We recently booked a 6 days getaway to Thailand, specifically to Khao Lak which lies north of Phuket. Tired of busy schedules and the continuous haze blanketing Kuala Lumpur, we wanted to soak up some sun on the beach nibbling on delicious Thai food!
We have a membership in the Anantara Vacation Club, which brings us all over Asia and this particular resort, the Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, was new to us.
After a relatively short flight to Phuket, we were picked up by the hotel van and started our second leg of the trip: the 90 minutes ride north to Khao Lak traveling past empty beaches and green patches of forest.
The Avani+ Khao Lak Resort is the biggest Avani Hotel in Thailand and is located at Bang Sak Beach. It has its own stretch of white sand beach, four pools, a Kids’ Club catering to young kids as well as teenagers and a gym that could be used at any time.
First Impressions
Although the hotel can cater to big groups of tourists, its lay-out and large amount of greenery still gives you an overall sense of privacy when walking around or enjoying the pool and beach areas. It is a new hotel, barely a year old, with the design in the main building feeling modern with pleasant wide-open views facing lots of foliage. The lobby of Avani+ Khao Lak Resort is designed in such a way that you have views of the breakfast area one level down, the trees and waterworks in the back, and the Kids’ Club to your left: you are indoors yet it feels like you are outdoors! Apart from rooms in the main building, the hotel also offers suites and pool villas that are situated in the green stretch.
Kids’ Club and other activities
The kids enjoyed the 2-storeyed Kids’ Club at Avani+ Khao Lak Resort a lot! Open from 9am – 7pm, there is a sandpit and playground and rooms for arts and crafts, reading, and games. They didn’t try the skate park as it was raining half of the time when we were there, but we did throw some hoops in the basketball court. My daughter also had a try at the rock-climbing wall as well. Most of the time they spent on the 2nd floor which had pool tables, a video games arcade hall, and a PlayStation room!
The 24/7 state-of-the-art gym offers Muay Thai classes to both adults and kids. Other adult classes offered were Yoga, Pilates, and group conditioning. The resort also has a relaxing Spa with an extensive menu for those that want to experience true relaxation.
Dining at Avani+ Khao Lak Resort
There are a few restaurants offering both western as well as local dishes with kids’ menus available as well. We tried all of them and without hesitation I would say the food was really good. The Beach House restaurant is a must as it is serenely located in the greenery. The breakfast buffet was a highlight of our mornings as well, offering an extensive range of Western and Thai dishes, including an egg station, and a healthy section, and desserts corner. The pizza restaurant next to the Kids’ Splash Pool serves up delicious wood-fired pizzas while smaller snacks and bites are offered in the smaller cafe in the lobby. If you would like to try other restaurants nearby, just turn left or right on the beach as there are some nearby.
Activities outside the resort
We hadn’t planned on many outings during our visit as we just wanted to relax but we did manage to visit the elephant sanctuary, Khao Lak Elephant Home. This place was suggested by Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, as we wanted to ensure that it was a proper ethical elephant sanctuary. There are many nature trails and waterfalls nearby as well, which we unfortunately did not visit. Khao Lak is also the gateway to depart from for diving and snorkelling adventures at Similan Islands.
What did we think?
We would certainly consider coming back here again. We got our much-needed doses of relaxation (in mostly nature) while the kids enjoyed not only the resort’s facilities but also the pristine beaches and swimming in the sea!
If you’re stopping over in Phuket, and looking for a family friendly resort, read what we thought of Marriott’s Mai Khao Beach, Phuket.
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