Earlier this year, the Langham Hotels group became the first international luxury hotel chain to establish a presence on the southern Thai island of Koh Lanta when it acquired the Rawi Warin resort. The re-branding of the resort as the Langham Place Eco Resort + Spa Rawi Warin is now more or less complete. The resort consists of 185 rooms nestled up against, and on, a small hill at the north end of Klong Tob beach, near the center of Lanta’s long coast.

The resort has several rooms types to choose from, starting with deluxe rooms, up through villas and suites. I chose a Pond View Villa for my three-night stay. My ‘villa’ was actually a large room on the second floor of a small building housing three other rooms. However, semantics aside, it was a large and comfortable room, with a view of the lagoon ‘pond’ and the ocean beyond. The room featured a king-size bed, wardrobe, Thai-styled sofa-bed and desk. The room had a balcony with two chairs and a table. The bathroom featured a large walk-in shower and separate large tub.

The Pond Villa turned out to be a good choice, not only because the room was comfortable, but the location was convenient to the coffee shop, the pool and the beach. The rooms up the hill might have a better view, but the schlep up and down the hill might get a little tiring. The resort does have carts to take you to and from your room, but that might get a little tiring as well. Breakfast is served in the coffee shop. The quality of the breakfast buffet was quite good, but the variety is a little less than one might expect, although you can order whatever you like from the menu. In addition to the coffee shop, there’s a seafood grill restaurant, lounge, and a bakery shop.

The hotel sports a total of four swimming pools – the large main pool, with children’s wading pool below; a lap pool nearby and a smaller pool with jacuzzi on the hilltop. There’s also a gym, tennis courts and a spa. Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, although access is charged extra. There’s a library, children’s game room and internet room available as well.

The Langham Place is definitely an option for those that want to get away from the crowds that are all too common at most tourist resorts, but still want to stay in posh surroundings. It’s worth noting that many shops and restaurants, and even some of the smaller resorts, shut down for the low season, from around May to October. This makes the island a very quiet place to be during this time – which many might see as a good thing – but it also means that you may have limited options for dining outside of the hotel.

Posted by michael under First Impressions

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