Paradise vacation in Thailand – Pimalai Resort & Spa

Holidays in Thailand are primarily associated with beautiful, sandy beaches, ideal conditions for snorkeling, delicious food, rich culture and exotic nature. However, a huge advantage Thailand there are also hotels – beautifully situated on the islands of the Andaman Sea or the Gulf of Thailand, with views of the azure water or the sky-high skyscrapers in Bangkok. Both boutique bungalows, built of natural materials, far from civilization, and modern hotels equipped with all possible amenities, with access to restaurants, bars and shops. In a word - ideal for spending a dream vacation honeymoon trip for two, or for a trip with a group of friends or children.

The ones we recommend are designed in a local style and have everything we want in a dream vacation. This year, the travel portal Tripadvisor distinguished one of them. 5* Pimalai Resort & Spa, located on Koh Lanta, was voted the best hotel in Thailand in 2019. What is so special about it? Why is it worth visiting during your vacation in Thailand?

During our annual inspection of the Land of Smiles, we had the opportunity to visit Pimalai Resort & Spa – the result of which is a short report on the stay. We assessed the hotel's location, standard of accommodation, prices and available facilities.

View of the bay from the pool located on the hill.

Private villas

View from one of the villas over the bay

1. LOCATION OF PIMALAI HOTEL

Pimalai Resort & Spa is located on a beautiful, wide and sandy beach in the southwestern part of Koh Lanta. Although Bakantiang Beach is public, it is really peaceful and quiet here. The hotel consists of two parts. The first is a beach pool, bar, Rak Talay restaurant and Bayfront Deluxe, Deluxe, Pavillon Suite and Beachfront Villa. In the second part, divided by a public road, on a hill covered with tropical forest, there are private villas with pools - Hillside Oceanview Pool Villa - a swimming pool with a beautiful panoramic view and a restaurant, library and spa center.

There are many restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, such as our favorite Cliff Sunset Restaurant on the hill, where you can admire beautiful sunsets, and Same Same but Different, which is located right on the beach, about 600 meters from the hotel. There is also a town nearby with shops (including a 7/11), pubs, scooter rentals and water sports centers.

2. ACCOMMODATION 

Pimalai Resort & Spa offers five types of accommodation. All suites and villas are decorated in local style using natural materials.

When it comes to rooms, you can choose from Deluxe Suites with a veranda overlooking the garden, Bayfront Deluxe with a veranda and sea view, and one or two-room Pavillon Suites, which are located just a few steps from the beach and offer partial sea views. This part of the hotel also houses villas. Guests have access to two and three-room villas with private infinity pools, with beautiful views of the Andaman Sea. Interestingly, two-room villas can be rented together with two Pavillon Suites, so a total of 12 people can live together. So if you are going on a family trip to Thailand - this option seems to be ideal.

The last type of accommodation offered by the hotel are the Hillside Oceanview Pool villas, located on a hill in the second part of the hotel. Beautifully integrated into the jungle growing on the island, they guarantee wonderful views of the sea. Their great advantage is intimacy, an infinity pool and a large sun terrace. The downside, however, is that to get to the beach or to the restaurant and pool on the hill, you have to order a shuttle bus.

Villa with private pool

Private villa - gazebo and pool

Breakfast at the Sevens Seas Restaurant

Rak Talay Restaurant

3. RESTAURANTS IN THE PIMALAI HOTEL

There are three restaurants and two bars on the premises. The Sevens Seas Wine Bar & Restaurant, located on a hill, serves breakfasts (a very large selection, fresh fruit, Thai specialties, European delicacies, delicious coffee) and dinners (here we recommend going for a romantic candlelight dinner). During the day, at the Banyan Tree bar, located one floor below, by the pool, you can eat lunch, e.g. pizza, salads, pasta or Thai specialties (e.g. Pad Thai) and order drinks.

The beachfront restaurant, Rak Talay, serves light snacks throughout the day and for lunch, as well as salads, burgers, sandwiches and pizza. For dinner, Thai dishes and freshly caught grilled seafood are available.

The third restaurant is Spice N'Rice, which specializes in Thai cuisine. Interestingly, Pimalai also owns a farm in northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai. At Rim Ping Organic Farm, vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown, which are later used to prepare a variety of dishes offered at Spice N'Rice. The restaurant is open only in the evening.

4. SERVICE AND FACILITIES 

At the Pimalai Hotel you can count on the highest level of service – from the gardeners, through room service, to the reception and restaurants – we managed to extract the recipe for the favourite dish at Seven Seas.

The hotel has a wellness centre – set in a lush tropical garden, among waterfalls and ponds. It consists of thatched pavilions where you can indulge in a relaxing massage, facial or scrub. Pimalai Spa offers treatment packages, perfect for two. These include "The Stress Reliver", which consists of a herbal bath in the jacuzzi, a selection of scrubs, a relaxing massage, a drink and healthy delicacies, or "Royal Roo Rak" – herbal sauna, jacuzzi, herbal scrub, massage of your choice, facial treatments of your choice and a refreshing drink.

The hotel also has sports facilities. These include a gym, a water sports centre (free rental of kayaks and windsurfing equipment), two tennis courts, and a bicycle rental. The hotel also offers yoga, Thai boxing and cooking lessons. The staff also helps organise trips to nearby islands, diving and snorkelling. You can also take a diving course here.

The hotel has two swimming pools: one on the beach, next to which there is a bar and restaurants. The other, an infinity pool, offers breathtaking views of the surrounding beach and sea. There is a bar by the pool, where you can order refreshing drinks and lunch.

5. HOTEL PIMALAI – PRICES 

The hotel is unfortunately not the cheapest. This applies to both accommodation and prices on site. For example, the cost of accommodation in a Deluxe room is about PLN 1500 per night for a room, and in Hillside Oceanview Private Pool Villa as much as PLN 3700 per night for a villa. Example prices on site:

• Spa massage from PLN 200 for 45 minutes
• Cooking lesson from PLN 315 per person
• Dinner at Rak Talay from approx. 60 PLN. 

6. PROS AND CONS OF PIMALAI HOTEL

The advantages of the Pimalai hotel include its location on a hill, which guarantees beautiful views, and by a beautiful, quiet beach. There are restaurants, bars and shops in the area, so you are not limited to spending time only on the premises. A big plus is also the huge swimming pool on the hill with a breathtaking view, service and breakfasts. A great advantage is the fact that despite the large number of rooms, you do not feel the size of this complex. Even with 100% occupancy on the beach or at the pool, there are no crowds, and Guests often spend the day in their villas. The disadvantage is the difficult journey from the villa on the hill to the beach or to the restaurant. Every time Guests want to go, for example, for lunch, they have to call the reception and order transport. In addition, when going to the beach, the bus passes a public road that divides the hotel into two parts. The disadvantage is also the prices, but remember that this is a 5 * hotel.

We hope that our review of our stay at the Pimalai Hotel will help you make a decision about which hotel to choose when planning your vacation in Thailand. We are sure that the property will meet the highest expectations and will be an ideal place for both a family vacation and a romantic getaway for two. We are delighted with the hotel's location, service and the wide range of facilities on site, and accommodation in villas with private pools on the hill guarantees an absolutely unique experience!

Remember that the best weather on the Andaman Coast is from November to April. This is a great time to travel to this part of Thailand.

Bangkok and two islands

THAILAND - Bangkok, Koh Lanta, Koh Ngai
It is impossible not to love Thailand. For most, it is the epitome of exoticism: tropical beauty, blue water, white sand, green coconut palms leaning over the crystal clear sea. Ahead of you is a journey - Bangkok and two paradise islands.