Mai Khaolak Beach Resort & Spa

K.T.

We had a pleasant stay here. The rooms are very large and spacious. The beds could be a bit softer, but that’s just a personal preference. The main pool had plenty of shade, which was great, however the other two pools got quite hot during the day as there wasn’t much shade. The staff were extremely helpful whenever we had a query. That said, there were a few details we weren’t told about at check-in — such as the hotel app with the daily timetable and bookable activities — which we only discovered two days into our stay. Otherwise, the staff were lovely and always had a smile on their faces, especially Shine and Tracy at the pool bar. The resort is a bit further from the main town centre where the markets and restaurants are, but there is a free daily shuttle. The restaurants at the hotel are also quite good.

Toby Spark

We stayed at TUI Mai Khao Lak as two adults, a toddler and a baby, and had a really lovely experience. The location is perfect if you’re looking for a calm, relaxed holiday focused on pool and beach rather than somewhere busy. We had just come from Phuket, so this was exactly what we wanted — a chilled, peaceful week. There’s great entertainment for children, especially slightly older ones, but our toddler absolutely loved the evening entertainment. There was always something going on and it felt very family-friendly. Breakfast was excellent with loads of choice. There’s a fresh egg station for omelettes, plenty of hot options, fruit, pastries, cakes — you really are spoiled for choice. The only small negative was that they’re quite strict about not taking any food away from breakfast. We ate lunch at the hotel a couple of times — it was fine, with some Western options available, but nothing particularly special. However, just a 5-minute walk along the beach there are some really lovely beach cafés and restaurants. They have fairy lights in the evenings and toys on the sand for the kids to play with, which made dinner really easy and enjoyable. We ended up eating down there most evenings. We visited the night market one evening, which was definitely worth seeing. We got a taxi there and back for 300 baht. There were plenty of taxis available both at the beach and outside the market, so it was very straightforward. It’s worth checking which day the market runs before you go. There’s also an elephant sanctuary about 5 minutes from the hotel if you’re looking to do excursions. The hotel has multiple pools, including an adults-only pool which connects into a long pool running up towards the top of the hotel — great for swimming. There’s also a large inflatable slide and climbing feature which both kids and adults were using and enjoying. There’s a splash park-style pool with slides which was fine, though we didn’t use it much as we preferred the larger pool and beach areas. There’s another pool close to the beach too, with lots of activities for both kids and adults throughout the day. The beach is directly behind the hotel, which is really convenient. Outside the hotel on the beach there are plenty of massage places, small shops and food spots. We stayed in a Premium Double Room with a balcony, a very large king-size bed and a large sofa bed, which worked well for us as a family of four. The room was spacious, clean and tidy, cleaned daily, and water was refreshed every day — exactly what you’d expect. Overall, we had a really good experience and would definitely recommend TUI Mai Khao Lak if you’re looking for a relaxed, family-friendly stay in a quieter area.

Tiggs

Just arrived at this resort, the location is fabulous, great beach and sooo relaxing. The rooms are very tired and could do with a refurbish definitely in fact the whole outside could do with a lick of paint. Cleaning is ok at best they do not stock up the supplies so have to ring to get them. The sink is broken not bothered to report it. The sofa bed is badly stained so not touched it yuck!!!! The pools are dirty tide lines around the water line. Also sand is being brought in as some pools have sand around them and nobody washes their feet before jumping in.The adults pool is cleaner but limited sun beds so can not sit there and it is the furthest away from everything, in fact not enough sun beds anywhere!!!! .Food greasy prices ok mostly about 200bht for a curry standard price for what you get. The shop on the resort contains very little they could do with stocking up with snacks, pool toys, souvenirs etc…. On the whole the resort is cleanish would say it’s a 3 star not a 4. It is a bit remote so you have to get a taxi to get places they do have a mini van shuttle bus but only takes six passengers and stops at 4pm so it gets booked up very quickly. Also it smells here of smelly drains everywhere, very unpleasant. I will not be coming back to this resort or to TUI a big disappointment for the cost. Avoid big time.

Cecile Filleur

A hotel that is not worthy of what it claims to be. In Thailand, we stayed in 7 different hotels and TUI was the most expensive. The service staff is very good. We chose half board thinking it would make things easier with our two children. In the end, it became a real constraint: some meals were not included, water was not included either, and we had to wait 1.5 hours. We didn’t have time for this because we had an excursion very early the next morning with the kids. The kids club: if you don’t book through an app that nobody introduced to us, children cannot access it. In addition, the kids club activities are paid (dinosaurs, etc.). I was not relaxed like on our previous vacations. It feels like a money-making machine. Yet the hotel desperately needs renovation: the buildings are neglected and dirty, and even some staircases are uneven. I do not recommend it; there are much better options. The beach is not the most beautiful as the reviews claim — it is just average. However, Surin Beach and Kata Beach are much better.

Toni Junk Mail

Luxurious resort, with great staff and friendly service. Mohan shone as an exemplary employee. Say 'Hi' to him of you catch him at 'The Bar'. Plenty of restaurants offering a full array of Thai and Western foods. From breakfast to dessert the food was delicious and plentiful. I had a chicken parmigiana and my daughter had a carbonara pasta that were easily the best that we have ever had. Don't shy away from the green and white pizza or the kimchi bacon pizza, they may sound weird but are delicious. We had fun engaging in the activities, however I would have liked to see more water sports such as kayaking available to guests and it would have been lovely to see tours to visit a local village to experience the real 'Thailand'. Tip - Ensure you bring a power adapter if needed, there are no USB charging ports.