Tropical Herbal Spa & Resort Krabi

Likes:

Above all, this resort is good value for money; similar accommodation in popular beach destinations in Thailand could cost almost twice as much.

The villas are all (as far as we can see) thoughtfully laid out and individually designed to take advantage of the site in order to create a small world unto itself, utilising level differences, screens and landscaping to ensure privacy.

Service cannot be faulted although the staff does not come across as being very 'professional' in the strict sense but we find that it adds to the relaxed and friendly atmosphere (and therefore a strong point)---we eagerly look forward to returning to the resort after a day of island hopping, almost like going 'home', that says something about the service environment.

The food at the resort restaurant was also surprisingly good and exceeded our expectations (we only had Thai food and did not sample the international offerings).

Lastly the spa service was very competent and well done (we had the royal Thai massage course, in a very tranquil and natural setting.


Dislikes:

Location is almost 1 km away from the beach, but the hotel offers free taxi service. The distance also means you don't get sea view from any of the rooms, to be fair the hotel never advertised any sea view.

Our reservation mix up was a bit of a damper but all is quickly forgiven as they made up for it by offering us the Grand Villa for the rate of our original Deluxe. (Although I guess I would still have preferred my original choice of villa)

There was a lack of hot water in our villa which was only rectified shortly before check-out. The 2-person bath was not as clean as we had hoped due to persistence of falling leaves and dirt; this problem could be avoided with a bit more maintenance in the bathroom and making sure tree branches do not hang right over the tub.

Other minor issues include the rather limited American breakfast and the design of the lighting at night which makes it difficult to see the pathways.

The tropical herbal spa & resort is a rare find in the growing commercialisation of the Thai resort industry. Three words are etched in my mind after spending 3 nights there - Back to basics.

The villa was one with nature. Every view point from within the villa were accentuated by trees, flowers and limestone cliffs which masked all signs of human life. We were constantly romanced by sounds of crickets, cicadas, frogs and the occasional nightjar (nocturnal bird). I truly enjoyed the serenity and privacy of large outdoor bathroom and balcony. The only drawback of being shrouded by nature was the constant presence of insects which I found tolerable. I forgot about them after spending a day there.

The spa was excellent and follows the same theme echoed throughout the resort - Natural healing. No massages behind closed doors here. Advance booking is a must as their spa is more popular than their resort.

The icing on the cake is the excellent and attentive service of the staff. We walked in on a hot afternoon and were immediately presented with cold towels, cold drinks and herbal tea. We return to the resort at night and a guard will follow behind us discreetly while lighting our path with a torch. On hearing about our early morning flight, 2 staff waited outside our villa to help us with our luggage. Though breakfast begins at 730am, kitchen staff woke up early to prepare and pack club sandwiches, fresh fruits and water for our journey to the airport.

I've been to a few spa resorts costing many times more than this and have never felt so pampered and relaxed. I'll gladly sacrifice designer finishing anytime for a resort as private, as spacious and as holistic as this one.