This fun and popular place is one of the happiest resorts on Lanta, and is set in one of its most authentic natural environments - there is virtually no plastic or concrete anywhere to be seen anywhere.
Too often Thai beach resorts blot their landscaped, but in the case of the Relax Bay, the beach in front of the resort is actually enhanced by the presence of this pretty resort. The beachfront facilities - a restaurant, bar, barbeque area and numerous relaxation huts - are beautifully crafted predominately out of wood, and form a great place to while away the hours, and to unwind from the city stress that's so hard to shed.
If a visitor likes a happy, fun resort which blends beautifully into its tropical landscape, then Relax Bay is hard to beat.
The French manager Monsieu Didier is a fine & friendly fellow for whom nothing seems to be too much trouble. He has a completely novel method of ensuring that the atmosphere is the resort stays cosmopolitan - he refuses to take more than six bookings at a time from any nationality.
So, if you're the seventh Swede to request to book, and he already has 6 Swedish bookings, he'll politely decline your booking. You might wonder how he goes about telling people that he's refusing their booking because of their nationality.
When declining, he doesn't say ""we already have enough Swedes", as people would not be able to understand this, he just says "sorry, we're full". It's all pretty equitable, with Swedes being treating no different to any other nationality. Some nationalities with bad repuations for noise, which better remain nameless, are limited to "1" or even "0" bookings.
It's a quirky system, but it works. There are never too many of the rowdier nationalities at any one time, and the atmosphere is always relaxed and happy, plus it's more fun to stay in such a cosmopoloitan place. The shared facilities include a large yoga centre.
Accommodation
Regular Fan
These basic bamboo rooms are clean and comfortable, and excellent value for the price charged.
Premier Fan
These are some of the best fan bamboo bungalows on the island. Very clean and well-maintained, they have spotless bathrooms and enormous terraces, each of which contains a hammock and 2 chairs.
The view is very pretty, which coconut trees, flowering red hibiscus shrubs and the thatched roofs of the not-too-close neighbours completing the scene of an architypically Thai tropical idyll.
Family Fan
These large and comfortable bungalows are amongt the very best family options on the island, for those who like a wooden bungalow, and prefer a fan to air-con.
The 2 sizeable bedrooms are separated by an attractive reception room and fronted by a huge and comfortable terrace. Parents can relax on their balcony, while the children can either (a) play in the pool, which is directly visible from the terraces of some of the rooms (b) swim in the nearby sea (c) visit the restaurant for refreshments.
Older children will be able to do all of this independently, and never be far from the bungalow. f you'd like one of these family bungalows that overlooks the pool, contact us.
Air-con
These wooden bungalows are only marginally more expensive than the best fan premier fan bungalow, and are great value for money. The windows are somewhat on the small side in order to save energy, and the bungalows are a little dark inside.
This isn't in practice a problem, since all the bungalows have their own oversized terrace attached, so there's not much need to spend time indoors during the day. While young love-bidrs are in and out of their bungalows like yo yos, everybody else spends the day outdoors.
VIP
The manager Didier is embarrassed by the name of these units, as he feels they give an elitist impression which isn't part of the scene here - if anybody can come up with a better name, please let us know. Maybe PIP (pretty important person) or QRP (quite rich person) would be better. But, enough of this foolish waffling, and on with the resort review - these units are beautifully decorated and painted. 5 of them have front row beachfront locations, 2 of them are on the 2nd row. Of the beachfront bungalows, the southernmost is the most private, contact us and we'll see if it's available. If it is, we can't guarantee we can get it for you, but we can request it for you by room number. Unless some VVIP (very, very important person) checks in just before you, you'll get the requested room.
Tent
This is camping like you've never seen it before, in one of Lanta's quirkiest accommodation options. If your first reaction on being suggested a tent is
"Camping, who wants to camp, when they can stay in a bungalow?"
then you're not alone, but these tents have solid bathrooms built from antique bricks attached to them, are big enough to walk around in, and have electric ligh and a fan provided.
The beds are comfortable, and the huge and comfortable terraces get vast views over the sea (these units are at the top of the small hillside behind the resort). If you like a laugh, book one of these, you won't be diappointed.
They are particularly popular as spots for romantic liaisons, as the atmosphere up here on wooden platforms sticking out from the hillside is pretty sublime, particularly at sunset.
Prices
The above rates are net per room per night and inclusive of service charge and breakfast for 2 people (except the Family Premier fan, which includes breakfast for 4, and the VIP Air-com, which includes breakfast for 3).
