We just stayed here recently for 7 nights and enjoyed just about every aspect of the resort. When setting our reservation, the floods in Bangkok had just begun and we were fearful of having to take a cancellation penalty if we had to cancel our reservation on short notice. However, the staff at Anda Lanta was more than accommodating, offering to refund all of our deposit if we had to cancel our plans.
The location of the resort is a little far from the *bit* more fast paced life on the north of the island, but I preferred this as the south seemed to have fewer, more quality resorts. A new road was just finishing up being constructed during our arrival, so transportation with motorbikes, taxis, or anything else is quite convenient.
Upon arrival we found the grounds to be well maintained, the staff extremely friendly and helpful, and the rooms to be quite well designed - clean, modern, but also complimented the surrounding environment. The restaurant was well positioned with a nice, clear view of the ocean, and the massage area located on the beach felt as if it combined the wonderful scenery of Thailand with the indoor cleanliness and comfort of a massage parlor beautifully.
The restaurant was quite good, especially the breakfasts. I am quite a picky breakfast eater and I found the breakfast here to exceed my expectations. The pancakes and syrup were absolutely delicious (I had either one or two daily), the eggs consistently cooked well, and just about every dish I had was more than satisfactory. The lunch and dinner were just as good with only a few misses (which I cannot remember). Any of the Thai dishes that we tasted were very good, and always served by a server who took care in presentation. We didn't try any of the western dishes, besides the salad, so I am unable to comment on the quality of those. We went to other restaurants from time to time, even the far more expensive Pimalai up the road (which had amazing atmosphere, lacked in flavor) but after consideration I realize that the one at our own resort was probably the most satisfactory.
The massage station run by Lulu and Kop was also quite good. The Thai massage offered by one of these two was very relieving, especially the "General Thai Massage" which relieved the back pain I have accumulated over the years. My father particularly liked this massage, saying it was one of the best he's ever had in his life. Lulu and Kop were extremely kind, hard-working and took the time to learn each persons name. You could tell that they both were intent on providing a good service, at times going out of their way to give you advice on health, say hello, or a simple smile.
The other services were also well done - free kayaks, snorkel equipment, motorbike rental, free DVD - all made things less stressful, and more about just relaxing and doing what you want to do without the headache. If you wanted to book a snorkeling, scuba, kayak, or elephant trip, they would do so on the spot and have things set up within 10 minutes. Every trip would have free transportation provided, everything flowed fluidly so that you did not have to worry much about things. A special shoutout to the staff at the front desk consisting of Jerry, Melon and one other (sorry I forgot her name), who were all beyond exceptional. They were always friendly and took great care with each guest.
The one negative I would say is something I did not expect from the reviews here on TripAdvisor - is that there were a lot of families there, meaning many children in the pool during all times of the day. I am not a pool person by any means, but I can understand a person who enjoys relaxing by the pool may be a bit put off by the number of children that were there, to the point of completely changing the atmosphere around the pool(it would get quite loud). The pool also shut a bit too early, so if one were to try to avoid the times when there were children, they would either have to do it early in the morning or during dinner time, as after that there were no opportunities to do so.
Overall, the experience at the resort was well worth it, with the positive aspects numerous and the negative few. The staff and attention to service was the best part for me, as everything ran smoothly enough to allow you to do what you came there for - relaxation.