The Sands by Katathani

Victoria Duncan

We had a wonderful stay at The Sands for our honeymoon. I had read a few reviews beforehand mentioning there were lots of kids, but honestly it wasn’t an issue at all. The families mostly stayed around the kids’ pool and play areas, and there were adult-only spaces as well, so we always found quiet spots to relax together. The staff were a real highlight. Everyone was welcoming, kind, and genuinely helpful throughout our stay. We also really enjoyed some of the activities on offer. We tried the Thai boxing and a language class, and both were such fun experiences that added something extra to the trip. The resort itself has a great mix of spaces. Whether we wanted to swim, read, have a drink, or just sit somewhere peaceful, there was always a spot that suited our mood. Food-wise, there was plenty of variety across the menus. One thing to keep in mind is that while western dishes are available, they won’t taste exactly like home, and that’s okay. The local Thai options were absolutely delicious and easily the standout for us. The location is another big plus. It’s an easy walk to the main street where there are cafes, shops, and restaurants at much lower prices than the resort. We found a few great coffee spots there too if you’re craving something closer to an Aussie-style brew. Overall, The Sands was a fantastic place to spend our honeymoon and we’d happily recommend it.

Fanny Desir

The staff is really nice and kind and the hotel is super kids friendly, as advertised. The rooms are great. Location wise, it's a bit far from the center (need to take a taxi), but the beach is absolutely beautiful. A few points that can be improved: - less plastic please... There should be access to drinking water that doesn't involve buying water plastic bottles ! Same for the plastic straws given at the Manta Ray restaurant. The hotel is 10 min away from the turtle conservation center, there should be more awareness for these subjects ... - some of the suggested activities (excursions) are VERY non ethical, such as the bathing with elephants (that we didn't do of course), or the canoe in the caves where our guide started throwing food in plastic bags to the monkeys to attract them, creating waste and being non respectful of the wildlife. This is quite disappointing that the hotel is supporting such business. We met one person at the activity desk that seemed to understand our concerns and recommended an elephant place with much better practice. The other places shouldn't be offered all together. Just keep the good places please!

merle dsouza

Stayed in Feb for 4 days with my family including my 6 year old. Picked this hotel because we have stayed twice at Katathani Phuket and loved it, also looking for a resort that could keep my kid busy, while we relaxed. The sands delivered as expected, even better than its parent hotel at Phuket. The sands Khao lak is a hug resort but I must say the staff was exceptionally good. I want to give a special shout out to the kids club ladies, Jadyn, Michelle and the other Filipino lady (can’t remember her name). I have visited a lot of family resorts with kids club but the staff in the sands kids club is the best I have experienced. The ladies are kind and responsible. They watch out for the kids well and just because of them, I want to come back and stay again here. The kids club has a lot of activities some paid some free and it’s something different. They also have a small indoor ball pit and slides etc. enough to keep kids occupied the whole day. Besides the kids club. The resort also has an outdoor playground and mini water park with water slides and a lazy river. The pool boys do a fantastic job manning the water slides and lazy river. It’s a difficult job but they are so kind to the kids. This is a beach front property but the beach is not that great and the current can be strong so watch out with kids. We stayed at the rooms facing the pond and it was quite nice. Just make sure to keep your windows closed in the evening and night, when ur sitting out to avoid bugs from entering. Please remember it’s the tropics and it’s quite natural to have them around. The room is actually spacious but not well planned well to maximize space. The housekeeping is terrible, needed to constantly remind them to clean the room. When there are kids the room can get sandy After a beach visit but the housekeeping doesn’t really clean well. Even water is not replaced. Used pool towels are not cleared from the room. Ended with a huge pile of towels in the room by the end of our visit. We did not eat at the hotel besides breakfast. So can’t comment on the food but the breakfast is average not much choices but the staff at the restaurant are amazing. The location of the hotel is wonderful just a short walk through the staff carpark and your in the Main Street, with lots of restaurants, massage, supermarkets, money exchange and bike rental so it’s really convenient. There is also a buggy service that takes to the top of the Main Street but you still need to walk afterwards so it’s better to take the shortcut through the staff parking. The front desk ladies are wonderful. Easy checkin and helped with my membership even though I had to send them frequent follow ups. Don’t know why the membership process is so complicated. After staying at Kathani collection 3 times, it should be extended without me chasing them. There is a skinny man who sits at the reception with a major attitude problem. When I reached to him with my membership enquiry he just spoke to me like he is doing me a favor and was not helpful. Overall I think the hotel was great with room for improvement but the staff here are the best, better than the Katathani Phuket. Maybe Katathani Phuket should learn from the staff at the sands on how to provide good service. I will definitely be back and highly recommend the sands to families with kids.

Sheppy1959

Just spent a week at this hotel in a Seaside Junior Suite and we enjoyed a perfect stay. The room was large and modern with a huge bed and even had english style plug sockets. This is a family hotel with lots of children but the childrens pool was in a separate part of the hotel and we ate our breakfast in an adult only dining room so we had no issues as 2 adults with no children. First time we have visited Thailand and I knew Thailand is known as the land of smiles. However, we were blown away just how nice and polite and friendly the staff are and they do everything in their power to improve your holiday experience. Hotel grounds were immaculate and the Khao Lak area was very nice and laid back. It was easy to get around the area cheaply via a Tuc Tuc or taxi. Don't often say this but I would definitely return to this hotel as the experience was so good.

Elena

Pros: beautiful environment, inside and outside. Lovely decorated rooms. Clean and comfortable. Wide range of toiletries and overall, great facilities. Lakes, pools and gardens also beautiful. Public areas very clean. Super friendly staff and helpful. Good separation of adult only areas and areas for families, including eating places. Good choice of food at the breakfast buffet, but see also Cons. Cons: very poor sound proofing between rooms and from outside. Sleep quality and peace is totally reliant on your neighbours and how considerate guests are in public area outside of your room. Even when guests in the next room are talking at a normal volume, they can be clearly heard. This was an issue and unfortunately spoilt some of our stay. Quality of food is satisfactory. There are limited choices for dinner, but it's only a short walk to find restaurants outside the resort. The breakfast buffet had great choice, for guests, but also for the local flies. Greater care needs to be taken to keep flies off the food. Quality of evening entertainment, is inconsistent. Local performers are great and lovely to watch. However, some of the singers were terrible and almost painful to listen to. The entertainment finishes at 10.00 pm, but there's nowhere to go to get away from the sound, including your room, which is a problem when it's bad. There are life guards at the beach, yet every time we were there, they were faced away from the beach and were busy on their phones. This is concerning, especially with warnings of riptides and jelly fish.