Praiwan raft house

We saw gibbons, elephants, and hornbills, and loved having kayaks available whenever we wanted to explore the lake. The food was delicious and they were accommodating about dietary needs. Our guide Po was kind, knew so much, and made the stay memorable. We booked two all-inclusive nights through the Seek Sophie website, and I'm glad we did, one night wouldn't have felt like enough. The accommodation is basic, as you'd expect off grid in the middle of a lake, but it was more comfortable than I expected. There's no power during the day, and the small rooms are rustic, but they were still comfortable and authentic. This isn't a luxury stay. If you're looking for nature, gorgeous scenery, good Thai food, swimming, and time to relax, I highly recommend the raft house and the Seek Sophie 2 day tour. I think it's very well priced for what's included. Thanks to everyone at praiwan raft house 💗💗

All three of us came away calling it the best holiday we've ever had. The staff, food, setting, and activities were wonderful, and the guides clearly cared about nature and knew the area so well. We learned a lot. We were incredibly lucky to see two groups of elephants, along with other amazing animals. Our two nights were fantastic, even better than we'd hoped. Thank you for the memories!

Watching elephants from our kayaks and seeing monkeys were definite highlights. The transfer car and driver were nice. The rest was frustrating, and the $425 (14,000 Baht) per person for two nights didn't feel worth it. The manager was incredibly rude, and the staff were unhelpful and rude too. Maybe another company would offer a better stay. There was no Wi-Fi at all, despite being told it would work from 6PM-8AM when there was power. Power was unreliable too: the lights, single fan, and plug kept switching on and off all night. No one told us when meals or activities were happening, so we had to track down workers to ask. There was no card reader or ATM. The food was bland and served from a fixed menu like a hostel's. The elephant viewing was upsetting. We watched one from 50-100 meters away in our kayak, but after about 15 minutes, long-tail tour boats packed with tourists arrived. Their guides shouted that we were too close, making us back off, then the boats came within about 20 meters with loud engines and 15 tourists aboard. They seemed to scare us away to get a view, while saying we were disturbing nature. When elephants saw 50 people on three long-tail boats and heard the guides shouting, they quickly left. The room doors had no key and couldn't be locked from outside. They were just curtains you could see through.

The views were beautiful, and the Praiwan staff were kind. Our guide, Batman, was great. Still, after many trips to Thailand and a visit to Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, my first time at Cheow Lan Lake and Khao Sok felt poor value at roughly $500 for two nights, paid to Seeking Sophie. I think you can get better experiences for that price. The floating bungalows with shared bathrooms are quite worn and showing their age. Food tasted good, but was usually cold. If you drink, bring your own liquor; mixers are easy to get at the resort, but spirits are very limited. Huts H1 and H2 are next to the shared bathroom, with lots of people passing and making noise, so I'd avoid them. On the way back, you arrive at the dock around 10:30-11:00 AM, later than the 10:00 AM in the itinerary. We nearly missed our onward transfer because of that. The scenery and kind staff were good, but the stay didn't feel worth the price.