I’ve never been to this part of Thailand before, and on my first visit to Khao Lak, I was thrilled to see and experience this beautiful beachside town of Southern Thailand.
Here is my review of La Vela Khao Lak Resort, a five-star beachfront property that sits along the main beach of this beautiful surf town 90 minutes from Phuket.
La Vela Khao Lak Review
Often, I would choose a hotel or resort that offers a balance of everything, and with much research, the internet pointed me in the direction of La Vela Khao Lak.
Choosing a resort is also tricky nowadays as every other resort claims to be better than the next one. And these days, many other options exist for researching a hotel or resort.
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| The resort with its distinctive geometrical points. |
Gone are the days of depending on Trip Advisor as nowadays, a quick search on social media will show more realistic photos and feedback of the property. And there are also Google reviews which do an excellent job of up-to-date reviews from real people.
I ended up booking five days at Le Vela Khao Lak, considering after I found out they had three resorts on the same stretch of the beach, I decided on Le Vela.
The Journey to La Vela
After landing at Phuket International Airport and exiting, I was greeted by the resort driver, which had my name on a welcome paper. The van was just outside the airport exit, which was very convenient.
It took about 90 minutes to drive from Phuket to Khao Lak, and the roads were excellent, considering that this entire area was devastated by the 2004 tsunami.
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| One of the blocks of rooms with its own private pool area. |
I must stress that the Thailand vans are very comfortable, and the drivers are well-trained not to speed. That is something my own country needs help with.
Throughout the 90 minutes, I just took time to relax and see the laid-back lifestyle of the villages along the way. Many rubber tree plantations are spotted, while some have started to plant palm oil trees.
First Impression of La Vela Khao Lak
Arriving in Khao Lak town centre, the whole place was rebuilt from scratch but with a more modern look and feel. There was even a McDonald’s there!
After passing the town centre, a small junction led further to the coast, and along this narrow road, there were shops on both ends, catering to the tourists with massage, bars, restaurants, tailors and tour companies.
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| The interesting walkway into the main lobby area of the resort. |
I arrived at La Vela to find the entrance very different from other hotels and resorts. It was very modern and designer-built. My first impression was….wow!
The staff greeted us as we headed through a designer passage with mini-column pillars surrounded by shallow pools. The lobby was another wow factor, with many dark wooden tones and two beautiful large white sofas.
Check-in was done on the sofa, complete with welcome drinks, and we were also greeted by the general manager, who happened to be a local Malaysian and happy to see Malaysians checking in.
Rooms at La Vela Khao Lak
I booked the pool access room, which allowed direct access to the main pools, and the unit was at Block D, just a three-minute walk from the resort’s main lobby.
It has been a long time since I stayed in such a beautiful room, and as you know, many of us have not been travelling since Covid 19 hit the world hard.
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| Pool access rooms on the lower level. |
So, treating ourselves to something nice for a change was only fair. The pool access suite was massive and had a long room concept, which is the type I like.
The entire block consists of pool-access rooms and three more floors of sea-facing balcony units, so guests can choose which they prefer.
Overall, the most important part of the room was the bed and the bathroom, so those two were the first thing I checked. The bed is a king-sized unit with a simple backboard.
The bathroom, however, has two entrances, one facing the pool access entrance and one as you enter the room. It came with a mini jacuzzi tub and split shower and toilet areas with full amenities.
Everything is well thought of in terms of convenience and, most importantly, the international plug sockets fitted into the walls. This was a joy for me as I need not use my extension.
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| Pool access rooms are convenient yet fun. |
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| Each of the rooms is tastefully decorated and very earth-toned. |
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| The pool access rooms are relatively large, with much space to move around. |
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| This is the pool access room, where guests can get in and out of the pool and straight to the room. |
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| I love how they give a proper fridge in the room versus the commercial small box type. |
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| The bathtub cum jacuzzi in the bathroom. |
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| Complimentary water is refilled daily while a coffee machine is also available. |
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| Some of the bathroom amenities in the room. |
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| The international socket fitted in all the rooms makes life so much easier. |
Facilities at La Vela Khao Lak
Like any other resort, La Vela offers regular facilities like restaurants, cafes, a gym, and a spa, But one thing stood out: a skate park. I was dumbfounded when I saw that, but I was told that the owner built this during the pandemic to entertain the locals.
Khao Lak is slowly becoming one of Southeast Asia’s surf and skate cities; hence, the owner decided to build a decent-sized skate park complete with a skate & surf shop.
The Kokulo Beach Club is also a nice touch as it is lively and offers some amazing shows on weekends, not forgetting a local DJ that spins music during dinner. There’s also live music on selected days by a local Thai musician.
Food at La Vela Khao Lak
This has to be highlighted as it has been too long since I had some excellent hotel and resort food. The last I remember was back in Dubai when the hotel offered some of the best I have tried.
Here at La Vela, I must highlight the breakfast as it meets international standards by offering a balanced variety of east meets west. Just looking at the selection takes up about 15 minutes.
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| The breakfast area is located in a quiet, cosy and comfortable section of the resort. |
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| Guests line up for the multiple choices during breakfast. |
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| The scrumptious local Thai breakfast choices at the restaurant. |
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| Kopi & Tea Corner has a very Malaysian influence. |
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| Six types of cheese are served during breakfast. Amazing! |
So, every morning, I plan to have something different, and if you are a cheese lover, they offer six types of cheese to go with your bread. How about that?
While many westerners will go for the continental mix, some want to experience the local Thai breakfast, and I must stress that the noodles and Thai omelette are highly popular.
Japanese, Malaysian and Chinese-style dishes are available, and they even have a special room for bread. Can you imagine that?
I could go on and on about the fantastic breakfast spread, but I leave it up to you to go there and try it in person.
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| La Vela Khao Lak Resort at night, photo taken with my Galaxy S23 Ultra on night mode. |
Where is La Vela Khao Lak?
La Vela Khao Lak is located at the Bang Niang Beach area of Takuapa in the main Khao Lak area. It is also close to the well-known Bang Niang Night Marker and the main walking street.
The main street is Chai Hat Bang Niang Road, where you will find many restaurants, cafes, bars, spas and other shopping outlets. It is about a ten-minute walk from the resort.
For those interested, you can book a room at La Vela Khao Lak via their website, as they have many ongoing promotions.
Conclusion
It has been a while since I did some overseas travels, and this was my first trip out of Malaysia since the Covid19 pandemic, and I’m glad I visited Khao Lak in Southern Thailand.
This also marks my first international hotel and resort writing for the La Vela Khao Lak review done in early 2023. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have questions, please do ask.
