Graceland Khaolak Beach Resort

The staff were courteous and attentive, and the beach was delightful, with some shade around the sunbeds. The resort's pools were clean and pleasant, and the setting is lush and green. There are small local restaurants close by, both on the beach and along the street outside, with very reasonably priced food. Fresh fruit is easy to find, as are a minimarket and currency exchange. The resort also runs a shuttle to Khao Lak and the local market.

The best part of this hotel is the beach, and the indoor public areas are clean and pleasant. The entertainment space is especially good, with bowling, archery, tennis, a gym, ping pong, a full boxing gym, pool and snooker. The pool itself is OK, and the restaurants are somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, better than the options along the road outside, which has little to offer for food. But the advertised 5-star rating is nowhere near accurate. With proper upkeep, this might be a 4-star place. Instead, poor or missing maintenance leaves it feeling like a dated 3-star hotel. I did see workers painting the white walls, but the rooms are worn out and badly need professional attention. Grime has built up in corners that daily cleaning doesn't reach, and one area had so much dirt and cobwebs that it seemed untouched for years. I was tempted to give it 2 stars over that, though it wouldn't fairly reflect the whole stay. Deep cleaning, floor polishing and fixing broken items should happen regularly. The hotel was fully booked, so I don't think lack of money explains it. It feels like the owners are taking what they can while putting very little back into the place. There are bats flying in the corridor to the bathrooms at the Thai restaurant in the centre. The ceiling is broken, giving them a place to nest, and staff seemed not to care even though the bats were clearly visible. It isn't hygienic, and fixing the few broken ceiling planks would take less than an hour. If you want a run-down, dated 4-star hotel with dirty rooms, but amazing staff, a beautiful beach and good exercise options, this might suit you. If you thought you'd found a bargain 5-star stay, expect disappointment. You generally get what you pay for.

The beach team made our days at Graceland even better. Pla, Thep, Mos, Fluk, Tum, and especially our favourite, Toey, were always smiling, looking after everyone and bringing such good energy. Every staff member we met was welcoming and went out of their way to help. Nothing felt like too much trouble. My bestie and I stayed for 10 nights, and the whole experience was 10/10. Breakfast had loads of choice, the facilities were spotless, our room was spacious and comfortable, and the beach was unreal. We kept looking around and thinking, how is this place real? As two girls in our twenties, we probably had a bit too much fun riding the golf buggies to our room. The staff happily drove our lazy selves around and laughed along with us, which made the stay feel personal and fun. Leaving was a little emotional, and we nearly shed a tear saying goodbye. It's rare to find a place that feels so special, and even rarer to meet people who make you feel at home. What an unforgettable stay, in a beautiful place with incredible people ❤️

The beach was fantastic, with plenty of sun loungers, and the beach boys helped us find one in either the sun or shade. This was the first hotel on our trip that respected the no-smoking areas by the pool and sea, and smokers were allowed to leave so they wouldn't disturb other guests. Great to see. Our room was listed as "pool view," but from the balcony we could only see the park and palm trees. They were nice, but it felt misleading when we expected a view of the pool. Some buildings are also a long way from each other and from the sea. Each morning there was a sewage smell by the beach. Breakfast offered a big selection and a great coffee station, where staff made coffee to order. It felt luxurious. Unfortunately, on several mornings we saw small cockroaches running around the tables and by the sprinkles, toppings and chocolate sauce station. When we told staff, they seemed unsurprised and barely concerned. That's a disaster for a five-star hotel with an indoor dining room. The hotel is beautiful, with large modern rooms and lots of balcony seating. Cleaning happened after 5:30 pm one day, which was a hassle when we wanted to shower after the beach and found we had no clean towels. Shops and restaurants are quite far away, so without All Inclusive we had to make a lot of long walks in the heat.