Lanta Sand Resort, Koh Lanta

Independant Review

This somewhat downwardly-mobile resort has a slightly down-at-heel feel to it, and can barely justify its 4 stars. Blue plastic drainage pipes, which should be buried underground, are visible on the surface. Areas which should be set to luxuriant lawn and grassy banks are instead covered in straggly grass, barely covering the balding earth below and liberally interspersed with weeds.

This is a shame, as the resort has some innovative architectural features, with classical Thai forms fused with contemporary Western designs. Varnished antique wood panels alternate with minimalist floor tiles in an attractive lobby, with outsized pots glazed in muted and subtly blended hues of purple and blue.  The grounds are liberally planted with tropical foliage and laced with interweaving waterways – it’s a bit like Venice, without the cornettos. The resort has some good accommodation for families whose parents can turn a blind eye to the slightly scruffy state of the grounds – the children certainly won’t notice. Contributors to www.tripadvisor.com report that the food and service standards here are reasonably high.

Accommodation

Family Beach-front Villa

These cavernous, badly laid-out bungalows are not recommended. Their back yards are most unattractive, the flooring ghastly and most of the space is taken up by too much uncomfortable furniture, which looks as if it was added as an afterthought to fill up space. A weedy lawn lies between the villas and the beach.

Deluxe Beachfront Villa

These villas are semi-detached, with the lounging area at the front situated only inches away from the neighbours’ lounging area. This means that conversations in the outdoor lounging area will need to be whispered if they are not to be heard by the neighbours, and also makes residents vulnerable to noisy neighbours. These villas have been spared the dreadful back yards of the Family Beach-front Villas, and are more attractively decorated inside. A daybed inside the bungalow provides day-time privacy when the outside lounging area is uninhabitable due to the neighbours’ presence. These villas are the least bad choice of the three villa types on offer at this resort.

Deluxe Villa

These have the same unattractive back yards as do the ‘Family Beach-front Villas’. The yards look as if the builders went on strike half-way through building them, thus neglecting to render some of the bricks or paint the ones that they did render. The outside lounging areas of these semi-detached villas suffer from the same privacy problems as do the ‘Deluxe Beach-front Villas’, and are not recommended. 

Deluxe Pool Access Room

These rooms have an unusual layout, with the bedroom separated from the pool-access terrace by a small living room, which is so small and under-furnished that it is a waste of space, and which makes the bedroom dark and gloomy.  The design doesn’t work at all well, and these rooms are consequently not recommended.

Deluxe Room

These have the same layout as the Deluxe Pool Access rooms, except that they have a balcony instead of a pool access terrace. They share the same unfortunate design and are not recommended.

Junior Suite – 1 bedroom

These rooms are ideal accommodation for the smaller family and are recommended. The master bedroom is well-appointed and has a TV lounge area big enough for the whole family. The living  room is a waste of space for a couple, so these rooms are not recommended for couples. It is possible to put an extra bed and a cot in the living room, thus making this suite into a great family option - parents can close their bedroom door at night and get some privacy. The living room has a small kitchen, with a microwave for heating up baby’s bottle, plus direct pool access and a terrace lounger big enough for the whole family. The section of pool which lies directly outside the room is shallow, so is perfect for tiny tots to splash around in, while Mum and/or Dad keep half an eye on them from the comfort of the large lounger.

Junior Suite – 2 Bedrooms

These suites are a good choice for the larger family, although they are not on the ground floor and so do not have pool access. For older children, however, this is not a problem, as parents can lounge on their balcony and keep an eye on their children in the pool below. 2 TV’s and 2 bathrooms will ensure no arguments about what to watch or who needs to pee most urgently. An extra bed and cot are possible, and the apartment is big enough to accommodate a family of 6 in comfort. The décor is uninspiring but inoffensive, and the suites are immaculate throughout.

www.lantasand.com

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