Khao Lak is for you if you dream of long sandy beaches, palm trees and a holiday with plenty of time to enjoy Thailand. Along the coast north of Phuket, you’ll find small resort towns with markets and restaurants as well as quiet beach resorts where you can spend the whole day by the sea.
So where should you stay in Khao Lak? There’s a big difference between having restaurants round the corner and staying at a secluded resort. In this guide, I’ll take you through the five best areas and recommend good hotels, so you can find the place that suits your holiday.
Contents
The Best Areas in Khao Lak
- Nang Thong and Bang La On - best area for first-time visitors
- Bang Niang - best area for the market and restaurants
- Khuk Khak - best area for a quiet beach holiday
- South Beach (Lam Kaen) - best area for a beach and a small resort town
- Bang Sak - best area for a relaxing resort stay
My guide to where to stay in Khao Lak continues below. I’ll go through the differences between the areas and show you hotels for both a simple beach holiday and a stay with a little more luxury.
1. Nang Thong and Bang La On - best area for first-time visitors 🌴
- 📍 Distance from the centre: You’ll be staying by Khao Lak’s central shopping and restaurant area in Bang La On.
- 🚕 Transport: You can walk between many of the restaurants and hotels, while a taxi is handy for the other beaches.
- ✈️ Time from Phuket Airport: Allow around 75 to 90 minutes by car as a planning estimate.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€€ depending on the type of hotel and the season.
- 👮 Safety: Watch out for the traffic on Phetkasem Road, and follow the swimming flags on the beach.
Nang Thong is the first area I’d look at for a holiday where you want day-to-day life to be easy. The beach faces the open sea, and behind it lies Bang La On, with restaurants, shops and hotels along Phetkasem Road. You can stay at a large resort and still have the option of eating elsewhere in the evening.
That’s a particular advantage if you’re travelling together but want different things from the holiday. One of you can stay by the pool while the other goes for an iced coffee or finds somewhere for dinner. You don’t need to arrange transport every time someone wants to do something different.
I’d choose a hotel on the beach side of the main road if your budget allows. It means fewer trips across the road with a beach bag and children. A cheaper hotel further inland can still be good value, but the actual walk matters. There’s a difference between staying by the beach and seeing the word beach in the hotel’s description of the area.
See hotels near Nang Thong and Bang La On here.
Nang Thong Beach also has rocky stretches. That’s why I wouldn’t automatically expect the same swimming conditions in front of every hotel. With small children, the pool is a good back-up, and on days with big waves, the trip to the beach may need to be about sandcastles more than swimming.
Choose this area for its combination of beach and convenience. I wouldn’t send you here for a truly secluded holiday, and the main street is a busy through road. On the other hand, it’s nice to be able to switch between the hotel and the town without depending on transport all the time.
If you’re also considering Phuket, I’ve set out the differences between the island’s areas in my guide to where to stay in Phuket.
Places to Stay in Nang Thong and Bang La On
Here, you’ll find both a room for a simple beach holiday and a hotel where your own pool becomes part of the stay. I’d choose based on how much time you’ll actually spend at the hotel.
The Little Shore Khao Lak by Katathani - best luxury hotel with a private pool
Both the suites and the villas at The Little Shore come with a private pool, and that’s the main reason I’d choose it for a couple’s holiday where the hotel should be an experience in itself. You also get a shared pool by the beach and access to the facilities at its sister hotel, The Sands, so families can combine a private base with more activities. I’d prioritise the pool suite on a holiday with plenty of time at the hotel; on a week with excursions every day, I’d spend less on the room.
One guest describes it on Booking.com: “The hotel is beautiful and clean.”
See photos and book The Little Shore here.
Golden Sand Khaolak Resort - good mid-range hotel with a pool and the beach within walking distance
Golden Sand has an outdoor pool, a gym and a terrace, and Booking.com puts it around a ten-minute walk from Nang Thong Beach. It’s an option if you’d like to start the day with a swim but don’t need a large resort with several restaurants and activities. You give up stepping straight from the hotel onto the sand, and I’d weigh that difference against the price of a beachfront hotel.
One previous Booking.com guest highlights the room: “The room was large and clean.”
See photos and book Golden Sand Khaolak Resort here.
Rakkawan Residence - budget hotel in the centre of Bang La On
Rakkawan is by Phetkasem Road in Bang La On, and Booking.com puts it around a nine-minute walk from Nang Thong Beach. You get a base close to places to eat without paying for a resort stay, so I’d choose it above all for a holiday of beach trips and dinners out. The location by the main street is practical, but a room by the beach gives you a different kind of peace and quiet.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The hotel is very clean.”
See photos and book Rakkawan Residence here.
2. Bang Niang - best area for the beach and restaurants 🥢
- 📍 Distance from the centre: Around 3 km north of Bang La On, depending on where the hotel is.
- 🚕 Transport: You can get around locally on foot. Take a taxi between Bang Niang, Nang Thong and the beaches further north.
- ✈️ Time from Phuket Airport: Allow around 80 to 100 minutes by car as a planning estimate.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€€ with both small hotels and beach resorts.
- 👮 Safety: Keep an eye on the traffic by the main road. The width of the beach and the access to it vary with the tide.
Bang Niang is my pick if you’d like more than the hotel restaurant to choose from. The area lies north of Nang Thong and has its own centre around the market and the roads leading down to the beach. You can spend the day by the water and head out for dinner without it turning into a planned outing.
It’s the combination that makes the area interesting. A resort on the beach can give you a pool and sunloungers during the day, while the smaller places to eat add some variety to the evenings. I’d prioritise that option on a week’s holiday. Seven dinners at the same hotel can get both expensive and a little monotonous.
Bang Niang Market and the area around the Police Boat 813 memorial are good reference points when you’re checking an address. They’re inland by the main road, not out on the beach. A hotel close to the market can therefore be fine for food and shopping, but less ideal if you want to walk back and forth to the sea several times a day.
See hotels in Bang Niang here.
The main distinction I’d make is between hotels by the water and small places further back in the neighbourhood. Both can work, but the price alone doesn’t tell you what you’re getting. A quiet hotel with a pool a little way inland can be a better match than a pricier beachfront hotel if you’ll be out on excursions to, say, the Similan Islands or Khao Sok National Park for most of the week anyway.
In places, the beach has limited space at high tide, so I wouldn’t choose on the strength of a single photo of a wide sandy beach either. The area suits you best if you value freedom of choice: you can stay at the resort all day, but you also have a reason to walk out of the gate. It’s a kind of holiday that I think works well for both couples and families with older children.
Places to Stay in Bang Niang
I’ve picked a beach resort, a smaller place with a pool and a simple hotel with balconies. The difference comes down to both your budget and what you want right outside your room.
La Vela Khao Lak - good beach resort with a large pool area
La Vela is on Bang Niang Beach and has a large pool, family rooms and rooms with direct pool access. You also get Kokulo Beach Club and a kids’ club, so the hotel suits a holiday where you want activities and several places to spend time without having to drive anywhere. I’d choose it for the beachfront location and the facilities; if you want a small hotel with few guests, Grandfather below is a more obvious place to look.
One guest on Booking.com praises the breakfast’s “wide selection of dishes” and also highlights the beach area and the modern decor of the rooms.
See photos and book La Vela Khao Lak here.
Grandfather Khaolak Resort - smaller hotel with a pool for a quiet couple’s holiday
Grandfather has an outdoor pool and a garden, and it’s an alternative to the big beach resorts when you’d like a smaller place to come back to. It’s inland, so I’d choose it if you’re happy with the pool day to day and head out to the beach when it fits your plans. You’ll need to factor in transport or a longer walk to the sea; the name Bang Niang in the hotel listing doesn’t mean you’re staying on the sand.
One guest describes the staff on Booking.com: “The staff were extremely friendly and helpful.”
See photos and book Grandfather Khaolak Resort here.
Baramate Khao Lak - budget hotel with balconies and a personal atmosphere
Baramate is a small hotel where the rooms have balconies, and Booking.com puts it around a 17-minute walk from Bang Niang Beach. It suits you if you’d sooner pay for a decent room and eat out than for a larger resort complex. The walk to the beach is the compromise, so I’d choose it with slightly older children or as a couple, not for repeated trips between room and beach with a baby.
The breakfast earns praise from one Booking.com guest, who says the food is freshly prepared: “The coffee was excellent.”
See photos and book Baramate Khao Lak here.
3. Khuk Khak - best area for couples and families who want peace and quiet 🏖️
- 📍 Distance from the centre: North of Bang Niang. Allow roughly 10 to 20 minutes by car to Bang La On, depending on the address.
- 🚕 Transport: A taxi or hotel transfer is handy for evenings in town. Some hotels offer bike hire.
- ✈️ Time from Phuket Airport: Allow around 80 to 110 minutes by car as a planning estimate.
- 💰 Price range: €€ to €€€ by the beach; smaller hotels inland can be cheaper.
- 👮 Safety: Follow the swimming flags, and arrange transport back after dark instead of a long walk along small roads.
Khuk Khak is the area I’d choose when the beach holiday itself is the main event. The hotels here are more spread out than in Nang Thong and Bang Niang, and you get less of the feeling of staying in a resort town with a restaurant on every corner. In return, there’s room to spend the day on the beach and head back to the hotel without a lot of plans.
It’s a good fit for couples who want to read, swim and enjoy a long lunch, and for families where the hotel pool is an important part of the holiday. I’d spend more time choosing the hotel itself here. When you’re staying further from town, the room, the food and the shared areas matter more to the overall experience.
The beach and the village aren’t the same place. You can find a smaller, cheaper base inland in Khuk Khak and head down to the water, or you can pay to have the sea at your hotel. That difference matters more than whether both places appear under the same beach name on a booking site.
See hotels near Khuk Khak here.
I wouldn’t choose Khuk Khak expecting to walk out to a big new selection of restaurants every evening. You can eat outside the hotel, but the options depend a lot on the address. For some people, taking a taxi to Bang Niang a couple of times during the holiday is absolutely fine; others get tired of having to think about transport.
On a trip with several stops, it can make a good final stop. If you’ve started with a few days in the big city, which I describe in my guide to where to stay in Bangkok, you can let the rest of the trip be about the beach and the pool. I’d choose Khuk Khak for that break.
Places to Stay in Khuk Khak
You don’t need to choose the most expensive beach resort to get a quiet holiday. Here are three different ways to stay in the area, from villas by the sea to a smaller base with a pool.
Devasom Khao Lak Beach Resort & Villas - beachfront luxury with suites and pool villas
Devasom sits between a lagoon and the beach and has 69 rooms, suites and villas, so you get a smaller resort than many of the big holiday hotels. There are standard rooms, suites with a jacuzzi and accommodation with a private pool, and I’d look at it above all for a couple’s holiday with time for the hotel’s restaurants and spa. You’re paying for the setting and the stay itself, while spontaneous evenings with lots of restaurants within walking distance are easier to come by in Bang Niang.
Breakfast is a highlight for one guest on Booking.com: “One of the best hotel breakfasts ever.”
See photos and book Devasom Khao Lak here.
Khaolak Orchid Beach Resort - family-friendly mid-range hotel with two pools
Orchid Beach has two outdoor pools, and the large pool has a bar where you can get lunch without packing up the beach bag and heading into town. That makes the hotel an obvious place to look if you want some quiet days of swimming with a family room as your base. I’d choose it for that kind of holiday and the location by Khuk Khak, not for shopping and evening strolls along a busy restaurant street.
One family highlights the lawn, the pool and the beach in their Booking.com review: “I loved the family room.”
See photos and book Khaolak Orchid Beach Resort here.
The Retreat Khaolak Resort - smaller hotel with a pool away from the big resorts
The Retreat has rooms with balconies and an outdoor pool, and according to Booking.com the beach is around a quarter of an hour’s walk away. You can hire a bike through the hotel, so I’d consider it especially for couples who’d like a smaller base and want to explore the local area on their own. It’s a cheaper alternative to the area’s luxury resorts, but you need to be happy walking or cycling to the sea instead of having the beach right outside your door.
One previous guest writes on Booking.com: “The owner was very friendly and helpful.”
See photos and book The Retreat Khaolak Resort here.
4. South Beach (Lam Kaen) - best area for a beach holiday in a smaller resort town 🌴
- 📍 Distance from the centre: South of Bang La On, on the other side of the hill by the national park. Allow around 10 minutes by car to the centre.
- 🚕 Transport: From many hotels, you can walk to the beach and local places to eat. Take a taxi to Bang La On and Bang Niang.
- ✈️ Time from Phuket Airport: Allow around 70 to 90 minutes by car. The time depends on traffic and the hotel’s address.
- 💰 Price range: € to €€€ with both small hotels and larger beach resorts.
- 👮 Safety: Walk on the local roads, not along the main road over the hill. Follow the swimming flags, even in the more sheltered bay.
South Beach is a good choice if you think Nang Thong sounds a little too much like a resort town but you’d still like to be able to walk out for a meal. The beach lies south of the hill by Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park and is also known as Lam Kaen Beach. That gives you a different base from Bang La On, even though both places come up when you search for hotels in Khao Lak.
I’d consider the area especially for couples and families who are happy with a smaller selection of restaurants. There are places to eat by the beach and in the small holiday area behind the hotels, so the hotel restaurant doesn’t have to be the default every evening. You just won’t get the same number of shops, bars and options as further north.
The location also makes sense if you’d like to combine your beach days with a trip around the national park. You’ll be closer to nature by the hill and further from the big restaurant streets. I’d choose South Beach for that combination of a compact holiday base and the chance to get away from the pool for a while.
See hotels near South Beach here.
The small centre isn’t part of Bang La On, and you can’t simply carry on into it on foot. The hill and the main road lie in between. If you want to visit the market in Bang Niang or try restaurants further north, a taxi is the practical solution, especially in the evening.
I’d also take care over the choice of room at the larger resorts. A beachfront hotel can have rooms further back in the grounds, and direct pool access isn’t the same as a sea view. If you’re travelling with small children or anyone with limited mobility, a short walk between room, breakfast and beach does more for the holiday than an especially glossy photo of the lobby.
Places to Stay in South Beach
Here, I’ve picked a beach resort for a more indulgent holiday, a hotel with separate pool and beach wings and a smaller base close to the sand.
Eden Beach Khao Lak Resort & Spa - beach resort for couples who want the pool and the sea close by
Eden Beach is on South Beach and combines a larger pool area with access to the sandy beach, so I’d look at it for a holiday with plenty of days at the hotel. There are several types of room, and only some have a sea view; that’s why I’d choose by the specific room category and not by the resort’s photos of the sea. Local places to eat in the area mean you can go out for dinner even though you’ve chosen a resort.
One guest on Booking.com praises the location in relation to local restaurants and highlights the “good-sized rooms” as well as the pool area.
See photos and book Eden Beach Khao Lak Resort & Spa here.
The Briza Beach Resort Khao Lak - good choice with both a beach wing and a pool wing
The Briza has a Beach Side Wing and a Pool Side Wing a short walk apart, and I’d make active use of that difference when choosing a room. The beach wing is my pick if you want the sea close by, while the pool wing makes sense when a large part of the day will be spent by the pool. The hotel also has a kids’ club and a gym, so it’s a practical alternative to paying for a private pool suite.
One Booking.com guest describes the stay as relaxing: “The breakfast and the staff were really good.”
See photos and book The Briza Beach Resort Khao Lak here.
MJ Boutique Hotel Khao Lak - simple base around 100 metres from the beach
MJ Boutique is around 100 metres from South Beach and has a restaurant on site, so you can prioritise being close to the beach without choosing a large resort. I’d consider it especially for couples who are out during the day and would sooner spend their money on food and experiences. Of the hotels in this selection, it’s the one I’d start with on a smaller budget, if a comfortable room and a short walk to the beach matter more than a wide range of resort activities.
One guest on Booking.com highlights the room, the breakfast and the few steps to the beach, and describes the bed as a “comfortable king-size bed”.
See photos and book MJ Boutique Hotel Khao Lak here.
5. Bang Sak - best area for a relaxing resort stay to the north 🏖️
- 📍 Distance from the centre: North of Khuk Khak and Pak Weep. Bang La On is a drive away, not somewhere you walk to in the evening.
- 🚕 Transport: Expect to take a taxi or hotel transfer to Bang Niang and Bang La On. The local options for eating out depend on where the hotel is.
- ✈️ Time from Phuket Airport: Set aside around 90 to 120 minutes for the drive. That’s a planning estimate.
- 💰 Price range: €€ to €€€ at the selected beach resorts. Prices vary a lot with the date and the room type.
- 👮 Safety: The beach can feel deserted, so don’t swim alone far from other people. Follow the flags and the hotel’s advice on sea conditions.
Bang Sak is my pick if you’d like to get a little further away from the busiest parts of Khao Lak. Up here in the north, beach resorts line the coast, and the holiday is more about the sea, the pool and the hotel than about strolling through a big resort town. I’d choose the area if that peace and quiet is exactly why you’re travelling.
The main difference from Khuk Khak is the distance to Nang Thong and Bang Niang. You need to be comfortable with dinner by the market meaning transport there and back. I wouldn’t let a good hotel deal tempt me here if the plan is already to head into town every single evening.
On the other hand, Bang Sak lets you choose between quite different resort stays. You can go for a hotel with activities for the children, a terrace with direct pool access or a smaller resort with villas in a garden. That makes the area relevant for both couples and families, but they shouldn’t necessarily choose the same hotel.
See hotels near Bang Sak here.
There are places to eat outside the resorts, but they don’t form one continuous restaurant street in front of every hotel. That’s why I’d build food and transport into the budget from the start. A low room rate can quickly matter less if you end up eating nearly every meal at the hotel.
This stretch is also a good example of why you should look at the map. Pak Weep, Bang Sak and the hotels further north can all be marketed as Khao Lak, but an address in that area doesn’t tell you on its own what’s within walking distance. Choose Bang Sak because you want the more secluded holiday, and make sure the hotel’s facilities suit the days you’d like to have.
Places to Stay in Bang Sak
The selection here is mostly resorts. So I’ve picked three different kinds of holiday instead of calling a beach resort a budget hotel. Compare the prices for your dates; the order of the hotels can change with offers and the season.
Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak - luxury choice with pool access rooms
Grand Mercure is built around canals, bridges and low-rise buildings by Bang Sak Beach, and the rooms with direct pool access are the reason I’d put it on the list for a couple’s holiday. If you choose a Deluxe Pool Access room, you can step from your terrace into the shared pool; pick a different category if you’d prefer more distance from the water. The hotel also has a kids’ club, so it works for families too, but for me it’s above all a place to prioritise the stay itself.
One Booking.com guest highlights the relaxed atmosphere and writes about the staff: “All the staff are so lovely.”
See photos and book Grand Mercure Khao Lak Bangsak here.
OUTRIGGER Khao Lak Beach Resort - beach resort for families with a pool and a kids’ club
OUTRIGGER is on Bang Sak Beach and has a pool by the sea, two restaurants and a kids’ club. I’d choose it for families who want to switch between the beach, swimming and activities at the hotel without arranging transport every day. It’s a better match for that kind of holiday than for a week of spontaneous evenings out in Bang Niang, which means a drive.
One guest on Booking.com praises the beach, the food and the rooms, and highlights the “comfortable beds”.
See photos and book OUTRIGGER Khao Lak Beach Resort here.
Haadson Resort - three-star resort with a pool in a lush garden across from Bang Sak Beach
Haadson Resort has villas and double rooms with garden views, a pool and a restaurant, and only a small road separates it from Bang Sak Beach. I’d choose it if you want the peace and the beach of Bang Sak without paying for a five-star resort, as the price is usually well below the two big hotels above. On the downside, guests mention that the rooms are a little dated and that trips into the centre of Khao Lak get expensive, so include taxis in your budget.
One Booking.com guest calls the beach good for swimming and says: “We spent hours floating around in the beautiful sea.”
See photos and book Haadson Resort here.
Where should you avoid staying in Khao Lak?
I’d rule out a secluded resort if you’d like to walk out to lots of restaurants every evening. That applies to Bang Sak and Pak Weep, for example, if your main priority is staying close to town. The beaches can be the reason to go there, but they aren’t an extension of the centre that you simply stroll back to after dinner.
I’d also be wary of a cheap hotel by the main road if the holiday will mostly be spent on the beach with small children. A daily walk across a busy road is rarely the saving you end up happiest with.
Finally, I’d avoid choosing by the hotel’s name alone. Khuk Khak can appear in the address as the administrative area even though the hotel is marketed as being at a different beach. Look at the exact location before you compare prices.
For a first trip, I’d start with Nang Thong if you want to make it easy to go out to eat. Choose Bang Niang when the market and evenings out should play a slightly bigger part, and look at South Beach if a smaller selection of places to eat is enough. In all three, you can have a beach holiday without letting the hotel dictate your whole day.
I’d choose Khuk Khak and Bang Sak for a holiday where you’d prefer to stay by the beach and the pool. Here, I’d spend a larger share of the budget on a hotel you actually want to spend time at, and set a little aside for taxis on the evenings you want to head into town.
If you’re still choosing a destination, my guide to where to stay in Thailand can help you compare Khao Lak with the country’s other holiday areas. If you’d like to combine your beach holiday with more stops in southern Thailand, I’ve also written about where to stay in Krabi and where to stay in Koh Samui.
My advice is to choose the area first and the hotel second. A lovely room far from what you want to do doesn’t become the right choice just because the price is good. I hope this guide has made it easier to find the base that suits your holiday in Khao Lak.
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