Khao Lak Merlin Beach Resort

The hotel was amazing. Perfectly positioned for the beach and getting to other places. The staff were outstanding, helpful polite and so friendly. Rooms were spotless. Breakfast was amazing with so much choice I wish I could’ve eaten more. Nearby were a great choice of bars to eat and drink at with the same level of courtesy offered to us. The food was so tasty and along with the drinks were very reasonable. We did an ethical elephant trip,river rafting, cultural tour, where we visited Tsunami memorial park, market temple and helped make some cakes at a local bakery and phi phi island speed boat trip with snorkelling. All brilliant. On the cultural trip it was just my friend and I and the tour guide call Oad who was so informed. We flew Qatar airlines which was brilliant also. I can’t wait to take my family there

Just come back from holiday in Thailand, arrived at this lovely hotel booking in was very fast and hassle free. We have booked three rooms on ground floor ,due to some walking difficulties, but we found we had second floor rooms. The rooms were v.good cleaned everyday,but disappoint that there was no evening turn down service,due to this hotel advertised as a five star hotel. Walking to pools,beach ,and restaurant was very difficulty due to numerous steps and ramps . There are no pool staff to help with umbrellas or beds,there are no steps to enter pools only ladders in deep end.also no lifeguards. The food was excellent, the a la carte menu is mostly fish base,and did not change for the two weeks we were there.the buffet restaurant did not cater for children, the can order burger , but takes a long time to arrive. Lobby lounge very poor seŕvice staff very unattractive and no atmosphere. Tv channels very poor... There was very little security to see.no one at both entrance. The beach is excellent Everything is very clean and tidy there Shops and bars two minutes walk away.

Visited in August 2019, which is monsoon season. It rained most days, but generally not for long. The clouds raced in, it became windy and rainy, and then it departed. The room we had (standard) was big enough for our family of 3. Beds were fine. Room was spotlessly clean. Fridge was full of drinks and snacks - pay if you use them. Aircon was faultless. We were AI. Food in the main and beach restaurants was better than OK. The beach restaurant was (evening) mainly seafood (a la carte); at lunch it had a range of dishes. The main restaurant (evenings) had a full buffet; but you could request the a la carte menu - no additional cost. All drinks were served to you (wine by the glass). There was an evening lounge bar with very good service; it had a duet singing typical songs. There were a couple of pool/beach bars in addition to the beach restaurant. There were premium drink options. The staff were all friendly and helpful. The tour desk (ran by a German) offered all the trips: in the summer months most islands are not available; we did rafting, James Bond, Elephants, Khao Sok, Kho Phi Phi - all were excellent. The trips are by a mini-bus, hence small group with a guide. Just along the street there are shops, bars, massage, restaurants. The bars and restaurants are not expensive. Trips can be purchased; not much cheaper than the hotel, but they may be in larger groups. We only used the hotel tour desk . No concerns about monsoon. Beautiful hotel and gardens.