Gold star for Layana

This place knocks the socks off any competition. It is by far our favourite resort of all time. It is expensive but worth every penny. We stayed for 7 nights on the spa ultimate package and booked through their website. Our stay was wonderful from start to finish. Layana is a resort but very much boutique one. At 50 rooms, it is a small resort, with personable, friendly and attentive staff.

The chalets rooms are positioned in well maintained and landscaped gardens. They are spaced apart so you get the privacy. The rooms are extremely comfortable with great bathrooms. There is a sunken ground level bath tub as well as super strength power shower. The balcony was spacious with two comfortable loungers and table. As you would expect, all the extras are provided; toiletries, bath towels, complimentary water, and some scrummy marsh mellows every day!

The spa is superb. It is on par with the cream of the Spa’s in London, except the treatments are half the price. With our spa package, we had 4 hours of treatments each, but they were so good that we purchased more. Our favourites were the Reflexology and Hot Stone Massages. Go for the floral bath prior to the Hot Stone. I would not recommend the manicure as unfortunately the colour does not stay on the nails. However, I think this is due to the hot climate, rather than any fault of the manicurist. I did mention it to the spa and not only did they refund the cost, but offered a complimentary treatment to compensate.

The restaurant is highly recommended for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is plenty of choice for breakfast so you don’t get bored. The lunch is a light snack menu such a spring rolls, chicken stay etc, but also great sandwiches and pasta dishes on offer. For dinner there were two strands; a traditional Thai menu and a Western fusion one. Both menu’s offered great variety and were cooked to perfection. You could mix and match. We would highly recommend the tasting menu (think it is only offered on certain days). The service at the restaurant was impeccable. If like us, you enjoy great food and wine, you shouldn’t stay anywhere else in Koh Lanta. The food was relatively inexpensive, but as you would expect the wine was understandably pricey as it is imported. For a house bottle, you can expect to pay around £18-£20. My only small complaint is that the beers should have been cheaper. They were double the price of the bars nearby.

There are plenty of other restaurants and bars nearby. You can walk straight up the beach for 10 minutes and you’ll find plenty of choice. Our favourite bar was the Irish Embassy (this one is up and then off the beach) and there is a great little café called Fusion next door. The Thai and Western food here is delicious and fresh.

The beach stretches for miles, the sea is warm, and you can get great waves for some body surfing. The sand is soft with plenty of interesting shells. The rains bring in the shells and it rained almost everyday on our visit. This didn’t bother us as we went to spa when it rained.

There is a library where you can rent books or DVDs, and internet connections. All of these are complementary.

In terms of Layana organised activities, we would recommend below:-
1. Diving – there is a dive shop within the resort. I checked prices against competitors and only £5 or £10 more for a day of two dives. I went for the easy option, especially as the dive instructors here are experienced and friendly.
2. Mountain biking – takes you on a tour on the other Koh Lanta island (there are two). The other one doesn’t have any tourists and is well worth a visit
3. Thai cooking

Layana really does go the extra mile to ensure all your needs are met. We were staying here when Bangkok airport closed unexpectedly due to government protesters. Michael and his team helped us organise an alternative trip home via Malaysia and Singapore. We were very grateful as without them it would have been a struggle and rather stressful.