Krabi Thai Village Resort. this place was...
Krabi Thai Village Resort. this place was great for kids. lots of space. long corridors for running/ short stairs for climbing/ plenty grass for kicking ball.
location: on a small road, slightly uphill from e main stretch of shops and restaurants. an easy walk for the kids. just be careful to keep in single-file well against the curbside and clear of oncoming vehicles which may be speeding. or take a tuk-tuk there instead. likewise for the return trip. they r cheap and easily available outside e hotel, and parked all along the main stretch. bargain prices down, esp for families. opposite e resort are a few restaurants. 1 has a beautiful fish-pond alongside which is nice for e kids, as it has a walkway over e top. (take mossie repellant at nite) others offer thai, seafood, and an asstmt of western dishes. on e way to e main stretch is a nice eatery called La Casa. it serves good thin-crust wood-oven fired pizzas and indian curries. it's quiet but has a nice vibe about it. the staff are friendly and it's open for lunch and dinner. if i remember rt, i think they also do pasta. there's another branch of La Casa on the main stretch and it's always packed. i'd rather save the walk and go to this one as it's peaceful and airy (read: no smokers for those with kids.) there's also a graden cafe down a staircase which i never tried, but dh and the kids did. it looks nice for e kids to explore while parents take time over their meals. there's a small mini-mart just opp e resort for drinks and snacks, sunblock, milk etc, but no bread products.
reception:
check-in was prompt and friendly. welcome drinks and chilled face towels. plenty of staff on hand to carry our luggage. reading books available for loan (adult english and other languages) outing desk was manned almost all hours. bar/ lounge had live singing but was always deserted (prob due to the prices? alcohol was very cheap outside) but we'd wonder down in the evenings after kids' bathtime for popcorn (on sale at e bar) and wd sit on e sofas and let e kids have a bit of a run-ard before bed, while mum and dad can hv a chill-out time. :) toilets behind reception were always empty and spotless.
room:
standard delux room, 2nd level. we requested a room far away from e lobby, and not on e ground level. 2queensize beds which we pushed together. youngest slept between us. elder slept on a little daybed alongside. we asked for a cot (foc) and used that to store their fun-stuff and for daytime play. just paid extra for e elder one's breakfast as it wasnt included. nice big room cd still move about easily with all of us. only shower no bath, but we were told we were upgraded to a larger room on e quieter side so we didnt mind. aircon and fan. both worked well. on aircon fan setting 3 though, a pungent sewer smell came through the vent (the same smell that was ard on occassion at ground level near the spa and playground areas. so i wd not book a room nearby.) temp control dial cd be adjusted to north pole climes so we didnt mind a less blowy fan. the ceiling fan was good when e air was stale. so can switch off e aircon, open e doors, and let some fresh air move through. fridge was slightly drippy inside, so had to be careful where we placed our drinks n chilled foods so they weren't contaminated.
other nice touches: the traditional wooden decor throughout, and matching colour-scheme, even down to the towels. enough towels were provided w/o us having to ask for them each time. staff were prompt and couteous *always*.
hotel food:
breakfast was a good selection of everything u cd imagine. noodles and rice with curries and chicken in sauces. usual western stuff like sausages, ham and bacon. egg station for fresh omelettes. good selection of breads and pastries, fresh fruits, fresh cheese and salad ingredients, milk, yoghurt and cereals, including healthier stuff like muesli.
room service was very quick. food was hot considering the long walk. it was quite palatable and well presented with garnish. portions sufficient. our 2 young kids cd easily share 1 serving w/o wastage nor shortfall.
restaurant: we never tried this, but the tables were well-presented each night with fresh linens and canddle-lit. the place was quiet at night (prob because of e selection of cheap foods outside just a stone's throw away.) one night however saw full-house. it was a special weekly thai spread. it came with entertainment. when we passed we saw a beautiful graceful thai dancer on stage, with 3 more immaculately dressed young ladies waiting in the wings, and another group in impressive thai costume waiting beyond view outside. i dont rrecall the price, but it mt be nice to splash out at least once on something like this...
facilities:
aircon gym which dh used, overlooking the kids' playgrd and garden. lush garden, spacious green lawns with shrubbery shielding balconies for privacy. quiet young rubber plantations on 2sides provide natural ambience, +butterflies, birds, singing cicadas. one night we returned to find a massive gecko on the wall beside our door. no joke!!! it was at least 6-8cm longer than my palm!!! were it not for the suction pads on it's fingers and toes, i really wd hv thought t was a baby crocodile! it freaked my young daughter out, but it never returned while we were in the vicinity. (i'm just glad we never met it's mama!)
3 swimming pools of different depths, and swim-up pool snack-bar. (the bar-pool is what we used the most. it had shallow stair access from 2 sides). there was also a small kids' slide into the toddler pool. (unfortunately, i wd never advise anyone to use this particular pool after what happened during our stay... over a few days we noticed a powerful vortex in e centre of e pool, originating from a large square suction outlet on the floor of e pool. it was a large-based vortex which cd easily hv fitted a kid up to 10or more years of age/ not-to-mention a tot!) it seemed to start up on occassions when the waterfall and fountain features were switched on at the pool behind, but not every time... so very unpredicatble. after the incident of e expat who drowned in a singapore hotel spa-pool when similar suction vent cracked, it was very worrying. in that case too, the suction was much stronger than it shd hv bn... i doubt that management were even informed of e issue while we were there. the staff seemed amused if anything, and just disappeared into the switch room for a while to fix the problem on the 1st occassion. once was enuff... thereafter my kids were banned from that particular pool.
wd we go back? we probably wd... or we'd try Ao Nang resort which was reccommended to us by a regular visitor.
