Best Beach Resort in Khanom

Why this is the best beach resort in Khanom:

Initial Impressions of Khanom Beach Resort and Spa

I was immediately impressed when I arrived by the open-air lobby and water features when I arrived. They have lots of ponds with koi fish and greenery throughout the whole resort and I loved how the resort felt immersed in nature.

The Rooms

I booked a deluxe garden room and was very impressed. Sometimes you can experience a beautiful resort and the rooms don’t quite live up to the experience but these were gorgeous. Huge spacious rooms with a giant king bed (beds are huge in Thailand – much bigger than in Europe for some reason!).

The bathrooms were lovely with a shower, double sink area and all the amenities you could need including hair dryers. I particularly loved that the bathroom had a bath because in Bangkok not many of us get baths in our homes so this was a treat!

The garden rooms open out to an outdoor decking area with comfortable seating, drying rack for wet clothes and a big pond with fish and plants. I enjoyed sitting on the deck with a cup of tea and watching the rain.

Pool and Beach

Khanom beach is one of the best, quietest beaches in Thailand as very few tourists visit this area. You are almost guaranteed an empty beach and you will find very few people around. It’s a lovely white sand beach with clear water, even when I’ve been in rainy season!

The pool is great, it a good size for swimming with deeper and shallower areas, right overlooking the beach and next to the restaurant. There are plenty of sunbeds with umbrellas around the pool area. They also have some sunbeds on the beach and bean bags too – my favourite!

Restaurant & Bar

The food is delicious at the restaurant, both Thai and international dishes and portions are a good size. When I was there, they had a happy hour every late afternoon to evening and we enjoyed their cocktails! I love when you can eat overlooking the beach so this was a definite perk.

They had a good variety of vegetarian food which can be rare in less touristy areas!

As Khanom is a quiet area, you will probably eat at the resort restaurant a lot. There are a few other restaurants around but these close early, so we tended to go somewhere else for lunch and wander up the beach to somewhere like Petit Tropez or Moonlight which are a short walk away.

Facilities and Staff

The staff were warm and helpful from the start. I contacted them about booking the pink dolphin tour through them which I did in the end. The receptionists all spoke really good English as well as the bar and restaurant staff.

Price and affordability

This resort was more than I expected for the price point. I’ve stayed in cheaper resorts in the area, as have some friends, and we all agreed that this one was well worth the money!

Who Should Stay Here

This Khanom beach resort is perfect for guests who enjoy being near nature but staying in some luxury! It’s great to see the pink dolphins from here as the pier is nearby and the trips include hotel pick up.

It’s great for people who want a gorgeous bathroom and bedroom to come back to after they have experienced wild dolphins in Thailand or explored caves.

I recommend it to friends and couples. It’s a lovely hotel for a romantic weekend or an adventure weekend from Bangkok.

I think it is suitable for solo travellers but only if you want some peace and quiet as I think you are unlikely to meet other solo travellers here because the area is so quiet and unknown.

I don’t think this Khanom hotel is suitable for partygoers or those wanting nightlife or to meet loads of other people as the area is extremely quiet and lots of restaurants and bars close early.

I also don’t recommend Khanom for those on a tight budget because public transport options are limited so you will likely have to book private taxis for your journey there and back.

Khanom Beach Resort and Spa Review

This is hands down my favourite place to stay in Khanom and I would definitely return. I’ve already recommended it to multiple friends who want to stay here and see the pink dolphins.

This beach resort is perfect for those that would like a little luxury but not break the bank.

Getting to Khanom Beach Resort

The best way to get to Khanom beach and spa resort is to fly to Surat thani and take a Grab taxi. Please note there are limited Grabs available once you are in Khanom so I recommend organising your onward journey from your hotel or swap numbers with your initial Grab driver from the airport. You can also fly to Nakon Si Thammarat airport. Both airports are approximately 1.15-30 hour drive from Khanom Beach resort. You can also arrive into Donsak pier in Surat thani and take a taxi from there. Public transport options are limited. You can hire scooters easily once you arrive if you are confident driving one and have an international driving license.

Pink Dolphins in Khanom: How to See Them Ethically

Seeing pink dolphins in the wild in Thailand is once of the best ethical experiences that you can have in Thailand. I should know, I’ve done it multiple times. The trip is extremely low key, often just a handful of people in a long tail boat. The last two times I did this experience my friends and I were the only ones, making it a private boat trip. Long tail boats are a traditional boat in Thailand and they are driven and owned by the fishermen with the money going straight to them (though I also recommend tipping generously). The trip also includes a hotel pick up by a minivan to take you to the pier and return you afterwards.

The pink dolphin tour can also include a trip to one of the Buddhist shrine islands. The boat will stop and you can get out, swim, explore and climb up the steps to a little viewpoint and a Buddhist shrine. You will also be shown the ‘pancake rocks’ an interesting formation created over millions of years. The tour lasts around 2 hours or so. While the fishermen cannot guarantee the pink dolphin sightings they are very common there and the fishermen know where to find them so I have never been disappointed during one of these trips.

What to do in Khanom (except for the pink dolphins)

There are so many activities you can do in Khanom, from waterfalls to caves to exploring beach areas and the nearby national park as well as Buddhist temples. One of the highlights for me was the cave inside the national park. We rented a scooter and you pay a small entrance fee to the family outside the cave and one of them will accompany you inside the cave and point out all the incredible rock formations, many of them shaped like animals. Inside were thousands of tiny bats, sparkling mineral walls, underground pools and impressive cave stalagmites and stalactites. You can find the cave here on Google maps.

Book your Khanom Beach Resort

There are so many benefits of staying at Khanom Beach Resort and Spa and I’ve shared all of them in my review here. I hope you enjoy your stay at Khanom Beach like I did and experience the wonder of the pink dolphins, the empty beaches and being surrounded by nature!

If you love pink dolphins then you will also love a whale watching trip in Thailand (another ethical wildlife experience that hardly anyone knows about!)