The Sands Khao Lak by Katathani - SHA Extra Plus

tl;dr Huge kids club with supervision. Wonderful pools and small water Park. Good service. Long version: We enjoyed our stay at the Sands with a baby and a toddler on the "splash" and noisy side of the hotel. That side includes the small water Park, the big kids club, a restaurant with Pad Thai, pizza and stuff the kids can eat, with fairly reasonable prices but it closes at 18. The quiet side has a more prestigious restaurant, beach access and two pools: one for adults only and one for all. It has a lake with big fish with twice a day feeding time so little ones can help feed. The beach is about 5-10 minutes walking from the "splash" side. Breakfast buffet is also separated for families and adults by 2 different restaurants. We used the babysitting service for our baby. Someone from housekeeping came to the kids club (as per our request) and wonderfully played with our baby, while our toddler was fascinated by the vast variety of toys and entertained himself. The kids club staff is not interactive with the children (other than planned creative activities) and mostly watches the safety of the children. Parental presence is welcome. The hotel provides free water bottles and beach towels to your room. The baby got a wooden baby bed and our toddler used the extra bed/sofa which could be conveniently turned around so the back of the sofa became bed safety rails.

This was a perfect stay for our young family of 4. The check in process was smooth and easy, bags carted to our rooms and the app on the phone gives you all the details about the property including room service. We loved the buffet breakfasts, the waterslides, the aqua zone, the beach and all the restaurants. I loved that the in house room service dishes and prices are similar to dining out in one of the resort’s many restaurants. Pool towels were constantly replaced without needing to call for more and there’s complimentary water that is constantly replenished by calling for more water. The resort has a laundry room operated by coins which made it easy to wash and there’s a mini mart on site with access to beer, water, snacks etc. We had a pool access family room which had two TVs, a separate sleeping area for the kids and direct access to the pool which was so handy. The staff were super friendly and everything was easy and relaxed. The walk to the main road is easy and there are plenty of restaurants and bars if you need a change of scenery. I preferred the beach massage to the spa massage (and it was a lot cheaper too). Kids club is okay but the kids would much prefer the waterslides. Great great family resort!

The hotel is a large resort but still there was plenty of space around to not feel too crowded. The fact that the kids pool area was a separate pool area made a huge (positive) impact. And having a pool area for adults only was great. The beach is only a few steps away and the shops and restaurants a short walk from the hotel. One could also use the hotel's own taxi service to get into town for a small expense. The rooms were large and nicely decorated. The bed was supercomfy.

Exceptional service. Amazing facilities and set up

Multiple pool options is a plus, our son enjoyed the kids pool. Rooms are very similar to the pictures in the web site, they are spacious and the housekeeping is good. You will have multiple options inside the hotel for food and the open buffet provides variety of options. Should you need, there are many restaurants at a walking distance along the main road of the Khao Lak. Staff are responsive and helpful. The kids club is nice and clean. All in all, it is a good Hotel for a family trip.