Pimalai Resort & Spa

The resort is built into the hillside, in an underdeveloped part of Thailand and surrounded by lush tropical rainforest - so if you don't like - 1 - Monkeys 2 - Walking up/down hills (though there is a buggy service) 3 - Monitor lizards on your lawn 4 - Other creepy crawlies 5- Not perfect local infrastructure 6 - Peace and quiet 7- Needing to learn a little Thai This resort is not for you! - it's Thailand of 15/20 years ago (i'm reliably informed) - not anything like Phuket. If you do, then you're in for a real treat. The resort is showing a little wear and tear in places, but the sheer beauty of the surrounding and peaceful natural surrounding of the rainforest more than makes up for that and then some. Coupled with the great service, the attention to detail and genuine warmth, welcome from the the start, from all, made our stay very memorable. The only grips I had were - 1. the cost of trips from the hotel as well as food and drink - trips can booked in the 'village' nearby and the local restaurants on the whole are very good and less than a 1/6th in cost. 2. and whilst not the hotels fault in any way - i suggested in my direct feedback that the hotel could put out/ supply litter bags - I love the ocean and it was sad for me personally to see the plastic washed up on the beach after a storm (not huge amounts by the way), but I resorted to picking litter up in the mornings as we had a beachside villa. Hopefully the management will provide bags these in future.....when we will return! ps try hiring a car - Koh Lanta has so much to offer and the scenery is very 'big' Lastly - Walks in the rainforest are also definitely worth doing - some small snakes about and spiders - note there aren't Black mambas in Thailand as a previous review mentioned - they're in Africa!

Pimalai is a beautiful and peaceful resort with fantastic scenery on Koh Lanta. The breakfast buffet is excellent. The top 2 restaurants of Koh Lanta are in the Pimalai resort and are truly wonderful. Great food, excellent wine list, and many themed dinners during the week. The hotel staff is great and made sure we, and especially our kids, felt very welcome. We stayed in one of the double room beach villas with a private pool. The location is perfect and our kids enjoyed all the animals that came to visit. That's one of the best things about Thailand: the natural beauty and wildlife (all perfectly safe). The scenery is absolutely stunning, doing an aperitivo at the bar next to Seven Seas restaurant, and seeing the sunset is one of a kind.

Return after 15 years to Pimalai. Resort is still as wonderful as remembered. Unbeatable set-up and scenery (all the pictures do not lie) and the friendliness of the staff is second to none. A special „thank you“ to Hus Mon who took great care of us in the beach restaurant Rak Talay. We will come back!

Pimalai Resort is a true paradise, made even more special by its incredible staff. A huge thank you to Nancy at Seven Seas/Rak Talay Restaurants for her exceptional service. She was warm, attentive, and always going above and beyond. The entire Seven Seas team was fantastic, making every meal a delight. The resort itself is breathtaking, with stunning beaches and luxurious surroundings. We had an unforgettable stay and can’t wait to return. Highly recommend Pimalai for an extraordinary, relaxing getaway!

This resort is spectacular. The gardens are breathtaking, the pools beautiful, ocean views room - wow! The staff are lovely and the breakfast food options something for everyone. If you are looking for time out and relaxation, this is your place as there is nothing much else to do around there! I would however like to point out that Pimalai need to absolutely lift their game on transfers. For a 5 star resort it is not acceptable to expect your guests to stand on the hand rail at the front of the boat to transfer to Koh Lanta & return. It is so dangerous and risky, you need to offer better here. I would say if you are older, the transfers from Speed boat to the Island and return may be something you need to reconsider, as they really require some dangerous steps without any easy transfer, and even worse when it’s raining.