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Wanting to escape the stress of work and to reward myself with a pre- birthday celebration, this 5 star hotel from the Marriott chain appeared to have all the pampering and luxury of hotels in the same caliber (think St Regis, Mandarin Oriental) - and was a bit disappointed that it fell short.

Check in was busy, knowing that I did arrive prior to their 3 pm check in time, the front desk tried to give me an available room as soon as possible. They put me in wing 5, balcony with pool view. Although I stated that I would like to see other types of rooms, even for a paid upgrade, - the request was no followed through the days later. Although I was staying for 4 nights with the breakfast and dinner plan, usually by day 2 no one would want to pack up again and move. - so I stayed where I was. I also mentioned it was a pre- birthday celebration as I needed to check out and return for company meeting on the date itself - but the mention was simply ignored. 

I stayed solo. The room itself was spacious, but dated. The curtains were not spick and span, there were ants around the water shelf - I didn't make a big fuss and wiped off as many as I saw. There was no coffee maker (usually 5 star hotels would at least have a coffee machine) the fridge was empty, and welcome fruits were the bare minimum (4 mandarins only). I highly suggest the half board (breakfast and dinner) as the hotel itself was quite remote and ordering a la carte may be quite pricey. Dinner was great with large portions, 3 course and it was nice to rotate around the Japanese, Italian and Thai restaurants. YOU MUST BOOK AHEAD. 

House keeping was the bare minimum. The bed sheets were not changed once during my 4 night stay. Towels were only replenished if not hung up, but not type for type. The first night I had 2 hand towels, the next few - I never got them again. Turn down was 3/4 nights (missed one night) but I decided not much was done except a literal turn down of my blankets and maybe water bottles put next to nightstand and trash being emptied - so I let it go. Mind you I was only a solo traveler, larger parties would have found this extremely unacceptable. Being on the balcony rooms, having access to the large pool area is not as convenient as you will need to find a place with chairs, and a good spot to enter the water, unlike the pool access rooms; or else resort to the pool bar in which  you need to go early to snag a spot. So in hindsight,  I do suggest pool access rooms. You pay more for the option but less grief overall.  Beachfront chairs were OK when I went in June, but other reviews here have mentioned fights for chairs during the high season.. which would be a big minus. I was lucky not to have been during a wedding party as well, and as other reviews have mentioned, service would even be even less attentive. 

The complex was sprawling. They tried to separate the solo / adults from family wings to maintain quiet, but it was hard to do so at the end. Restaurants, gym, main complex will all be noisy at times.  Breakfast will be busy after 8:30 am. Lots of choice with buffet style. The beach is beautiful and the sunsets paint the skies pink. There are activities to do but you also need to book ahead. I wish they had some more aerobic /step exercises besides the fitball and pilates though. One activity was Lagoon escape - be sure to meet at the front desk .. NOT at the sign "lagoon escape" on the resort MAP. I missed the meet up and thankfully they buggy me to the brackish pier near their gardens for a tranquil kayak. Other activities is a bamboo shark sanctuary which highlights their marine conservation efforts. They will tag a small donation to your room fee, in case you prefer to opt out.

The spa service was attentive, but felt a bit rushed. There were booked to the gills. After my therapy, I think there was less than a 10 minute room refresher until another guest was led in.  The bath bomb workshop was charming.

Overall, the hotel meets its purpose to be all inclusive, having a spa, beach, gym activities pool and kid programs. However it being isolated means that you seriously should consider some sort of board, unless you want to always call a taxi to go to town (shuttle is available but need to pay, never used) or rely on the convenience store nearby. Five star? Falls short really. You'd expect a bit more of an upscale touch in service with that rating and at that  price point. To have JW on the same tier as St Regis (having stayed at St Regis hotels)  this can't be at the same level. So if it was a lower tier (Mariott, Sheraton tiers) I would have given an overall higher rating.

Falls short of the luxury tier

We absolutely loved our stay at the JW Marriot Khao Lak. We were travelling with my toddler and there were tons of activities and kids' area to keep him busy during our 6 night's stay at the hotel. It is a bit remote, but we had sufficient at the property to keep us going. They have several restaurants serving various cuisines. The staff was lovely very courteous and helpful at all times. Really liked the personal touch; we had handwritten notes from the management left in the room on most days. There was a small inconvenience; the staff was very quick to resolve it the issue. We not just received an apology call from the management but also received a tray of fruits with a bottle of wine for the same. It was genuinely a very small incident, and we really appreciated the efforts of the staff and management to make amends. Overall great experience; would definitely recommend the property.

Excellent property

Great place to stay for your holidays. Everyone in staff was very courteous and caring. It has so many things do to for kids and family. My kid loved there jumbo slide, marshmallow activity, shark nursery and much more. 

With so many food and cuisine choices, we never felt the need of eating out. Breakfast spread was big and tasty. Loved their coffee. 

While everyone from their staff was caring, special shout to their biologist who leads the JW garden - Joy. We wanted to walk by the garden but it was past the usual tour hours. Joy gave us a special 10 min tour of the garden and explain things to us. She is welcome to ping me if she comes to Surajkund festival in india.

I did find one strange thing at thier lobby. I asked for water during our check out and the response given was - we don’t keep water here. They offered a welcome drink but water is water. You can walk down to deli and buy water it’s strange to hear basic thing like water is not available at lobby.

Overall great experience. We took an upgrade to pool access room and it was worth it.

Great place for family holiday

Loved every moment here. From super comfy beds and well serviced rooms, to the huge stretch of pool to get lost in, swim up infinity pool bar superb, breakfast buffet immense and variety/ standard of food top notch.  Only one improvement I’d recommend. The kids club is more of a crèche. If the kids aren’t booked into an activity then they just have the run of the play areas with supervision. You’ll need to get a babysitter if you want more closer minding/entertaining by minders. Because of that our 4 and 5 year olds weren’t keen on staying there without us being with them.

You won’t want to leave, not that you need to.

The hotel is like a paradise. So modern yet feels so secluded. The game zone has so many fun activities and JW Garden is very large as well. Baitoey was very helpful, from booking restaurants to decorate my room for birthday. Looking forward to my next visit.

Great food and smiling staff

The beach club resort is located 20 kms north of Khao Lak town. It is situated on the quiet, peaceful and tranquil Khuk Khak beach, on the beautiful Andaman Sea, and is 110 kms north of Phuket International Airport. Situated along the gorgeous white sands of Khao Lak. Gourmet cuisine, unrivalled facilities and a superb range of activities for the entire family, it offers the ultimate holiday experience. The resort offers guests a choice of fine and casual dining outlets with cuisine that ranges from regional delicacies to international favourites. This is the perfect resort to soak in the tropical seaside beauty of southern Thailand luxury. With elegant, contemporary, Thai-style guest rooms, are tastefully designed, providing a luxurious ambience.

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JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa