ThaiLife Wellness and Meditation Resort

I enjoyed my stay, and this is a lovely choice if you want to get away from the busy feel of places in high season and keep to yourself. The villas are far enough apart that you don’t hear other guests, just wildlife and birds. The place is secluded, rural, and very peaceful. Staff were helpful, especially Cherii, who answered my booking questions efficiently. My room service was good, and the large bed was very comfortable. My villa was spacious, with a separate area for refreshments. There’s an outdoor shower adjoining the bathroom, which felt unusual in a nice way: showering among the trees, looking up at the sky. Plenty of hot water, plus a barrel of cold water. The pool by reception is salt water, which I liked. The wood panels are part of the appeal, though they made the room a bit dark for reading, and the AC could be better. Breakfast was delicious and plentiful, with both European and Thai options. Some mornings, though, the hot food was lukewarm or cold. It’s prepared earlier, and when moved to the burners they weren’t switched on, which I mentioned on the second day, or they’d run out of gas. There’s a regular free shuttle to the beach, the Thailife restaurant, or the massage studio, which books up quickly. The beach has clean golden sand and sunbeds and wasn’t busy. Thailife also has bicycles for residents. The sea is easy to get into, although the sand underfoot is uneven. As a solo guest, I didn’t find a social occasion to meet other people. Apart from the restaurant on their beach, there aren’t other dining options nearby without a taxi, walking along the main road, or walking along the beach. I only found the restaurants and bars around Pullman hotel and its surroundings on my last day. I got the impression Thailife didn’t want guests to know about them so they’d use only its beach restaurant. Grab App taxis were very scarce, and so were Bolt taxis. I wanted to visit the night market in Khao Lak, a 30 min drive away, but there were no taxis unless I paid double for a private taxi firm. It’s a shame Thailife doesn’t offer a paid ride to Bang Niang market on Wednesdays, the main night.