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A deluxe resort, inspired by Thailand’s rich culture, Khaolak Merlin Resort also enjoys a divine rainforest location on a gently sloping hillside and is surrounded by well-manicured, lush gardens. Guests enjoy direct access to a private stretch of beach, perfect for relaxing in the afternoon sun. The facilities are great and will please all the family. As well as four swimming pools, there’s a kids' pool complete with water slide and a kids' playground. Speaking of kids, they can even have their own spa treatments to unwind their bodies after a days running around - they'll love the special treatments! When it comes to dining, the aptly-named Tropical Garden is open all-day and serves International favourites as well as local fare. For something a little more romantic, head to Veranda, a beachside restaurant serving delicious seafood. The village centre is just a stroll away and offers more eating options, alternatively, take a taxi to the centre of Khao Lak for a wider choice. If shopping appeals check out Bang Niang Market, there are plenty of souvenirs to stock up on!
Amenities
Tennis
Babysitting service
Bar
Fitness Centre/Gym
Internet Access
Laundry Service
Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
Swimming Pool
Beachfront location
Where is it
In Khao Lak, overlooking the beach and a short walk from the village centre. Transfer time from Phuket Airport: 1 hour.
Hotel information
236 rooms. All with air-conditioning, balcony or terrace, satellite TV, telephone, complimentary WiFi access, mini-bar*, kettle, mini fridge, slippers, safe, bathroom amenities, flip flops, and hairdryer.
Superior Rooms have garden and resort views, with either 1 king-size bed, or twin beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child.
All Inclusive option: Is available May-Oct and includes: buffet breakfast, set menu à la carte lunch from Tropical Forest Restaurant or Veranda and set menu à la carte dinner at set outlets (these may change depending on day) and themed buffets three times a week on the Beach Lawn. Drinks include house wine, local beer, local spirits, juice, soft drinks, coffee/tea and drinking water in the Pool Bar, Veranda Bar, Beach Bar and Lobby Lounge (11:00am-11:00pm).
Half Board Plus/Full Board Plus options: Half Board Plus includes breakfast and à la carte set menu dinner at The Garden or Veranda Beachside Restaurant or themed buffet evenings. Full Board Plus also includes lunch from à la carte set menu at The Garden or Veranda. Both includes one drink per person per meal (choose from house wines, local beers, juices, soft drinks and drinking water).
Deluxe Rooms are slightly larger in size, and feature a separate walk-in shower and bathtub, with 1 king-size bed or twin beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 1 child.
Family Superior Rooms and Family Deluxe Rooms consist of two interconnecting Superior/Deluxe rooms, with 1 king-size bed and twin beds, sleeping maximum 2 adults and 3 children.
Garden Pool Access rooms offer direct access to the Hidden Pool from the private patio, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 people (children 12 years and under are not permitted in this room category).
The Garden (open for buffet breakfast and a la carte dinner; International and Asian cuisine), Veranda Beachside Restaurant (lunch and dinner, Thai and International cuisine), Sunset Hut (Cocktail Bar and light fare), Pool Bar (Swim up bar), Lobby Lounge (nightly live music).
Themed buffet nights and live entertainment available seasonally.
4 swimming pools, plus a kids' pool with slide, and a jacuzzi pool. Spa* with 5 treatment rooms, 2 outdoor pavilions and a sauna. Kids spa*. Fitness centre. Tennis court. Kids' playground. Table tennis. Pool table. Kayaking*. Stand up paddle boarding*. Night walks. Bird watching. Regular organised activities include tie-dying, stamp ralley, fruit carving, and natural water painting.
Complimentary WiFi throughout the resort. Souvenir shop. Beauty salon*. Babysitting*. Laundry/dry-cleaning service*. Room service*.
*Denotes local charge.
Based on 1452 reviews
Rating summary
Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Traveller rating
Excellent (930)
Very good (407)
Average (87)
Poor (15)
Terrible (13)
Great Resort & Service
Nov 30, 2023MarkctgPortsmouth, United Kingdom
It was our first time in Thailand for my wifes 60th birthday , We arrived at the Merlin from the airport & where swiftly checked in & shown our room which was lovely & very comfortable & well kept, The grounds are very lush & beautifull with lots of mature trees which give a tropical feel to the place with pools all around the grounds , The…
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It was our first time in Thailand for my wifes 60th birthday , We arrived at the Merlin from the airport & where swiftly checked in & shown our room which was lovely & very comfortable & well kept, The grounds are very lush & beautifull with lots of mature trees which give a tropical feel to the place with pools all around the grounds , The ground lead onto a sandy beach with warm sea which is very relaxing The food is excelent with lots of choice & good quality & well cooked As are the drinks , As it was my wifes birthday the staff made a real effort to dress our table & make the meal special . Outside the hotel there are a few bars & shops including The elephant bar if you fancy some Thai boxing live in the bar , Lots of trips to be had from going to James Bond Island , or a massge on the nearby beach ,. A big thanks to all the staff for making our holiday special especialy Cookie at the beach bar who made us very welcome . We will retern.
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Nice hotel in a quiet part of Thailand
Nov 20, 2023claroquesiNewark-on-Trent, United Kingdom
This is a very ecological hotel with nearly 300 trees within the ground, which does a good job of hiding how much of a concrete jungle this hotel actually is. We did the “night walk” organised by the hotel one night, which is basically a walk around the hotel grounds to see wildlife such as crabs and bugs and if you are lucky a “Slow Loris”- a…
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This is a very ecological hotel with nearly 300 trees within the ground, which does a good job of hiding how much of a concrete jungle this hotel actually is. We did the “night walk” organised by the hotel one night, which is basically a walk around the hotel grounds to see wildlife such as crabs and bugs and if you are lucky a “Slow Loris”- a primate. After searching the trees for a good 40 minutes, we did finally see one, but according to the guide that was only the third successful spotting in the last few months.
Rooms are very good and clean, as are the pools ( the ones you can go in) , but the water is cold- far cooler than the sea.
We made the mistake of going all inclusive for one week, after two weeks of travelling around Thailand- lesson learnt- never go all inclusion in any hotel in Thailand, when there is so much good quality and choice of food outside hotels- wherever you go. However, the odd thing here, was that all inclusive had a different, inferior food and drinks menu to paying customers- no branded spirit drinks, no proper cocktails ( just mixers) and limited food. It was like going to the supermarket and being told you can only buy the basic/ value range whilst everyone else can buy what they want. The quality of the all inclusive food was good, but you should not feel second class as an all inclusive guest.
The hotel lacks any atmosphere at nighttime- activity focuses on the lobby bar, which is more like a library. It would be far better if they kept the beach bar open until 11pm as a place where guests would socialise, rather than closing it at 8pm.
Oh- and the WIFi is surprising slow and can’t handle much bandwidth.
Other than the above, it genuinely was a nice hotel, but could be so much better. The local village is worth a visit for food and a drink, but would not describe it as “buzzing” and neither is Khao Lake town compared to Phuket or Krabi. However, Coconut beach and White Sand beach ( 10 miles up the coast) are worth a visit- lovely beaches with sun-beds, restaurants and bars on hand.
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Loved it!
Nov 16, 2023Caroline RMelbourne, Australia
Wow! Our first time to the Khao Lak area of Thailand and we loved it. Very peaceful location with a wonderful beach and many beachside restaurants. We had a Deluxe Pool Access room so our pool was only shared between 2 rooms - 2 steps from our little private balcony into the pool - wonderful! Breakfast was good with a great selection on b offer.…
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Wow! Our first time to the Khao Lak area of Thailand and we loved it. Very peaceful location with a wonderful beach and many beachside restaurants. We had a Deluxe Pool Access room so our pool was only shared between 2 rooms - 2 steps from our little private balcony into the pool - wonderful! Breakfast was good with a great selection on b offer. Gorgeous resort lots of trees and stunning gardens.
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Wonderful Merlin Resort *****
Nov 3, 2023Charlotte Rose S
What a very special place the Merlin Resort is. We went for half term UK family of four, children aged 14 & 11 and we had one of the best holidays we have ever had.
We had two adjoining superior rooms, which were not the plushest of rooms, slightly dated but very clean, spacious & plenty of storage and we were hardly in there, so they were fine…
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What a very special place the Merlin Resort is. We went for half term UK family of four, children aged 14 & 11 and we had one of the best holidays we have ever had.
We had two adjoining superior rooms, which were not the plushest of rooms, slightly dated but very clean, spacious & plenty of storage and we were hardly in there, so they were fine for us.
The breakfast buffet was wonderful, we enjoyed the omelette station very much, staff so friendly and plenty of coffee offered along with latte machines inside if needed.
We went half board plus which was a very good package (2 meals a day with 2 free drinks per person at each meal) however we would only do bed and breakfast next time as we love Thai food and there are so many lovely local places to eat out at.
We mostly spent time in Nana's next door to the Merlin a short walk up the beach if you turn left out of resort. Also, if you keep going and round the corner there are some other lovely beach restaurants that do amazing food, cocktails, ices latte / ices teas etc. along with massages! I had 2 massages at Nana's and one at Leo's which was about 1K up the beach.
The facilities were fantastic at The Merlin, we used the gym every morning opens at 7AM and closes at 8PM, we didn’t have time to use the tennis courts, but they looked great.
All staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and we will be coming back next year!
The only negative we found were some of the guests, we weren’t there to make friends however a smile and a good morning is usually standard manners, but we encountered a lot of sour faced, misery guts, no buffet etiquettes and que jumping!!!! Makes me wonder about the few reviews complaining about Merlin staff being unfriendly is most likely due to the way in which these guests behave towards them!
Similan Islands – DO NOT DO IT!!!! If you want to be packed in a catamaran / speed boats like sardines and being among the masses arriving at this wonderful nature reserve with self-sticks and screaming while jumping off the top deck at snorkelling sites, then this is the trip for you. However, we couldn’t wait for the trip to be over sadly! The staff at Seastar were great, but it's like being on a school trip! You are there 9 – 5, split into groups, being called here and there and be back in 5 minutes its just not what we hoping for sadly.
Coconut Beach and White Sandy Beach – MUST DO !!!! This beach is stunning. Mr Panu will arrange a taxi for you at the front desk and drop you off and says to message him an hour before you want to come back to The Merlin and he will come and collect you. Beautiful white sand, you can't work out where the sea meets the sky the colour of the water is phenomenal, lovely bar, restaurants, massages, spotless toilets it’s a beautiful place to spend the day, good alternative to the Similan Islands, we wished we had done this twice instead of that awful trip!
We also booked Pam's cookery class what an amazing set up and a lovely lady, was a pleasure to meet her and learn from the best. We all did the class and cooked a meal each Pad Thai, Chicken Panang, Red Thai curry and our youngest made ham and cheese spring rolls as she's a fussy eater which Pam found very amusing! Find Pam on Facebook and book in advance. Have a meal there beforehand to meet her and decided what you want to cook.
A huge thank you to everyone at the Merlin, we will see you again soon!
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Never again.
Oct 30, 2023peterbA4692JJ
The hotel is a nice place with a lot of plants. We had a pool access room,what is normally nice. But we have haevy noises from a construction opposite of our room. After one week we get another room on the other side of the hotel. Thr staff at the bar and the reception are unfriendly and not helpful. Sorry, its a nice place, but never again. Peter…
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The hotel is a nice place with a lot of plants. We had a pool access room,what is normally nice. But we have haevy noises from a construction opposite of our room. After one week we get another room on the other side of the hotel. Thr staff at the bar and the reception are unfriendly and not helpful. Sorry, its a nice place, but never again. Peter and Andrea from Germany.
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Great Resort & Service
