Sandwiched between two rivers, this hotel has the best tree-houses in Khao Sok, by a mile.
With huge trees poking through the floors and ceilings, the resort offers the quirkiest of nights’ sleeps, and is highly recommended. The owner, Khun Sakda, sold his business in Koh Samui in 2004 to escape the island’s rampant commercialization, and now sleeps in a bamboo shack suspended above the restaurant.
He built a resort which perfectly blends into the forest, and also epitomizes Thai rustic architectural woodwork at its very best.
The resort consists of 7 ‘buildings' suspended 8 metres above the jungle floor, and held up both by the trees themselves and by black steel posts.
These buildings are joined together by 8 metre-high walkways, and are the only real tree-houses in Khao Sok – the ‘tree-houses’ offered by all the other resorts are mostly bungalows on stilts.
The black steel posts in no way detract from the splendour of the setting, to which a swimming pool has recently been added. This is being built on the forest floor, and has a bar featuring the usual de rigeur underwater bar stools.
Accommodation
2-Bedroom Family Connecting Tree-house
There is only one of these, which is without doubt the best family accommodation in Khao Sok, and comes at a very reasonable price.
Because there is only one, early booking is recommended.
In addition to air-con, a DVD player, a computer, a private jungle-viewing terrace and a lovely bathroom whose floor is covered in sea-smoothed pebbles, it has 2 bedrooms, so ensuring parents night-time privacy.
The roughly triangular front door is a masterpiece of rustic woodwork, sandwiched between two huge branches.
It really is quite something, and parents will get almost as much of a kick out of this tree-house as will their children. To the left is the childrens' bedroom, with behind it the parents' room.
The walkways between the tree-house and the rest of the resort cannot be safely negotiated alone by small unaccompanied children, who will need to watched like hawks to ensure their safety.
To the right is an image of the treehouse's private jungle viewing platform.
Honeymoon Tree-house
This huge tree-house is the most romantic accommodation in Khao Sok. Featuring all the same amenities as the above family tree-house, it is set in a secluded part of the resort, so ensuring complete privacy.
Enveloped in rain-forest, relaxation and harmony are promoted by the feeling of being part of the nature pulsing all around.
The amazing thing about this treehouse is that it includes all the amenities you would expect of a ground-bound 4 star hotel room - 7 metres up in the trees.
The treehouse is also very good value for money.
The tree into which this tree-house is built often sways more vigorously than the rest of the surrounding trees.
There is only one of them, so early booking is recommended. Click on the image on the right for a better view of the tree-house's private jungle viewing platform, above and to the left of the treehouse.
Bamboo Tree-houses
There are a variety of other treehouses at this resort.
Some are are fan-cooled and others have air-con.
All have good bathrooms.
Three of the bamboo tree-houses can be connected, so housing parties of up to 14 guests.
One of them sleeps 6 people, making it an ideal choice for larger groups.
Couples prefer the detached treehouses, while for familes there are lots of great connecting options available.
The fan rooms are not bug-free, so if a mosquito or two will ruin your night's sleep, it's best not to book one of these.
Simon says: "This hotel gets mixed reviews on Tripadvisor, because (a) the service levels are not high (b) the cheaper rooms are rather dated and not-bug-free (c) it is in the jungle, so bugs in the surrounding jungle are impossible to avoid.
We stand by this resort as a good place to stay as (a) our agent looks after our customers' daytrip and transfer requirements, leaving little for the resort to mess up (b) we don't book the cheaper and older bungalows, we book the the better ones, which are bug-free (I know because I have stayed here).
Nobody can do anything about the mosquitos and other bugs in the surrounding jungle, if you can't put up with them then you are best not coming to this destination.
Whilst on the subject of Tripadvisor, it must be pointed out that Tripadvisor reviews all come from a single person's stay in one room at a resort. They do not represent the full picture or tell the whole story. Resorts like this one end up looking bad because some of their rooms aren't very good, despite the fact that some of the treehouses here are simply spectacular, unforgettable places to stay.
We know this place better than Tripadvisor, we know which the good rooms are and which are the ones to avoid. We have never had a complaint from any of the hundreds of customers we have booked into this resort."
