Lanta Palm Beach Resort

Stay somewhere else. I paid online through Klarna when booking, but at the hotel they refused that payment and demanded cash. I thought it was just an issue with my Klarna payment, then the next person checking in had the same problem. They wouldn't cancel the reservation unless we paid with another card or cash. The couple after me had to use the ATM on site to get cash. The apartments are run down, and the TV didn't work. They quoted 500 baht for tuk tuks to go anywhere, but if you walk out to the street, they're around 100 baht to most places. For 3,000 baht you can find much better on the island. This place wasn't any better than where my friend stayed for $25 a night. Save your money and go elsewhere. I didn't like the dishonesty around the tuk tuks or being locked into paying cash. That's not okay.

We chose Lanta Palm Beach Resort because we wanted to be close to the beach, and had booked ten days a couple of weeks ahead. The day before we were due to arrive, they messaged to say they would move us inland to another resort for our safety and offered an upgrade there. They said bad weather and tall trees at the resort could be dangerous. We'd already spent 20 days not far away without ever seeing anything that made us fear that happening, so we said we were willing to accept the risk and still wanted to stay at the beach. Until then the staff had been polite and friendly. But they clearly didn't want us to stay for some reason, and then told us that if we insisted, there would be no wifi anywhere in the resort. That was too much, so we cancelled. We ended up at the airport just a few hours before departure, stressed because we had nowhere to stay when we arrived the next day. If they'd told us right after we booked instead of the day before, we could have made other plans. We spent 20 days in Koh Lanta, so they lost good customers. Be careful, I saw another review on booking.com describing something similar. At least they cancelled and refunded us in full, so thanks for that 🙏

The agency called on the morning of our boat transfer to say it was full and there was no seat for us. We'd booked and paid the day before for two people, and had confirmation. Pickup was supposed to be at 8:20 am, with departure at 9:00 and arrival around 11:00, travelling from Koh Lanta to Koh Yao Noi. They should have checked the seats before taking our money. The explanation was confusing and unclear, and nobody even apologized. Instead, they said they'd finally pick us up at 12:30 pm, with arrival on the island at 3:45. We lost almost a whole day of our trip. This agency isn't serious or trustworthy. Taking payment without making sure there's space feels like a scam. I don't recommend them.

We had a good stay and felt it was good value for money. The bungalows are nicely spaced, with convenient access to a pleasant beach and restaurants. Room facilities are basic, but they were enough for us.