Khaolak Merlin Resort

Thailand , Khao Lak and Phang Nga
KHAO LAK, Moo 2, Petchkasem Road, Khao Lak Beach, 7/7
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2026

Stuart

The resort was described as 'set within nature' and does indeed fit the description. This gives it a quite unique experience compared to most other hotels in the area.

The resort is quite large, however, it feels secluded due to the surrounding gardens, forest and plants. There are plenty of sunbeds available.

We stayed in a premier natural room which had recently been renovated and it did not disappoint. The room was a good size with an even better view from the balcony.

The stand out feature of the hotel was the staff and dining experiences.

We would normally eat in the local beach restaurants, whilst in Thailand however, the Veranda restaurant on the beach was excellent, so we ate here many times. The chef also cooked some Thai dishes that were not on the menu upon request. A special mention has to go to Weerawat and his team; Da, Angan and Feddy and the others - (apologies if the spelling is incorrect).

The only area for improvement would be the front desk staff - whilst the initial check-in was good, the friendliness seemed to disappear after that... Also, we had one hick-up in the restaurant as the fillet steak was tough as old boots - there was no compensation offered (which you would have expected, given the amount of times we ate in the restaurant)..

Notwithstanding, this is one of the very few hotels that we are planning to return to and would recommend if you are looking for a unique relaxing experience (not lively like Phuket).

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Feb 2026

Lee

Rooms were fabulous.
Restaurant choices were a little limited but the food was excellent.
Staff are all very friendly and helpful.
The grounds are beautiful and there's a fabulous stretch of beach to enjoy.

Signs around to warn against reserving sunbeds, but this isn't enforced. Most days they're all reserved by 8am and not occupied until several hours later.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

15 Feb 2026

Bryony

Average at best. Amenities ok. Restaurant and spa prices not in line with local area. If you fancy a week in a German retirement home, this is the place for you.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Ann Marie

This was our 5th time at this very green and peaceful resort, large, comfortable and quiet room, beautiful private beach, very good breakfast buffet, friendly staff, numerous affordable restaurants within walking distance. All in all, we had a relaxing vacation every time.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jan 2026

Kim

This was one of the most beautiful resorts I have ever stayed, the staff was fantastic.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Dec 2025

samantha

Amazing room and balcony. Very quiet. Staff were fabulous and the whole resort was stunning. So peaceful with stunning wildlife.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2025

Christopher

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Merlin.

The hotel is beautifully set in a jungle oasis, yet walkable to plenty of restaurants, bars and supermarkets in the nearby village as well as some great bars, cafes and massage parlours along the beach.

The room was very comfortable and spacious, although the jungle setting did mean it was a little more difficult to make good use of our balcony due to the mosquitoes and meant a few more bugs than normal seemed to get into our room and luggage.

Breakfast was fantastic with a great variation and selection.

The pool areas were great and there was never a shortage of sunbeds - either by the pool or the beach.

Thanks for an enjoyable stay - we’d be happy to return!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2025

David

It's a unique property where the rainforest meets the beach. The swimming pools are awesome and the resort is expansive. They have a fantastic spa also. Enjoyed our stay here and strolls along the beach.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Mar 2025

ian

Good beach nice pool areas
Decent food
Good room

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2025

Sara

I wish I could have stayed longer.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Dec 2024

Mason

Staff was nice but the rooms are a bit outdated

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2024

Phillip

Khaolak Merlin Resort is one of the most beautiful resorts we have stayed in. The rooms are nestled amongst an amazing rainforest with water features everywhere. We shared our own free form pool with only a few other rooms. The beach was great for swimming and very clean - much better than anything we encountered in Phuket.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2023

pamela

I would definitely recommend this property,

10/10

Exceptional

09 Aug 2023

Katie

Ill be back soon!

Loved the space, lush greenery and choice of beautiful pools. Breakfast was varied and delicious. Fruit shakes and cocktails were great too. Ate in the restaurant 2 times - both times were fantastic. Happy friendly and helpful staff

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2022

Tatiana

Beautiful green, very clean and friendly.

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2022

Pavel

Nice and quiet place in green

Very pleasant and quiet hotel with friendly staff, directly on beach. . Located in tropical garden. Some years have passed since the hotel was built, but still in good condition. Only the air-conditioning could work better.

Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Friendly staff, there are plenty of swimming pools within the resort and are easily accesible. Small neighbourhood nearby with plenty of Thai restaurants and tiny shops. However it is relatively expensive to take the taxi to and from Khao Lak Town centre and the night market

Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

We had our wedding at this venue and the staff and service was fantastic.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Jun 2019

Wayne

good hotel, comfortable and lovely gardens/pools!

The hotel is lovely and grounds are great. Its right on the beach and has stunning sunsets to watch. There are many pools to enjoy and relax at. The rooms are comfortable but a little dated if you stay in a superior style room.
The area outside the hotel has a couple restaurants but the few meals I had were just average.

There is a fabulous beach cafe just outside the hotel resort along the beach and its a beautiful spot to grab lunch!

Friends

4/10

Poor

04 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Staff were rude at breakfast and reception. We have been to 3 other hotels and this was the worst

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 May 2019

Verified traveler

Having stayed at four resorts in this area over the past 3 years, we decided to upgrade to Merlin, we have previously walked through the grounds. We were most impressed with the resort and especially the friendly staff. Lovely big smiles from the Concierge desk upon arrival and nothing was too difficult. Good breakfast, lovely room surrounded by lush gardens. The Thai style timber décor and nicely refurbished rooms are a great alternative to staying in the usual concrete jungle. Many thanks to management and staff for a wonderful 2 day peaceful escape from our home in Phuket.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Aug 2018

Leigh

July break #002

A beautiful location to stay at. This was our second time to stay here. Loved it

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2018

Stuart

The property was well maintained had very good resources for all types of vacationers. There were was the beach for sun bathing and swimming. Also there were pools for families to enjoy. The food was great and there were multiple options for dining inside and outside of the resort. The options for activities were outstanding the elephant trip we really enjoyed. Hans who organized the trips was very helpful and knowledgeable. The staff at the hotel were great they made our stay very enjoyable. My wife is a vegetarian and she had no problem getting great food to eat

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2018

Leigh

Khaolak with Apple.XXX

A truly amazing hotel. Very nice decor. Amazing gardens around the 4 swimming pools. We stayed 5 nights and hated leaving. Hope to return in 8 weeks time.

Partner

4/10

Poor

11 Sep 2016

ous

Remote hotel with recurrent power cuts

Had to change to another hotel after 2 out of 7 booked nights. Not much to do really and taxis to any place of interest will cost you a lot.

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2015

Brooke

Family get away...

We loved our stay at Khao Lak Merlin. We travelled mid October which was low season and it was end of the rainy season. The staff were lovely, check in was great as we arrived at 10 am ( and our rooms were available), brekky was great, amenities were suffice and pools were cool... We loved it!!!

Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Oct 2014

Cari

Lovely hotel, good situation, very good facilities

Stayed for 5 nights, lovely hotel and gardens good for a quiet getaway. Nice beach.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Sep 2014

julie

Value: Acceptable price;

Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Aug 2013

Jack

Four days of bliss on the beach

Great location if you are looking for a relaxing getaway though not if you have come to Thailand to party. My wife and I arrived thinking we would have a bit of an explore, but ended up spending four glorious days sitting by the beach, body surfing then cooling down in the afternoon at the pool bar.
I'd read some reviews stating the food was a bit dodgy, but everything we ate was good to great apart from the fish dishes.
The linen smelled at little bit musty in the room, but the room was otherwise spotless and the staff were terrific, and for what we paid per night the value was incredible!
This is the place to go if your looking for great value for money and a really relaxing, zero-stress holiday. Loved it.

6/10

Pleasant

13 Aug 2013

Verified traveler

Ok but not wow

Compared to other resorts in the world Merlin would rate highly however compared to other Thai resorts it was rather disappointing.
Decor, garden, pools and water slide all great.
However food menu, breakfast, service and friendliness of staff were not as pleasing as we've encountered at the many other resorts we've been to.
Also to not have free wifi everywhere in a resort of this standard is frankly not good enough these days.

Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Aug 2013

traveling Leslie

Tropical paradise!

Our family loved our 4 nights at the Merlin Resort. The resort is set in a lush tropical forest and offers lovely rooms, several pools and a fabulous breakfast! Since our visit was in the rainy season, our weather was not perfect and the ocean was too rough for swimming. There are also big rocks along the beach so you may have to be cautious even with calmer seas. We were very pleased with the elephant trekking/bathing and James Bond Island excursions (and return transportation to the airport) booked through Mr. Moo down the beach to the right near Jo's Seafood and the lovely Peter Bar. The hotel restaurant is nice but we also enjoyed some of the places in the village a short walk away from the hotel. We also loved the cheap massages at the hotel and in the village!

Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Dec 2012

Don Giovanni

Beautiful jungle retreat with a beach

Beautiful rooms, beautiful garden (it feels like being in a jungle) , amazing swimming pools and a long beach (the water is not great, but that's everywhere in Khao Lak). If you want a nice beach take a boat/snorkeling trip to the Similan Islands. It's a little far away from Khao Lak village, so it's perfect if you want to be quiet or enjoy some quality time with your family. For 200BHT/day you can rent a scooter anyway if you want to go back and forth to the village. Not so good if you are single and looking for party-time.

8/10

Excellent

22 Oct 2012

Verified traveler

Velcome to Khao Lak

Khao Lak is where we are going, that is what we told everyone, and no one had ever heard of it. Why? we wondered? because it is the German place to go on holiday...

That does not mean we didnt enjoy our time there, Merlin is about an hour away from the airport and an hour and a half away from Phuket Town if you plan your holiday for sitting on the beach and looking through a few souviner shops and maybe buying a tailored outfit then Khao lak is definately for you as there is not much else around but it is beautiful, there are elephants that you can ride (if you like that kind of thing) places to walk, and beaches to explore. Many trips are extremely expensive here such as trips to Phi Phi at 3000 Baht! - we decided to stick with the beach we had.

The food at Merlin is boring, its ok if you want lunch after spending the day on a beach but the room service, bar and restaurant menu are exactly the same and the choice is limited.
they were doing work to the hotel while we were there, they did the best to make sure this did not disrupt anything.

my partner was stung by jelly fish - not the merlins fault of course - but be wary - also remember the sun is much much stronger than it feels.

as I said earlier its a very German area, each morning the Thai staff greeting with Guttenmargen or however they spell good morning in Germany, and they all spoke very good German, their English is poor. although I cant complain too much - my Thai is not great either!

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2012

Boris/Bimbo

Exelent stay!

We went in February.This hotel i amazing! Very good location and service.You wont be wrong to choose Khao lak Merlin Resort.

8/10

Excellent

17 Aug 2011

Verified traveler

Great beachfront park and ample space

At this price I was a bit dissapointed about the room as it did not have a view, and felt simple.

However, the amenities were great, the bed good and the bathroom was super.

The staff was polite and attentive and I could see a relax holiday in this resort just lying on the beds on the grass lane near the beach.

With a location 2 km. from the center of khao Lak (over a mountain = 15 mins.) it is not central... but quiet.

The buffet breakfast was a bit dissapointing - the highlight was that there was an \"egg station\"

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2026

Michael Joachim

Ein fantastisches Hotel mit großartigem Personal!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2025

Rodrigo

El menú es muy abundante pero no es muy especial, es para darle gusto a cualquier persona sin profundizar en calidad.

8/10

Excellent

19 Sep 2025

Nao

プールアクセスのお部屋に宿泊しましたが、フロントから登り下り階段など少々遠いのが難点でした。プールバーの重低音の効いた音楽を流されており、部屋にいると17:00クローズまで部屋が振動するぐらいでうるさかったのが気になりました。自然との調和や融合をコンセプトにしているならロックミュージックは不要では？？朝食は都合2回ぐらいならば飽きませんが、それ以上の滞在ではバラエティーの面で不満が残るかも？？全般的に清潔で過ごしやすい環境は整備されていると思います。

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

17 Sep 2025

HAJIME

スローロリス3匹見れた

緑が豊富で素晴らしい環境。部屋の前にある滝のプールも良かった。スローロリスが見られたナイトツアーも面白かった。気になった点は、朝食にもっと豊富なタイ料理を置いてほしい点と、レストランが改装中で1箇所しか選択肢がなく、近くのローカルレストランに出かけました。

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2025

akiko.

落ち着いた雰囲気のホテル。宿泊客も皆非常に穏やかなトーンで喋ります。私達が滞在したときは年配者が多いイメージでした。広い敷地に樹木がたくさんあり、ホテルが定期的に主催する自然観察ツアーは大人気です。私達の泊まったヴィラには屋根裏にトッケイヤモリがいて、ユーモラスな鳴き声を聞くことができました。

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2025

Masanori

施設は自然の中のリゾートで素晴らしい。
朝食も毎朝メニューが変わって飽きがこない。周辺エリアは食事、マッサージ、コンビニ、両替と必要最低限は揃っているがお店の数が少ない。
中心地まではタクシーのみの移動となるところに少し不便さを感じた。

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Mar 2025

Marianne

Nydelig hotell, vennlig personale og flott beliggenhet.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2025

Lea

Une oasis en bord de mer et un personnel au Top !

Un petit coin de paradis ! Nous avons passé un séjour inoubliable dans cet hôtel qui porte bien son nom : Rainforest meets the sea ! Le personnel est aux petits soins, aimable, souriant, alerte (thé et café sont resservis directement dans votre tasse lors du petit-déjeuner). Notre chambre était simple mais confortable, spacieuse, l’hygiène est irréprochable. La literie est excellente, même le lit bébé est de très bonne qualité. Le petit-déjeuner, comme le restaurant et Room-service proposent des produits de très bonne qualité, frais, délicieux et à un prix vraiment raisonnable. Le jardin est luxuriant, entretenu quotidiennement par une équipe de jardiniers extraordinaire. Les piscines sont splendides, entourées de végétation, ultra propres. Les transats très confortables. Malgré le monde qu’il y a dans l’hôtel, il y règne une ambiance conviviale. Tout le monde se salue. Et on n’a jamais l’impression de se marcher dessus car il y a beaucoup d’espace et différentes zones aménagées (ceux qui préfèrent la piscine avec toboggan un peu festive, ceux qui préfèrent une piscine plus au calme, la plage). Les enfants sont vraiment les bienvenus. Un parc avec balançoire, toboggan, jeux de sable, ballons, bouées, des chaises hautes sont à disposition. On se sent vraiment chouchoutés par le personnel de l’hôtel. Ce sont nos plus belles vacances ! Nous avons pu nous ressourcer en famille et rêvons de revenir l’année prochaine. Un immense merci à toute l’équipe de Merlin de Khaolak !!!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2025

Thomas

Sehr schöne Hotelanlage mitten in der Natur mit vielen Pools und einem tollen und sehr sauberen Strand. Großzügiges, sehr gutes Frühstücksangebot.
Die Zimmer könnten eine kleine Renovierung vertragen, aber sie sind nicht abgewohnt und immer sehr sauber.
Wir waren schon das zweite mal im Merlin Resort und können es uneingeschränkt empfehlen.
Der einzige Kritikpunkt sind die Pauschalurlauber, die bereits um 06:00 Uhr in der Früh einen Großteil der Liegen mit Handtüchern für sich beanspruchen.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2024

Stefan Franz

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2024

Daniela

Ein tolles Hotel, sehr gut geführt mut sehr freundlichem Staff, Frühstück top...na ja dee Kaffee klnnte besser sein, Gartenanlage traumhaft. Wir fühlten uns sehr wohl

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2024

RYUJI

ジャングルホテルです。海側と森側に2つレストランもありますので食事には困りません。プールアクセスの部屋に是非泊まって欲しいホテル。少し歩けばスーパーなのがありますので買い出しも困りませんでした。曜日でホテル内の無料の夜のナイトジャングルツアーに参加出来きます。ずっとホテルに居て飽きませんし、近くでイカダに乗り川下りが出来ます。また是非泊まりたいホテルです！

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

13 May 2024

MIZUKOSHI

very good

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

28 Mar 2024

Asami

春休み子供と友達と３人で泊まりました。治安もよくアジア人は私達だけ。近くにはコンビニやレストランもあり夜も出歩けました。ホテルは美味しい朝食とプライベートプールやビーチでゆっくり過ごせました。とても綺麗なホテルでオススメです。

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

06 Dec 2023

Markus

Ein kleines Paradies 🌴☀️
Es war zugegeben unser erster Aufenthalt in Thailand, aber alle unsere Erwartungen wurden mehr als übertroffen.
Die Anlage kombiniert das Dschungelflair Thailands mit einem Resort
Wir hatten ein Appartement mit Poolzugang gebucht, die Räumlichkeiten und die Ausstattung waren überdurchschnittlich.
Das Frühstück super reichhaltig und vielseitig
Das Personal in jeder Hinsicht super freundlich und zuvorkommend.
Wir kommen ganz sicher wieder.

Leisure Partner