Graceland Khaolak Beach Resort

Fran C

We first visited Graceland Khao Lak last year for two weeks, and after that wonderful experience, we decided to return this year for nine days. Once again, the stay exceeded our expectations. The staff are truly some of the kindest people we have ever met. Everyone greets you with a smile, and every interaction feels genuine rather than forced. What made it even more special was that many of the staff remembered us from our first stay the year before, which immediately made us feel at home. We completely fell in love with Thai culture through our conversations with the staff. Although they work in hospitality, chatting with them always felt natural and heartfelt. We stayed in a Deluxe Room, which was very spacious. The bathroom was a great size with a large shower that we really enjoyed. Housekeeping was excellent and always ensured the room was spotless, towels were replenished, and bottled water was stocked daily. We spent a lot of time on the resort’s private beach, where we met many staff members and even made friends along the way. As a gay couple, we did experience an issue with some other guests, but it was handled quickly and professionally by Koy and Jieb. Their proactive support in a stressful moment meant a great deal to us, and we truly appreciated how seriously they took the situation. The resort’s pool area is clean and spacious, with plenty of daily activities to enjoy. The breakfast buffet was absolutely fantastic. I especially recommend the chicken sausages. Eggs, crêpes, soup, and French toast are freshly prepared in front of you, alongside a wide variety of other dishes and excellent juices. Outside the resort, there are many great restaurants if you choose not to go all inclusive. That said, the food within the resort is very good as well. The Italian restaurant by the beach is delicious, and the main buffet offers superb options with different themed nights throughout the week. All in all, my partner and I find it very hard to leave Graceland Khao Lak each time, mainly because of the incredible people who make the place so special. We are already hoping to return again next year. Many thanks to Koy, Jieb, Pla, Mang, Toey, Mos, Mary, and also to the recreation manager whose name I unfortunately did not catch. You truly made our stay unforgettable.

Annie Baldwin

We stayed at Graceland for one week while we went diving off the coast in Kon Bon and Richelieu Rock - and overall this was a great stay for good value! Pros: Incredible beachfront location, especially for epic sunsets, the beach is soft sand and 3-5km long. The pools are large and very nice. Breakfast has a wide variety of options. The service was exceptional - I found my first room a little mildewy and they immediately moved us to a spacious, very quiet room closer to the water, with a very comfortable bed. The staff were all helpful and kind. While the resort is far from Khao Lak, it is very convenient for diving off Surin / Richelieu Rock (15 min from the port). Cons: The location is about ~25 min from Khao Lak. Because it’s far, there isn’t really a way to call a private taxi immediately (Grab, which works well, requires scheduling 2 hours in advance). The hotel has many lagoons, presumably for aesthetics, but the result is green standing water that attracts mosquitoes. The food options around the hotel are quite limited. Overall, if you want to prioritize great beach access for a good price, this is the spot for you!

Seventh House

The hotel is listed as 5-star and it couldn’t be farther from the truth. If you ever stayed at a 5-star hotel, then you know it should offer ”ultimate luxury, impeccable, personalized service with highly trained staff, extensive amenities like fine dining and spas, plush rooms with high-end toiletries and modern tech for a top-tier guest experience”. There is nothing 5-star about this hotel. If the place was properly maintained it could reach 4-star level. However, the lack of maintenance (or the poor quality maintenance) takes it down to a dated 3-star establishment. I did see some workers paint the white walls of the hotel though. Especially the room(s?) are in a sorry state. They are worn out and in desperate need of professional attention. Not only was the room worn out, but every corner was filled with grime and built-up-dirt that daily cleaning couldn’t manage. We even had a space with immense amounts of dirt and cobwebs that can’t have been cleaned in years. To be honest, this disgusting feature tempts me to give a 2-star rating to the hotel, but that wouldn’t be fair given the sum of it all. I can’t honestly understand why proper rounds of deep cleaning aren’t done regularly, polish applied to the floors when need be and broken stuff mended. It shouldn’t be a question of finances, since the place was fully booked. I just get a sense of the owners just cashing in as long as possible, with minimal investments into the place. The pool area is OK, whilst the beach is amazing. That’s the best feature of the hotel. The public indoor areas are clean and pleasant. The entertainment area is awesome, clean and well maintained. It offers bowling, archery, tennis, a gym, ping pong, an entire boxing gym, pool and snooker. The thai restaurant in the centre has bats occupying the corridor leading to the bathrooms. This since the interior ceiling is broken, giving the bats the perfect place to nest. They were out and about flying, in full visibility to the staff who didn’t care the least Not very hygienic and another evidence of the utter negligence and lack of maintenance (it would take less than a hour to replace the few broken planks in the ceiling). The restaurants are ok, pending between 3- and 4-star, and definitely better choices than what’s available on the road outside. Regarding location, the road outside doesn’t offer any culinary experiences. The oddly enough highly rated ”restaurants” on it are among the worst I’ve visited. So if you’re looking for a run down and dated 4-star hotel with filthy rooms, but with an amazing staff, an amazing beach and good exercising options, don’t think twice. However, if you thought you found a 5-star hotel for a bargain, be prepared to be disappointed. You generally get what you pay for.

Heidi Weir

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Graceland Hotel. The property is beautiful, the atmosphere is welcoming, and the overall experience felt both relaxing and well-organized. A special thank you to Mary, the concierge, whose professionalism and attention to detail made our visit seamless, and to Bank at the pool bar, who provided excellent service with a friendly, upbeat attitude. Also a big shout-out to Toey, Mos, and Mang for their outstanding hospitality — their warmth and attentiveness truly enhanced our experience. We would happily return and recommend Graceland Hotel to anyone looking for a comfortable and memorable stay.

Max Brinkmann

We stayed for 6 nights in November. Upon arrival we had a very positive impression with friendly staff and a smooth checking procedure in the impressive lobby. One we got to our room (villa with private pool) we got the impression that parts of the complex including the private villas were quite old and worn off. This included a typical smell in the room as if something was rotting. We contacted the reception and received help immediately. We were finally offered an upgrade to a much more modern room which we very much preferred over the villa. We enjoyed some activities at the recreation center where we served by Nat, Nook, Zin and Pla who did a fantastic job. We also had dinner at the main restaurant and the beach found the food very decent. Live music and fire show at the beach were stunning. Overall we enjoyed our time and very much appreciated the friendliness of everyone.