Apsara Beachfront Resort & Villa

On arrival we upgraded our room without seeing the one we were allocated as a treat for ourselves room 263, what a room, large bed, large deep bath, indoor and outdoor showers, 2 sinks, the list goes on. All the staff are cheerful, willing to please and always have a natural smile on their face, from the lady who cleaned our room daily to the receptionist, bar staff and the security man. This is our last day here and we are going home more relaxed than any other holiday we have had. A beautiful resort in a great location loved every minute, even the rainy days we had, which was great as we could try the excellent room service. Read less

My husband I first visited this lovely resort in 2019 and returned with friends in April. On our arrival we got a lovely warm welcome from Emee, the customer relations manager who remembered us from our previous visit. We booked the pool villas as last time we'd been, we upgraded to the jacuzzi villa from the hotel side and preferred the villa side. The villa was clean and spacious with a good size private pool, which was cleaned daily. We would thoroughly recommend. We were all inclusive so could use the a la carte restaurant and also the buffet style restaurant on the hotel side. We also had vouchers to use the Italian restaurant twice during our stay. The food was very good, but felt that it would have been nice if the a la carte menu changed occasionally or the were different lunch and dinner menus. This is something that we mentioned to Emee, and she agreed and stated that other guest had also mentioned this, and She was happy to put this to the owners who look forward to constructive criticism. The beach was lovely, but is a surf beach, however it is a lovely long beach with plenty of space to swim away from the surfers. I did however get stung by jelly fish which are difficult to spot in the surf. Memories beach bar provides free sun beds on the beach and does reasonably priced food and drinks. There are also massages available there. I had a 60 min oil massage at the hotel which was lovely and good value for money. The staff at The Apsara are wonderful, from Ko and Ann in the bar who make great cocktails, to Tee, Zar, Yuda and Lukgeil in the restaurant. The weather was a bit stormy as we were at the start of the rainy season but still had plenty of sunshine. We booked a trip to the Surin Islands, which I booked through 'Viator' as I'd used them before. The hotel do the same trip but it has an earlier start time and we preferred the slightly later start. I believe that is because it can get quite busy, but as we were out of peak season it was ok with only a few other boats visiting at the same time. It was a good trip with a visit to the sea gypsies, a lovely lunch and 3 different snorkelling spots with snorkelling from the boat. The speed boat ride was an hour and 20 mins but sea was quite calm, so wasn't a problem. We got picked up and dropped off at our hotel and trip was very well organised Just to confirm, this hotel is on the beach and you will need to take a 10/15 min taxi ride to get to the main strip in Khao Lak at 350 bhts each way, where there are a multitude of restaurants and bars. This might seem a little expensive if you want to go out every night, but these taxis can seat 8 adults easily. Thank you Emee and all the wonderful staff for a wonderful holiday. We will return. Read less

This was our second time staying at Apsara Beachfront Resort in Khao Lak, and once again, we had a very pleasant and relaxing stay. We booked a pool villa, which offers great space and privacy. While the villa could benefit from some updates, it remains a lovely and quiet place to unwind. The location is peaceful, with a beautiful beach – though not ideal for swimming due to the waves. It's more suited for surfing. A shuttle bus to Khao Lak town runs several times a day, and the ride takes around 20 minutes. The absolute highlight for us was the amazing team at the Napalai Restaurant. Yuda, Nuay, Ko, Ann, and Ploy – just to name a few – were truly outstanding. Every team member we encountered was warm, attentive, and went above and beyond to ensure we felt welcome. These names are only examples, as we can't remember everyone, but honestly, there wasn't a single staff member who wasn't excellent. A huge thank you to the whole Napalai team! One area that left us disappointed was the lack of recognition for my husband's birthday during our stay. Although the lovely team at Napalai surprised him at lunch with a few small pieces of banana cake and a cheerful “Happy Birthday” – which we truly appreciated – this seemed more spontaneous than coordinated by the hotel. In a resort of this category, we would have expected at least a small gesture in the room: maybe a towel decoration, a birthday card, or a bottle of wine or sparkling drink. Unfortunately, there was nothing – and for such a special occasion, that felt like a missed opportunity. Also, the towels provided in the room had a noticeably unpleasant odor and should be reviewed by housekeeping. That said, we still had a very enjoyable time overall, thanks largely to the wonderful service – especially at Napalai. We would absolutely consider returning in the future! Read less

This resort is truly exceptional. Stayed in Apsara for 5 nights, after a stay in busy Phuket (and in even busier Bangkok prior) we are looking forward to a tranquil and more relaxing stay for the last leg of our Thai holiday. After a 2 hour drive, we were welcomed by lush, landscaped greenery in a rather very rural setting. Checking in was quick and easy with the reception staff sorting out all paperwork as we are offered a delicious drink (we later found out to be Bael tea, which I never heard off, but found some in the night market and bought some to bring back home). We are then ushered to our room - very spacious with a balcony - nice and bright interior with 2 umbrellas and a beach bag for use. I particularly love the bathroom with its glass walls as I can see through the room, through the balcony and out to the trees while having a shower! We accidentally dropped the soap dispenser (which looks plastic but is actually ceramic) and told reception, when we came back to the room the broken bits has already been cleared up. Kuddos to the housekeeping and reception staff for their efficiency and commitment to safety. The breakfast spread is amazing with a combination of Western and Southeast Asian- so there’s everything for everyone. Again, the staff are excellent, always willing to help. The location of this resort is excellent for beginner surfers - hotel has equipment for both surfing and paddleboarding. Although having done SUP, I was quite reluctant to do paddleboarding as the waves are more for surfers. This hotel has a main pool overlooking the sea and a quieter pool amongst the rooms and trees (some rooms has direct access to the quiet pool). The library has a considerable collection of books in various languages and genre. Food in the beach bar was excellent and reasonably priced- loved the Parmesan and truffle fries!!! And for £5 is a good deal. Going to the night market and town proper, it needs to be booked a day prior for 100 Bhat/person which is a good price as a taxi/Tuktuk costs 350 bhat which is only cheaper if you’re a group of 4. It has been raining on and off on the last days of our trip. Unfortunately, our ride to the airport was scheduled for 2140 hours and check out was midday. We asked the staff if we can borrow a brolly to go to town even after checkout. And continuing on their customer orientated practice, not only did they lent us the brolly, having found out that our pick up is not until the evening, they offered for us to stay in our room which is very very generous indeed. Despite the crazy weather, our stay at the Apsara was nothing short of exceptional. The place itself is beautiful, but having travelled and stayed in quite a few places/countries, it’s not only the hotel/resort that makes a trip memorable. It’s how the people you encounter makes you feel. Everyone in Apsara, from the reception, concierge, housekeeping, bar and restaurant staff, everyone made us feel welcome and relaxed. For them nothing is a bother and their willingness to help goes way and beyond. Their commitment to customer service is one of the best I have seen in my travels so far. Should I decide to learn to surf, I would gladly stay here again. And to everyone in Apsara- a very well done job, indeed. Thank you so so much for a lovely stay. Read less