Irene Resort Koh Lipe

The beach-front villa with a pool was incredible, and the location is stunning. Still, the service left us disappointed, and we leave tomorrow. This is one of the island’s more expensive hotels, so we expected the level of service that comes with that price. It felt like there simply weren’t enough staff to deliver it. There were several problems during our stay. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived, and once we were shown in, we found water from the air conditioning unit flooding the bedroom. Cleaners came to clear it up, but I don’t understand how it hadn’t been noticed during the preparation just minutes earlier. On our first night, we tried to run a bath and found the tap was broken. A maintenance man fixed it after about half an hour. Breakfast was another issue. The restaurant confirmed our room order the night before, but nothing arrived on the first morning. One of the managers took an active interest the next day and made sure breakfast came. It was wonderful. But on the third morning, it failed to arrive again, despite another order and confirmation. These are first-world problems, of course, but it’s reasonable to expect the service you pay a premium for. I wouldn’t return or recommend the hotel. Still, anyone considering a stay should weigh our experience against the more positive reviews. I suspect the reality falls somewhere between them.

Ae, the F&B Manager, looked after us so well at breakfast, and Andrea made our inner-islands snorkeling tour even better by helping us get some memorable photos. We were planning to take the outer-island tour the following day, but Andrea warned us that the wind might affect the trip. We cancelled, and appreciated the resort being candid and putting the guest experience ahead of making another sale. We spent four nights at Irene Resort Koh Lipe over Christmas 2025, arriving on Christmas Eve, and had a fantastic stay. The northeast location by Sunrise Beach was one of the island’s best, with only a few minutes’ walk from our room to the sand. The pool bar was a great place to unwind. Our room was spacious and comfortable, and breakfast had a wide range of Western and Asian choices. The food tasted better than at many hotels we’ve stayed in. There were a few minor drawbacks. We noticed an odd smell by the entrance when we first walked into the room, though it went away once we were in the living area, perhaps because of recent renovations. Staff were friendly, but things could feel a little less smooth at times, especially when we were at SOL Beach Resort. The recently built gym had the basics and worked fine, though I’d personally like to see it better equipped. We’d happily return. It was a beautiful resort with great staff, excellent food, and a memorable stay.

We had a lovely stay in a villa with its own pool and direct beach access. The island itself was beautiful, with stunning beaches and clear water, even with the high-season crowds. A few things were wrong when we arrived: our luggage was delayed, a chair was broken, and the safe wasn’t working. We told reception, and Mr. Irfan, the Front Office Manager, handled everything quickly, professionally, and in a friendly way. Thanks again to him for sorting it all out. I highly recommend the hotel.

Paradise, with a clear view of the beach and ocean from our bed and the hotel right on the sand. The room was incredible, almost like a Presidential Suite, and felt like a real treat for two days. I don’t usually book upscale or posh places when I travel alone, and this one cost more than all our other accommodation put together for ten days, £400, so it definitely felt extravagant. We were happy with everything: amazing food, cocktails brought to us on the beach, efficient room service, and staff who were always smiling and super polite and helpful. I can’t recommend this place enough.