The Waters Khao Lak by Katathani

The Waters in Khao Lak is such a beautiful and peaceful place to stay , if you are looking for a relaxing holiday . The grounds are lovely , main pool with swim up bar , there is no loud music and no entertainment in the evenings since bars , clubs and restaurants are found a few minutes walk from hotel . The staff are helpful and friendly . Amici Restaurant is Italian and the only one in the hotel but meals are much cheaper outside and just as good .
The Beach is a few minutes walk away , but there are no sun beds for hire here ( policy) but there is a restaurant overlooking the sea
( cheap as well )
If you want to sun bath go to White Sands Beach but be aware the trees shade the sun until mid day or go to Coconut beach which has sunbeds / restaurants etc
Travel to beach mentioned is 15 mins by taxi costing 350 Thai Bhat one way ( £1 = 40 Thai Baht in Dec 2025 )

This hotel is one of the best I have stayed in anywhere in Asia we were in downstairs swim up room 1751 .. this room had a very good lay out with easy excess to the pool , the splash bar was awesome and the staff very helpful especially Mail who was very knowledgeable and friendly she explained everything we asked of her very well and sure is a asset to the company. ( keep up the good work Mail ) .. it was a pleasure to stay here and I would recommend it one and all … best hotel by far in the area … I will be coming back to stay again for sure …

We stayed here for 12 days in room 1751 this room was spacious and comfortable with pool excess at our door , the staff were very helpful respectful and friendly they are a credit to the hotel , I especially would like to thank the staff at the splash bar who looked after me and my wife when ever we ordered food and drinks from them , Mail was excellent and very knowledgeable when mixing drinks for us also advising us on our food choices she was a pleasure to deal with and is a true asset to the company .. thank you the staff has made our stay more pleasant … we have truely been looked after very well and would recommend a stay here at this resort to anybody looking for a well run relaxed atmosphere … it would be hard to find a better place to stay and only 5 mins from everything you could need

The location of The Waters is near-perfect, particularly if it's your first trip to Khao Lak and you want easy access to beach, markets, bars and restaurants. The resort, as the name suggests, is themed around water and you have access to gorgeous swimming pools across the resort. In fact, the pools are so nice that you don't even feel the need to leave the resort. We spent a fair bit of time lazing around the pool. We had the upper pool access rooms and could directly walk down to the pools. The rooms are well laid out with a large deck that you can laze on, a large comfortable bed. The team at the resort is also very quick to address any issues or concerns. We had some issue with the lack of cooling in our room one afternoon and the service team got it fixed immediately. They also responded swiftly when we managed to lock ourselves out of our room. The housekeeping team does an efficient job and they were happy to clean the room around our schedule.

There're plenty of deck chairs across all pools so getting a deck chair wasn't a problem. We particularly loved the jacuzzis across the pools where you could literally be getting a full body massage in the pool. The pools are easily the highlight of this resort and we found ourselves spending time inside the resort rather than at the beach, which is a few minutes walk from there.

Additionally, if you'd like to explore the surroundings, everything is within a periphery of not more than 10-15 mins.

Beach - the Bang Niang beach is less than 5 mins walk

Bars and restaurants - plenty of options, ranging from local Thai food options, western fare and some Italian restaurants. We tried a bunch restaurants like Siam, Tiewson, Green Pepper, Tom Yung Goong and bars like Lan La, Mr. Chats, Fat Shark, Banana bar etc

Bang Niang market - 10 min walk to a nice market that comes to life in the evening, with a great vibe, food and drink options and good for souvenir shopping

Massages - plenty of local massage options within a mins walk.

Also, for planning any days trips and excursions, there are plenty of travel agents and tour operators that you can access around the main street.

The only things I'd like to call out as areas of improvement would be breakfast. While there's a variety of options, the food could be better. Also, in case you're someone who likes to watch tv in the hotel, i found the options lacking international and English content. But these are minor aspects in the face of overwhelming positives.

Khao Lak is quite laid back and quiet, unlike parts of Phuket. If you're not fussed about being on a beachfront property and want options and walking access to most things, this resort ticks all the boxes.

This was our first trip to Khao Lak and our stay at The Waters played a large part in ensuring it was a great one. If our travels find us coming back to Khao Lak in the future, we'd look forward to staying there again.

The Waters hotel is tucked away behind the main streets of Bang Niang. We were quite late arriving but the restaurant was still open or we could have room service if we wanted to. We had a lovely friendly greeting at check in and everything was done really quickly. We were taken to our room on a buggy. It seemed like a very long way from reception. There are shortcuts when walking.
The room was a ground floor pool access room and it was really good! A lovely big bathroom and a spacious bedroom. There was a kettle with tea and coffee and a full sized iron and ironing board.
We were very lucky as our room had the sun all day. A lot of the pool access rooms appeared to be in the shade all day. If you're planning on staying at the Waters in a pool access room request a room in the sun (if you want to).
We were right next to the Splash bar so very easy to get drinks. You can also eat there at lunchtime if you want to. The bars close early at the hotel. The Splash bar closed at 5pm and the Bubble bar closed at 8pm. There's a bar just outside the hotel if you want drinks in the evening.
The hotel is very spread out with a fair bit of walking if you're in the rooms right at the end of the resort. You can request a buggy if mobility is a problem.
The pools are lovely. I'm so pleased that we had a pool access room but there were plenty of sunbeds dotted around the hotel if you want to go to a different pool.
We didn't do very much while we were there as I'd recently had hip surgery. We walked to the beach which is 5 minutes from the hotel. It's lovely but there are no sunbeds and it's quite sloped. The hotel will get a taxi to Cocunut beach which has sunbeds and bars.
We went to a local temple. The hotel arranged a taxi for us and he took us to the temple and waited in the car park until we wanted to leave. The temple was definitely something to see.
The area is buzzing. There are lots of great restaurants. The food is very nice and not too expensive. There's a 7/11 shop just across the road that has everything you need. There are mosquitos especially at night. The 7/11 sells a very good insect repellent which actually works.
We were half board. We could have either breakfast and lunch or breakfast and dinner. We had lunch as we wanted to eat out at night.
We loved this hotel and this area. The Thai people are so lovely. Always smiling and so polite. The hotel was everything we wanted it to be and more. We'll definitely be back.

We had a really good stay at this hotel. The pool was definitely the highlight – it’s large, and we never had to fight for sunbeds. Even when we arrived around 11:30, there were still plenty of spots available. The whole pool area felt peaceful and spacious.

The food was decent, and the service was fine as well, though the staff didn’t always understand English as well as you might hope. The fitness area is small but has all the basics you need for a quick workout.

If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to book a room with a private pool – we didn’t, and we definitely regretted it. The atmosphere at the hotel is calm, with no loud guests or noisy groups, which made it perfect for relaxing.

There’s also a lot to see and do around Khao Lak, so we’ll definitely be coming back to this hotel in the future.

We stayed at khao lake the waters for a week in one of the swim-up rooms, and it was absolutely perfect from start to finish. Our room was spotless, very modern, and cleaned to a high standard every day. The staff were amazing – so friendly, welcoming, and always happy to help, which made the hotel feel peaceful and relaxing throughout our stay.

The location is great too: close to shops, bars, restaurants, and only a short distance from Bang Niang Market. The swim-up pool and pool bar were a real highlight, perfect for relaxing with a drink at any time of day.

Breakfast was included in our stay and there was plenty of choice, with something for everyone.

During our time here we also did several trips, including elephant bathing and the James Bond Island tour with a visit to the floating village – both unforgettable experiences.

We loved our stay and would highly recommend this hotel. We can’t wait to come back again!

Just returned from two weeks here and we loved it. This was our 5th visit to Khao Lak and although all the hotels have been great I think this was our favourite.

Friendling staff at check-in which was super quick. We were taken to our room in a buggy as we were in the new waters wing at the back of the resort. Our room was spotless, plenty of room with the biggest most comfortable bed ever. I have some mobility issues but getting into the pool via the steps was so easy, with loungers on the patio, as well as a large padded cuddle bed/chair.

We chose this hotel primarily because of its location, as it so close to the bars, restaurants and the market. We are more pool people than beach so the huge pools were amazing. On an afternoon during happy hour the staff would com round in canoe to take cocktail orders. Thought this was a great idea.

Breakfast was plentiful with lots of options and we hand room service several times during out stay on a lunchtime. Reasonable priced with with a fair choice.

The only small fault, and it wasn't a huge issue, is the lack of clothes space for long dresses and the hanging space is short. I just hung them in the bathroom. Like i said its the only thing i could fault.

We have already booked to return in 2026.

Our last week staying at the waters, a beautiful hotel, with warm welcome from beautiful members, breakfast included was nicely presented, and different flavours each day. Room was very nice and spacious, and a nice bathroom. Value for money was spot on. The swimming pool, and a taxi service to the beaches, and restaurants on the doorstep. I found a gem.

I recently stayed at The Waters resort (December 2025) for 5 nights. The resort location is perfect....close to the beach, restaurants and local shops whilst still being very relaxing and quiet.
The rooms are on the smaller side (pool access) but adequate. A downside was no Netflix access (unfortunately it rained the entire time I was there) and a standard seating chair in the rooms or balcony would be an addition.
The breakfast was fantastic, pool bar provided a great chill vibe.
The staff were absolutely fantastic....and asset to this beautiful resort 🙂 I will be back....

Great location with lots of bars, restaurants and scooter rentals just outside. Pool access rooms are definitely worth it. The staff and services are fantastic - Chef Watt was a highlight, taking the time to teach us Thai recipes and even sent us extra recipes to try out at home. We looked forward to seeing Kook’s smile every morning.

Not long back from another amazing stay at this hotel.
Last stayed here in 2019, & was exactly how we remembered it this time around.
Great room, friendly staff & all round great place to relax.
Plenty of space around the pools, (no getting up early to reserve sunbeds here !!! )
Breakfast plentiful & we never found it too busy on any day.
Great location for getting out & about to the local restaurants,etc & the beach easy walking distance too.
Will definitely be back again sometime !

If you book to stay at the waters Khao Lak you will not be disappointed. This place has so many pools you can choose a different one each day plus there are rooms to book with your own private pool access also. The staff are super friendly and helpful always going above and beyond to help you. There are so many restaurants to visit and the beach is super close easy walk and you can eat at restaurants on the beach also. Highly recommend to book and stay at this resort you will not be disappointed especially if you want totally relaxation all day every day!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loved the pool access room, was incredible just slipping into the pool from your own terrace.
Very clean hotel with great and friendly staff. Breakfast was plentiful and in general a fab hote.
Location was perfect close to the beach and close to loads of bars and restaurants.

The location of the hotel was great. Super close to the markets and nearby stalls and restaurants.

The atmosphere of the hotel was perfect. All the staff were super lovely and the general vibe of the hotel was great.

Our room was large and very nice and clean. Not an issue at all and worth the value.

The breakfast was delicious. We required a halal menu and we had food cooked fresh for us daily to assist us for the same.

The best part of the room was our direct access to the large swimming pools. It was so lovely to be able to go straight from your room into a big hotel.

Good location next to town and the market, about 400m walk to the beach. Staff very friends and helpful. It's a little bit dated and shabby on the the rooms are clean and well equipped. Good little gym. Swimming pools nice. Noise levels terrible from the bar on the street- this was the biggest downside - and worth considering avoiding if you want to be asleep before midnight. Given this is repeatedly mentioned in reviews over several years but nothing done to sound proof the rooms, tells you a little about Katathani's attitude to customer satisfaction. If I came to khao lak again I would choose the Sands down the road - quieter, beachfront, better breakfast, most responsive to emails.

Stayed recently for 7 nights in the pool access room
Hotel was great location however
the room was run down and in need of renovation or at very least a good clean. Mould in shower and on pool lounges & outdoor cushions & the toilet seat didn’t fit on toilet properly

The smaller bar near the pool access rooms was very quiet Had no music/no vibe and was quiet most of the time

Breakfast was unfortunately not good Very limited mainly western foods The last day we had breakfast the eggs were stone cold
Best thing about the hotel were the staff who were all completely lovely and the delicious margaritas - $6 AUD during happy hour

We loved this hotel. The variety and number of pools are a bonus, so no pool area is overcrowded. Lots of shops and restaurants nearby. Breakfast is always busy, but plenty of choices. We would most definitely return!

Very happy with The Waters Resort, the staff were very friendly, efficient & nothing was a problem for them. The rooms were large & clean & very comfortable.

Great resort near shopping markets and food. On arriving Front desk staff were very helpful our room was ready when we arrived. Our room was spacious and beautiful. Just a few negatives breakfast didn't have a great variety. Bubble bar staff not real welcoming and seem to be stressed when busy and confused. I only used my complementary coupons there after that and didn't like to go there. Had to get my sheet changed on my bed first day as it wasn't clean.