reasonably-priced air-con villas with high-pitched roofs set in a low-key spot on Bang Niang beach. The resort opened on December 26, 2006, exactly one year after the tsunami. Other ... View details
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The Traveller's Inn
Small and friendly
57/5 Moo 5, Bang Niang
T: (081) 1716 891;Run by a very chatty British expat, The Traveller's Inn is a good budget option near the beach in Bang Niang. The rooms are simple, but well-done and sit above a mini-mart near Spa La Flora resort. ... View details
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Emerald Guesthouse
Good value near the beach
67/26 Moo 5, Soi Haad Bang Niang, Bang Niang
T: (076) 420 513; F: (076) 420 547In a tidy-looking emerald-green building, the rooms here are big and clean. While they aren't bursting with personality they represent good value in Bang Niang for a 5 minute walk to the beach. ... View details
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Taveesub Apartment
New, but plain
26/41 Moo 5, Bang Niang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 420 770;Taveesub is in a big, lime green building on the main road, opposite the market in Bang Niang. It's not much to look at and sits on the busy main road, but everything's new and the beds are big and ... View details
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Ladda Resort
Cheap, and a noisy location
56/46 Moo 5, Bang Niang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 486 294;Ladda has around ten rooms in a two-story, motel style-building on a side soi about five minutes from Bang Niang beach. Unfortunately, a noisy construction site, to become a huge, top-end resort by ... View details
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Sinee Guest House and Cyberpoint Internet
Big, blue bungalows
26/18 Moo 5, Bang Niang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 486 772;Sinee has a small group of well-sized, blue bungalows behind an internet cafe on the main road of Bang Niang. They're good value, even if they are close to the main road and the balconies aren't ... View details
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600B to 1,500B Bang Sak beach and surrounds
North of Bang Niang lies Khuk Khak beach, Cape Pakarang, Pak Weep beach and Bang Sak beach, and there's some fantastic top-end resorts in this area. There's no tourist centre here of the likes of Nang Thong, just a few villages and some very relaxing landscape. There's also a couple of good bamboo-hut restaurants on the road that runs along Bang Sak beach.
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Similana Resort
Rainforest setting
4/7 Moo 1, Bang Sak beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 420 166; F: (076) 420 169A mainstay on the Khao Lak accommodation scene for more than 10 years, the Similana escaped extensive damage from the tsunami thanks to its hilly location. It's just a two minute walk from the beach ... View details
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The Sarojin
One of Asia's best
600 Moo 2, Pak Weep beach,Takua Pa
T: (076) 427 905; F: (076) 427 906Of all of the top-end resorts along the Khao Lak coast, the Sarojin has become the most famous, and many believe the best. With stunning villas, tranquil grounds and impeccable staff, it's hard not ... View details
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Royal Bangsak Beach Resort
Fortress-like
2/4 Moo 8, Bang Sak beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 592 555; F: (076) 592 579The Royal Bangsak is a step down from the other high-end resorts in the area, with slightly smaller rooms and few extra facilities on offer, though there is a pool near a lovely section of beach. The ... View details
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Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach and Spa Resort
Massive and impersonal
9/9, Moo 1, Bang Sak beach,Takua Pa
T: (076) 427 500; F: (076) 427 501Khao Lak's branch of the worldwide super-hotel chain Le Meridien is a massive world unto itself. Set on 50 acres of well-manicured grounds, the resort has clothes shops, a dive school, travel agent, ... View details
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Best Western Premier Palm Galleria Resort
Surprising
27/102 Moo 2, Cape Pakarang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 427 000; F: (076) 427 007Things Best Western and lavish beachside resorts don't immediately come to mind at the Best Western Premier Palm Galleria Resort. The company has done a fair job here, with a good selection of ... View details
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Khaolak Orchid Beach Resort
Isolated spot
61 Moo 3, Khuk Khak beach, Takua Pa
T: (076) 423 041; F: (076) 423 467Set on an isolated spot on Khuk Khak beach, Khaolak Orchid is a good spot to get away from it all if you're willing to splurge a little. Rooms are in a three-storey, semi-circular building set around ... View details
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Amnat's place
Small and simple
Main road, Bang Sak beach, Takua Pa
T: (081) 2067 746;Amnat, a friendly Thai man, now lives alone after he lost family in the tsunami. He has a couple of simple bungalows behind the two-storey house charity group The Mercy Foundation helped him to ... View details
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Pakarang Bungalows
Coziness on the cape
47/3 Moo 2, Cape Pakarang, Takua Pa
T: (076) 423 666-9;Pakarang opened 20 bungalows in two neat rows amid a fairly rocky garden in December 2005. The rooms themselves are neat, with big balconies, but a bit more landscaping wouldn't go astray. It's not ... View details
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Nam Khem village and Laem Pom
Few travellers stop in the pretty little fishing village of Nam Khem, about 7km south of Takuapa. While it's not really a place to stay it's worth a day trip of you've never seen an authentic Thai coastal village. Nam Khem was established as a tin-mining centre in the mid 1900s, attracting a lot of rough characters and earning a bad reputation for its illegal casinos and brothels. By the 1990s, the tin had dried up and Nam Khem reverted to a sleepy fishing port.
The village lost proportionally the most of its inhabitants in the tsunami of any village in Thailand. A stroll around the Nam Khem reveals two large fishing boats that were washed in by the tsunami sitting by the side of the road. They've since become local landmarks.
Just south of the village is the tiny enclave of Laem Pom, which has a decent beach and a tsunami memorial park. The area is safe to visit, but it's worth knowing that Laem Pom has been at the centre of a bitter land rights dispute. Several years ago thugs employed by a well-connected Thai developer erected a barbed-wire fence around the village and tried to force the locals off the land. All of the buildings here were destroyed or severely damaged in the tsunami, and most were rebuilt in 2006. But the battle over who has rights to the land (the developer or the villagers) still rages.
For an excellent account of the lives of four Nam Khem families before, during and after the tsunami, pick up a copy of Wave of Destruction by Erich Krauss.
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Suni Guesthouse
Village living
Ban Nam Khem ,Takua Pa
T: (081) 7286 123;Suni Guesthouse consists of three semi-detached house off a side soi in Nam Khem village. The houses each have two bedrooms that you can rent separately or together. There's also a lounge room in ... View details
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Travelfish top 5 spots
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Top accommodation by review
Similana Resort
1 vote 4/7 Moo 1
Khao Lak
T: (076) 420 166
F: (076) 420 169
The Sarojin
1 vote 600 Moo 2
Khao Lak
T: (076) 427 905
F: (076) 427 906
Khaolak Paradise Resort
1 vote 26/24 Moo 7
Khao Lak
T: (076) 429 100
F: (076) 429 129
Mukdara Beach Villa and Spa
1 vote 26/14
Khao Lak
T: (076) 429 999
F: (076) 420 099
Spa La Flora
1 vote 59/1 Moo 5
Khao Lak
T: (076) 428 000
F: (076) 428 029
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