The Luxury Pampering Package that we signed up with Pimalai Resort and Spa, include transfer from Krabi when we arrived, to the resort in the west coast of Koh Lanta Yai.
The resort has its own private jetty, adjacent to the public pier
And its own resort boats too
The scenic boat ride to the resort took about an hour or less
The view of villas situated on top of hill from the jetty
On arrival at the jetty, we were dropped off at the lobby by their shuttle car for a prompt check-in. Nestled in the tropical forest, the villas are slightly isolated up in the steep hill where we were again transported to our doorstep.
The entrance to our villa
We walked into our villa and the view of the infinity pool took our breath away. The luxurious space in this Pool Villa suddenly seemed too vast for the two of us.
The villa living up to its name
(Photo taken from Pimalai Resort and Spa website)
The Pool Villa is amazing
The infinity pool and the view I was obsessed with in that few days of our getaway
The service from every member of the staff was nothing short of prompt and with genuine friendliness. We were always welcome with a smile, from the receptionist to the restaurant staff to the gardener and the guards (one particular one whom we passed by every day & night – wonder if he ever had a bad day).
See that day bed? We were trying to pull the internet cable to reach the bed from the rooms but the cable was too short (we were by then complaining to ourselves why the resort is not wireless like SALA Phuket). Upon giving them a call, the staff promptly brought us a replacement cable which again wasn’t long enough to reach. Oh well.. we were about to give up the intention to surf while enjoying the breathtaking view when they promised to send their IT guy to install a wireless modem in our villa! Woohooo… (so this is what service excellency is all about)
Ok, more pics of the Villa coming up.. It is huge! At least for my standard (based on all those small little rooms I can afford when on holiday)
The bedroom and the adjoining bathroom at the left from the pool
On the right of the pool, there’s the living room with a kitchen
We then explored the resort further on our way to the spa (more on this later).
Bird-eye view of the resort lobby
(Photo taken from the resort website)
The horizon pool that I kept worrying that people might fall off the edge if they swim near it. But then come to think of it, I haven’t seen anyone swam in it in our 4 days there
Built within the rainforest, Pimalai has all the right formulas – five-star comforts, natural surrounding with lots of space to give the guests a cozy and relaxing feeling
Breath-taking view can only last for so long till our stomachs were rumbling.. So again, we ordered food to be brought to us instead of stepping out from the villa.
In-Home Dining
The Pimalai Pool Villa is equipped with a well-functional kitchen and I’m impressed with the menu of allowing guests to purchase fresh food for home-cooking too! Needless to say, lack of culinary skill wifey like me, dived straight into the menu for cooked-meal instead. You can even opt to have a personal BBQ brought all the way into and served from your pool villa!
Breakfast indulgence continued in Pimalai
Our days began with breakfast, back to villa to surf net, read book, swim (or play with water in my case), eat, watch dvds we rented from the library and with the highlight of the day being the SPA!
This was truly a pampering holiday as we visited the Pimalai Spa every day for the 4 days we were there
I have never in my whole life indulged in a 4 consecutive spa treatments. What can I say? It was a deeply relaxing, rejuvenating and refreshing experience! Our spa schedule (5 hours and 45 mins in total)..
Day 1 - Asian Aroma Massage (1 hour)
Day 2 - Anti-Stress Head, Back & Shoulder Massage (45 mins) and Foot & Leg Massage (1 hour)
Day 3 - Andaman Sea Salt Scrub for her & Thai Cooling Scrub for him (30 mins) and Rebalancing Facial for her & Man’s Facial (1 hour)
Day 4 - Royal Siam Massage (1 hour 30 mins)
Blissful…
Apart from spa, we lazed around the villa immersing ourselves into getting used to the pool. The weather wasn’t as sunny as I would like it though so I couldn’t sun-bath (but hubby was happy to have windy days)
On our last night at Pimalai, we decided to celebrate our newly wed status by splurging on a nice dinner
(Photo taken from the resort website)
The romantic dinner at Seven Seas Restaurant
The horizon pool at night
You probably think all sunsets look alike. But it was beautiful to be able to enjoy a sunset right from the comfort of your villa (not having to hike all the way up Phnom Bakheng, like we did chasing sunset in Siem Reap)
I LOVED the sunset!
Just when we have gotten used to our Pool Villa, it was time to leave.
The resort’s environmentally friendly floating jetty. Casual footwear is recommended as the floats move when you step on them. I wonder how those ladies with heels handle the walk.
Ok, this could be somewhat excessive if I only concentrated on what we like, so what about what I didn’t like.. Well, there was this particular incident that irked me – on our last day of spa before we left the resort. While we were leaving Pimalai Spa, the staff ran out and passed us a gift bag of the meditation oil and told us it was a gift from the spa. Wow, we were surprised but ecstatic nonetheless for such lovely gesture. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?? The ‘gift’ was charged to us in the bill when we were checking out! We didn’t realize till we have left the resort though. But wtf??? Don’t tell us it was a gift if your intention was to sell to us. I could have picked something else if I was to buy anything. And it wasn’t just how much the cost is. The incident sort of turn me off the whole impression I have of the resort. You may think I am over-reacting, but I really resent such action.
On the last night of our honeymoon, we stayed at Ao Nang at a more ‘moderate’ hotel, the Krabi La Playa Resort, as we needed to check out early for the next day flight and didn’t want to waste thousands of ringgit on Pimalai just to wake up early and leave.
Hmm.. such a contrast after all the pampering and luxuries.. haha..
Note : Krabi La Playa is not a bad hotel, but frankly, I was disappointed. At RM380 per night, I had higher expectation (with the same price, I could have stayed in KL Hilton which is superb)
The only thing that excited me was the elephant towel sculpture!
It was a rainy day
I have not seen enough of Ao Nang to comment about the place and the rain didn’t help. So I actually do not mind going back for another trip to explore Krabi further.
Complaints aside, of the two pool villas, the SALA Phuket and the Pimalai Resort and Spa, which one do I like more? They both have their uniqueness. SALA Phuket has a contemporary feel and gives me that comfy feeling of being at home, while Pimalai is clearly an indulgence but perfect for a getaway. And since I am a very down-to-earth girl, my vote goes to SALA Phuket.. In a world with unlimited time and funds, I’m still dreaming of staying there forever or have a home with the same concept, while Pimalai can be a place we go for holidays to unwind.. is that too much to wish for?
