We booked this resort since we were looking for a nice place to stay on a beach, experience Thai food and have fun. It turned out to be not exactly what we were expecting…

- The beach… was there one where you could actually swim? It was not swimmable at any time of day – it was shallow and muddy even at high tide and at low tide resembled an ugly ploughed field with flies hovering over it. Maybe they should take some pictures of this and post in on the website instead of having a picture of a nice sandy beach?

- No beach, no pool (granted we knew about this before we booked) … the only way you can cool down is by having a coooooollllld shower (the only temperature available) and even this was only a trickle!

- The mattress… I wondered if we were sleeping on sacks of sand or not. Extremely uncomfortable!

- Food… Want to experience thai food? This is not the place! The food was the worst we had in Thailand. Everything had cauliflower and carrots as key ingredients! Even the tom yum soup had these ingredients in it. There was a lack of chili even though we specifically asked for our food to be spicy. Also the food is EXPENSIVE. And breakfast is not included e.g. 2 brewed coffees and 4 pieces of toast cost more than 300THB (did not know that lom lae was the Thai version of starbucks!)

- The degree of service is limited:

o On arrival guests are told the ‘rules’ and asked for the 20% deposit before being allowed to contemplate any kind of relaxation
o The resort does not offer transportation from the pier to the accommodation, a service which is offered on a complimentary basis elsewhere. When we arrived at the resort we were greeted with a ‘Have you paid the tuk tuk?’ (200 THB), which was not very welcoming and contrasted to the refreshing drink and flower garland we had received at our previous accommodation.
o Room is cleaned if you ASK for it to be cleaned AND specify what you need … toilet paper (you’re given one roll on your arrival), towels, sheets etc. I thought that the words ‘please could you clean our room’ had the same meaning throughout the hospitality sector … apparently not here!
o They wouldn’t give us change for a 1000THB note so we could pay for our onward travel fares. Please note that everything is paid in cash at Lom Lae and when we asked for a 1000THB note to be changed we were told that they hadn’t any!
o They also gave us the incorrect information re onward travel

- Everything has to be paid in cash…impractical! Even if you don’t want to hire a motorbike and go to town (there r 2 ATMs), you have to in order to withdraw wads of money from the ATM.... This is also clearly not good from a security perspective either, and there is no safe in the bungalows. I’m not sure why a resort charging this much per night has not invested in credit card facilities, or am I missing the point here?!

- Day trips cost FROM 2500THB (£50+ pp). But the only way to enjoy your stay is to get out of the resort and visit the other island and be able to swim!

- On the plus side (yes, we have got there finally!) - Koh Yao is a beautiful, tranquil island, still relatively untouched by tourism (presumably due to the beach situation). Hiring a motorbike is essential so that you can see some of the pristine jungle, spectacular offshore views and the local Thais going about their daily business. Hiring a boat for a day so you can see the nearby Islands is also a fantastic experience.

- The bungalows are attractive on the outside and, while lacking in luxury fixtures and fittlings, blend nicely into the jungle setting. The view from the beach of the limestone islands is spectacular.

- You will also have the opportunity to experience nature up-close! We shared our bedroom with a big lizard and our bathroom with a number of roaches…. Maybe this is your thing, maybe not, but bear in mind you won’t have a choice - there are gaps between the roof and walls and between the floorboards so creatures will come and go as they please!

- At night there is a nice breeze from the sea that gives you some relief from the heat. Also it is pitch black so you can enjoy the stars. All lights are switched off and the resort shuts down at 10pm so if you still want to move around after that you will need a torch (not provided). This has the potential to be hazardous though, as we found out when we returned after 10pm one night and nearly fell in the mangrove swamp on our way back to the bungalow.

OVERALL COMMENTS: Firstly, I really felt that this resort was overpriced (we were ripped off ‘to the bone’, if you like). 4000 Baht for the bungalow (breakfast not included) is certainly not cheap, and while you are there, if you want to do anything, you must pay or sort it out yourself. It would not bankrupt Lomlae to offer guests a complimentary drink on arrival or let all guests use the kayaks free of charge but unfortunately this is not the case. Secondly, the lack of swimming options on-site is a huge problem both from an exercise and cooling-off perspective. Thirdly, the managerial culture is that of an average backpackers and is certainly nor supportive of offering a value-added and/or luxury experience. Please believe us when we recommend you spend your hard-earned holiday time elsewhere!