If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (THB4,977.78), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
With mesmerising panoramas, white-gold sands and an infinity pool that clings to a densely tree-studded hillside, Pimalai Resort & Spa is a Thai paradise where relaxation reigns supreme. The Andaman Sea’s endless expanse of shifting blues stretches out before you, and balmy breezes will soon revive you. As will the hands of the spa’s master masseurs who will pummel and pamper you in a magnificent fig-scented and forested setting. Then you’ll savour a kaleidoscope of flavours at one of the hotel’s restaurants, sip cocktails from coconuts under a pink and orange sky, and do it all over again tomorrow.
Smith Extra
Get this when you book through us:
An island excursion for each guest (please note, if there are fewer than six guests on the trip or adverse weather conditions, you’ll get a one-hour aromatic massage instead)
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £126.09 (THB5,824), including tax at 17 per cent.
More details
Rates include breakfast, which is served at the Seven Seas Restaurant or Spice and Rice Restaurant depending on where your room is located.
Also
The hotel’s many stairs and hillside setting may make it difficult for guests with reduced mobility to navigate.
At the hotel
Free WiFi throughout; gym; tennis, badminton, pickleball and basketball courts; ping-pong tables; running track along the reservoir; bikes to borrow; paddleboards, body-boards and kayaks to borrow; beach football, volleyball and pétanque courts; books and boardgames to borrow; and sports centre. In rooms: free bottled water, TV, Nespresso coffee machine, tea-making kit, slippers, bathrobes, beach bag and sandals, Bluetooth speaker, terrace fan, and I plus Q bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Be closer to the beach or have a spectacular mountain view… It's a tough call. The resort is split into two sections – the beachside and hillside estates. For absolute once-in-a-lifetime luxury the hillside ocean-view pool villas offer a private plunge infinity pool, oodles of space and unparalleled sea views. But even the entry-level rooms at Pimalai Resort & Spa are very spacious and all similarly elegant and luxuriously fitted out. Their largest villa sleeps nine people, if you’re in a big group.
Poolside
There are two infinity pools with sea views (both open 6am to 7pm). The saltwater pool is located 200 feet above sea level, near the hillside villas, with magnificent soaring views over the verdant mountain towards the sea. There’s a second pool down by the resort’s Beachside Estate. A shallow end makes it more suited to children, but parents need to be vigilant. An ample supply of loungers offers all guests spots for topping up their tan, And the Banyan Tree café serves up light meals and snacks. And, if you’d prefer a wilder swimming experience, Pimalai sits on a long stretch of shore, most of which is private and only available to guests, with the ocean safe to swim in all year round.
Spa
A greenery-filled haven, the hotel’s spa, crafted in stone, native wood, bamboo, iron and ceramics, is laid out like a small village. A herbal compress massage incorporates deep pressure techniques, while an ocean-salt body scrub or green-tea wrap will leave your skin feeling polished and petal-soft. There are three private double treatment rooms, each with a Jacuzzi, four private single treatment rooms, one outdoor spa sala and one outdoor Jacuzzi and steam room. In addition to courts for tennis and basketball or pétanque, you can complete the running track circuit by the water reservoir at the hotel’s sports centre, where free group fitness classes or charged yoga and Thai boxing (Muay Thai) will get your heart pumping (private classes are available on request).
Packing tips
Make sure you’ve packed everything you need in your beach bag before setting out to sunbathe – buggies are on hand to zip you up and down the hill, but if you forget something in your hillside villa it’s a long way back.
Also
Laundry service is available with prices starting at THB35.
Children
While the hotel has a kids’ corner, babysitting services, sports and craft activities, it’s perhaps more geared towards honeymooners than families. Parents must supervise little swimmers at all times, and extra beds are allowed in rooms.
Best for
Older children will get the most out of Pimalai.
Recommended rooms
Hillside Villas are 60 to 80 metres above sea level with a steep drop-off from the terrace and unfenced pool. Parents with children should be especially vigilant for safety. No bedrooms are interconnected.
Crèche
The unsupervised kids corner is open 10am to 5pm daily and is available to over-fours. Under-threes must be supervised by a parent or guardian.
Activities
The hotel puts on a programme of children's activities such as making beaded necklaces and art from materials found in the grounds, or pétanque, Thai boxing, soccer and kite flying which takes place on the beach. Be sure to book in advance.
Swimming pool
The beachside pool has a four- to five-metre unfenced drop off, while the hillside pool is 60 to 80 metres above sea level.
Babysitting
Babysitting is available at THB295 an hour with a minimum of two hours (book 24 hours in advance).
Sustainability efforts
Passionate about preserving the Andaman Sea’s delicate ecosystem, Pimalai Resort & Spa are involved in a range of marine conservation projects. Since 2004, they have successfully released clownfish, sea turtles, flower crabs, and hermit crabs back into the wild and are part of an initiative devoted to coral health monitoring and propagation. Signed up to the Unesco Sustainable Tourism Pledge, the hotel recycles all of its water, and its zero-food-waste policy has been in place for more than 10 years. It tracks and reports carbon emissions and they’ve made a significant reduction in single-use plastics, with a ban on plastic straws and drinks bottles. They also support the local community and businesses, inviting children from local schools to participate in beach clean-ups and provide training and employment opportunities for local Thai people.
Dine right on the beach at one of the canopy tables at Rak Talay. At Seven Seas, pick a romantic spot outside on the balcony with verdant views to swoon over.
Dress Code
Casual by the beach, dapper in the hills.
Hotel restaurant
Seven Seas is a prolific restaurant set high above the Andaman sea, with views that are a banquet for the eyes. The western-inspired menu has Koh Lanta shellfish bisque soup and Black Angus Australian beef tenderloin among its signature dishes. Rak Talay is an all-day beach bar restaurant, offering a selection of fresh seafood prepared Thai or western style. Come hungry for their surf ‘n’ turf barbecue set: a feast of fish, prawns, squid, ribeye, and lamb kebabs. Spice and Rice offers a vast menu of authentic seasonal Southern Thai dishes. Try the tom kha gai – coconut soup (with chicken breast, melinjo leaves, Thai herbs and lime juice), follow with kaeng kua goong sapparod – Phuket pineapple curry (with prawns, kaffir lime leaves, red chilli and sweet basil) and for dessert, khow niew ma-muang – sticky rice with mango and coconut cream.
Hotel bar
Rak Talay Beach Bar serves Thai and international seafood, a serene beachfront spot where you can enjoy cocktails as kickier than a round of Thai boxing while taking in the stunning views. The bar is open from 11am to 11pm with double the happiness hours from 5.30pm to 6.30pm and 9.30pm to 10.30pm. Signature cocktails include the Pimalai Sunset (cherry brandy, orange curaçao and fruit juices) and Purple Choor Moung (rum, triple sec, blue curaçao, Malibu, coconut milk, and grenadine).
Last orders
Rak Talay is open from 11am to 11pm. Seven Seas and Spice and Rice are open from 6.30am to 10.30am for breakfast and 6.30pm to 11pm for dinner.
Room service
A room service menu offering Thai and international fare is available from 6.30am to 10.30pm.
Pimalai Resort & Spa is located on the sandy stretches of Kantiang Bay, south of Koh Lanta island and in the southern part of Krabi province.
Planes
The hotel provides a free roundtrip airport transfer from Krabi Airport which takes around two hours, including a one-hour private boat trip from Hua Hin Jetty. If you are heading to Pimalai from elsewhere in Koh Lanta (such as Saladan Pier where the ferry comes in), the hotel offers free pick up and drop off. If you are already staying on Krabi mainland, the hotel can also arrange to pick you up from the airport for free or from your hotel, for an additional charge.
Automobiles
There is a free private carpark at the resort which is open 24 hours. A free valet-parking service is also available.
Other
Guests can arrive by helicopter at Ban Phra-Ae School. The hotel can then organise a free shared transfer which takes around 30 minutes.
Worth getting out of bed for
The hotel offers free watersports with kayaks, windsurfing-boards, paddleboards and body-boards to borrow. There’s tennis, basketball, pétanque and badminton at the sports centre, plus a running track along the reservoir.
Take a cycling trip around Mu Ko Lanta National Park (situated at the southern tip of the island) on the hotel’s bicycles. Dive into the turquoise depths of the Andaman Sea at some of the most magical scuba-diving spots around (Pimalai’s Padi dive centre is operated by Lanta Diver).
Pimalai organises sailing tours and excursions from the hotel’s private pier. Their fleet of luxury speedboats will take you to some of the national park’s beauty spots. Snorkel in the clear waters of Koh Haa, discover the pristine beaches of Koh Rok, the rugged limestone cliffs of Talabeng and the island’s Lanta Old Town which offers quaint architecture, local seafood restaurants and boutiques selling pieces by local artisans.
Closer to home, grab the popcorn as the hotel runs movie nights on the beach, there are special themed dinners with live music at Rak Talay, Thai cooking classes and traditional Thai massage classes too.
Local restaurants
When exploring Lanta Old Town, Shine Talay is an ideal casual lunch spot for the freshest seafood and classic Thai dishes accompanied by sea views from the wooden jetty. A 20-minute drive up the coast is Yang Garden. Frida and Martin have created a cool rattan and plant-bedecked hideaway where a modern menu flaunts global influences. They take their wines seriously and there’s a recommendation to go with each item on the grill menu (duck breast, tuna, ribeye steak, tamarind-glazed pork ribs). Graze on a selection of French cheeses and Spanish cold cuts, or delectable small dishes that range from grilled Hokkaido scallop with charred cream, lime tapioca and scallion oil, to homemade tortellini with lemon butter, pecorino, kale, pumpkin seeds, and pickled pumpkin.
Local cafés
Drunken Sailors is a coffee shop and restaurant, so laid back you can kick your shoes off and climb into a hammock, iced latte in hand. Eastern and western dishes come together at this joint, so whether you're in the mood for a shrimp burger with ebiko mayo, teriyaki salmon (served on Japanese garlic-fried rice, lotus roots and miso soup) or a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, they cater to all tastes here.
Local bars
Why Not Bar is a short walk along the beach from Pimalai. A lively beach bar where hotel guests and locals will wind up for a few more drinks. Some evenings you might even be treated to a spectacular fire show.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this palm-fringed paradise at Kantiang Bay and unpacked their yoga pants and snorkelling gear, a full account of their restorative break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Pimalai Resort & Spa in Koh Lanta…
When you can’t decide whether your body is craving the salty beach breeze or the cool fresh mountain air, cast yourself away to Pimalai Resort & Spa and get the best of both worlds. With a vast resort spanning a 900-metre-long beachfront and 100 acres of hills draped in tropical flora and fauna to explore, you’ll come here to connect with nature. A gentle stream meanders through the resort; there’s a plethora of plant species on the property (banyan trees, leelawadee, coconut trees, broadleaf lady palms, bird of paradise flowers); a macaque here and a flying lemur there, and that’s before you’ve even got to the hot white sands of Kantiang Bay and its jewel-like waters.
And yet the spellbinding spa alone is enough of a reason to pick Pimalai. Shaded by canopies of lush greenery, with a soundtrack of waterfalls and glassy koi ponds to daydream by, it has rest and rejuvenation is at its core. Should you feel the need for something more active than gazing out at the Andaman Sea from the infinity pool (we don’t blame you if that moment never arrives), Thai boxing, snorkelling, cycling, tennis, and kayaking are all there for the taking – but you may find eating becomes the main sport of the holiday. All the hotel’s restaurants have a stellar reputation, and there’s a marathon of western and Thai plates to work through. Service and hospitality is as warm as the spices on your plate, and when you return to your chic teak hotel room, you’ll find surprise tokens and offerings on your pillow.
