Full Disclosure: I do not make enough money to stay here. I won a contest on one occasion and on another I was dating someone who was a tour agent and got us in the villas for free because she was on an "inspection." It was a little devious but an experience that I am glad I got to have. This is legitimate luxury the likes of which I am unlikely to experience ever again in my life unless i win another contest.
We were in one of the two-bedroom villas with private pool located on the hillside. Don't be worried about walking up that hill because you will never need to do that. This luxury establishment has a team of golf-cart buggy things that will pick you up whenever you want 24-hours a day and take you down to the sea. Their response time was incredible and i don't think we ever waited more than a couple minutes for the pickup.
The entire villa was outfitted with powerful air-conditioners and quite possibly the most comfortable beds I have ever had the privilege of sleeping on. The staff come by around 8pm to "turn down the beds" which is a service I never knew existed. I don't know if rich people expect to not have to pull back their own bedsheets in order to go to sleep but it is something they do for you!
Each of the villas come with a full western style kitchen but to be honest I can't really imagine anyone staying in a place like this that would decide that they were gonna save money by cooking for themselves. There are 3 restaurants on site afterall.
Even the peasants staying in the standard rooms that cost a mere $150 a night have the same access to the 3 large pools that are on site and all of them have some sort of cool-water Jacuzzi with a view that is just mind-blowing. We did find out that it is frowned upon for us to bring a cooler filled with 7-11 beers to this area. They didn't make us throw them out, but kind of shamed us into buying some of their cocktails - which were incredible.
The morning breakfast (provided) was an experience in itself. There are at least 10 chefs that will prepare just about anything you can imagine including what is likely the best eggs Florentine I have ever had in my life. Forget what you know about brekky buffets in places that include this in the bill. The dining experience for the breakfast buffet was like no other that I have experience including salmon, exotic cheeses, meats from around the world and even sashimi (which is weird to have for breakfast but i have to admit, I had some.)
We gambled on whether or not mimosas were free for breakfast and ordered a round (why not have a little champagne with your orange juice) and to our delight, it was also free. We would have had more of them if we had known.
An experience like no other I have had in my life, a night's stay in a two-bedroom private pool villa at Pimalai will set you back a cool $2,000 in high season. During low season you might be able to get one for under a thou.
This is certainly too rich for my blood but an experience that I am eternally grateful that I got to have. I briefly got to have a glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous club that I will most likely never be a member of. A testament to the staff though, we were not treated any differently than the millionaires that were staying in the other villas and I thought that was a nice touch.
Insider's Tip: This hotel is located on arguably the best beach on Koh Lanta called Kantiang Bay. There are other, lower cost options that share the same beach as Pimalai and they relocated all the rocks from the bay (this is a real problem on Lanta.) Although this is a bit devious, provided you look the part and carry yourself with confidence, you can walk into Pimalai and use their pools even if you aren't staying there. The place is far too large for the security staff to remember the faces of everyone who stays there. Just be prepared to walk away in shame if you get made.
location including GPS coords
5 กระบี่, ท่าเรือหลังสอด - เกาะลันตา ตำบล เกาะลันตาใหญ่ อำเภอ เกาะลันตา กระบี่ 81150
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