My husband and I stayed at Lanta Palace fro 5 nights from New Years Eve. It took over 8 hours to get there from Bangkok. The flight to Krabi was the quickest part of the journey. We didn't realise it would take hours by minibus and on two car ferries to get to the island. It was worth the trip and we later found out that there is a boat service from Ao Nang. The hotel put on a dinner for New Years Eve but all the hot food was pretty cold. There was also entertainment and games for the children. We were the only Australians there, most people were Scandanavian and lots had children. The bungalows were not fancy but were clean and comfortable with a handy drying are at the rear to hang out swimming things. The airconditioner worked well so the room was nice and cool for sleeping. The pool is lovely and overlooks the beach which is clean and also good for swimming. There are plenty of sun lounges, umbrellas and chairs. Breakfast was a disappointment as the food wasn't kept warm enough and eggs weren't cooked fresh when ordered as most hotels do but the restaurant overlooked the beach and pool and was very pleasant. We found lots of very cheap and tasty places out on the street for our lunch and dinner and didn't bother with the hotel for eating as it was more expensive than the local places. The resort is 20 minutes drive from the main town of Saladan but the hotel had a free shuttle twice a day. Internet is available at the hotel but is half the price across the road. It is also cheap to have your laundry done out in the street. We had a really great time at Lanta Palace and would recommend it to other people who just want to relax, sunbake and swim as long as you aren't too fussy about cold food for breakfast. The staff were friendly and helpful and we had a great time.
