Our top 10 places to stay in and around Ko Lipe
Our pick of the pricier spots
Our favourite of the pricier resorts that keep things quiet and clean towards the west end of Pattaya Beach, Mali’s Bali-style villas and simpler concrete bungalows are set around a lawn filled with palms and orchids.
If your budget allows, go for one of the dark-wood villas with glossy wood floors, wall-size sliding glass doors, tasteful Buddhist-inspired art, vintage furnishings, vaulted thatch ceilings, decks and huge garden bathrooms with twin basin sinks and rain showers so that you never have to leave your sweetie’s side. In our opinion these are the classiest digs on Pattaya Beach.
Though lacking the elegance of the larger and newer villas, the cheaper concrete “garden” rooms are equipped with the same luxurious beds along with hardwood floors, LCD TVs, DVD players, safes, ceiling fans and air-con. These are stacked in two rows facing one another in a corner of the property, so no direct sea views unless you pay extra for a beachfront edition.
While there’s no swimming pool, Mali boasts dozens of wooden loungers along an excellent beachfront along with bamboo hammocks spread along the spacious lawn, a massage section and a restaurant/bar that’s happy to deliver straight to your villa. The same group also runs Mali Sunrise, a similar property on southern Sunrise Beach.
If you’re after something trendier and perhaps more luxurious, Akira Resort is just up the beach, though we’re not too fond of its concrete beachfront barriers. Otherwise, the much larger and blander Z-Touch, Bundhaya and Sita resorts all have stacks of rooms and swimming pools.
Address: Western Pattaya Beach, Ko Lipe
T: (095) 016 0137 ; (091) 979 4600;
Web: https://www.maliresorts.com/
Coordinates (for GPS): 99º18'1.92" E, 6º29'14.58" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: 1,500B to 4,000B
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
| Bungalow air-con private bathroom Plus 1,000 baht for beachfront. | 2,300 baht | 4,300 baht |
| Deluxe bungalow Plus 500 baht for sea view and 2,000 baht for beachfront. | 2,800 baht | 6,800 baht |
Reviewed by
David Luekens
David Luekens first came to Thailand in 2005 when Thai friends from his former home of Burlington, Vermont led him on a life-changing trip. Based in Thailand since 2011, he spends much of his time eating in Bangkok street markets and island hopping the Andaman Sea.
Our top 10 places to stay in and around Ko Lipe
