When everything just works – from the first minute to the last goodbye.

Pimalai Koh Lanta

We stayed at Pimalai Koh Lanta as a family in a Hilltop One Bedroom Pool Villa with Ocean View. A place that feels truly special from the very first second – with exceptional service, beautiful surroundings, fantastic restaurants and a beach that feels almost like the Maldives in Thailand.

Dianna Brinch

Gourministeriet

Pimalai Koh Lanta

– a luxury resort in a class of its own

A mood video from Pimalai Koh Lanta, giving you a glimpse of the resort, the nature, the beaches, the pool areas and the very special calm that defines the place. A completely polished resort where everything works from start to finish.

The arrival – from chaos to complete calm

We arrived at Koh Lanta on one of the shared speedboats from Koh Yao Yai. A trip of around 2 hours in rough seas.

It was very windy and we had been slightly dreading the crossing, but it went fine, even if it was a bit wild.

The arrival hall at the pier was fairly chaotic. Lots of people, and taxi drivers shouting and practically grabbing hold of you to “get the fare”. In the confusion, Jes ended up putting our luggage into the wrong vehicle, and when I saw it was a tuk-tuk I did wonder a little😂 But we found the right car, and once we settled into Pimalai’s minibus, a very special calm settled over everything.

The car was lovely, there were cold towels and water, and the driver drove calmly and comfortably along the coast.

After around 45 minutes we arrived at Pimalai – and here the mood shifted from fantastic to magical.

The staff were waiting with flower garlands and a delicious welcome drink, and it honestly felt like stepping into another world.

The hotel’s general manager came by in person to welcome us, and you truly felt seen and appreciated.

It was a markedly different – and far more attentive – welcome than the one we experienced at Santhiya (you can read that review here →).

A personal welcome and early check-in

The staff were incredibly welcoming and took their time giving us a personal briefing on the resort.

They helped us get started with their app (more on that later), and we were allowed to check into our villa early. And… what a villa 🤩

Monkeys, wine and our first encounter with the jungle

Shortly after arriving we ordered room service so we could settle in and enjoy the villa.

I quickly spotted a small troop of monkeys down in the jungle, and at check-in we had been warned to keep the doors closed and locked (yes, locked – they can open sliding doors 😅)

I’m honestly not the biggest fan of monkeys, but we figured they probably wouldn’t come all the way up to our villa…We soon learned otherwise 😉

While we were sitting on the terrace with food and wine, Alberte suddenly shouted: “THERE’S A MONKEY!”

We flew into the villa with our plates in our arms – and sure enough: 2 seconds later a monkey was sitting there eating our bread, going through the entire table and completely ignoring Jes’ attempts to scare it off. He did heroically manage to rescue our bottle of wine, though – important 😅

After a while, once the bread basket was empty, the monkey left again. A couple of its friends came to check whether there was more food, but quickly disappeared when they saw it had all been cleared.

We rang reception, who said we should simply call again if they came back.

Luckily, our relationship with the monkeys developed into something rather lovely. Every morning at around 7.30 “our” monkey came by. It would peek in at us, clear the pool filter of grasshoppers and cockroaches, check the terrace and drink the remains of a cola left on the table.

It also inspected an ice bucket on the table and neatly put the lid back on before hopping onto the roof and continuing on its route.

We couldn’t scare it away. When we tried, it bared its teeth, so we just kept completely calm, indoors, until it had moved on again after about 5 minutes.

That was all we saw of the monkeys after the first encounter – just this one that dropped by every morning. So it was absolutely no bother.

The resort – Beach & Hillside

Pimalai is divided into two areas:

Beach
Hillside (where we stayed)

We were a little nervous about getting between the areas after our stay at Santhiya, but it quickly turned out to be completely hassle-free.

The buggy service is booked through the app, and you are driven in lovely vehicles by drivers who are extremely friendly – and who actually remember you.

We even started walking around the resort because the surroundings are just so incredibly beautiful.
A walk from the beach up to Hilltop (the 900 numbers) took around 10 minutes, even though the hills are steep.

The resort is incredibly beautiful and lush, and there are staff everywhere tending, pampering and keeping everything perfect.

We were slightly worried about the road that runs through the resort (according to Google Maps), but a tunnel has been built under the road so you never cross the traffic – it just looks that way online. A really great detail.

Beach, village and surroundings

Pimalai sits on the most beautiful beach – no rocks and beautifully clear water.

A 4-minute walk along the beach takes you to a small village with:

small shops
restaurants
laundry service
taxi service
7-Eleven

The resort also has a small shop with clothing, crafts and souvenirs.

Pools and kids' club

Pimalai has two large, extremely beautiful pools:

The main pool at Seven Seas
A gigantic infinity pool with panoramic views over the bay and the beach. Plenty of space, lovely sun loungers and full pool service.

The beach pool
Beautifully positioned close to the beach – calm, elegant and really inviting. This is where most of the families with children were.

The kids’ club is right by the beach pool, and according to the sign there were new activities every day. Our girls didn’t try it, though.

App, service and communication

Everything happens through Pimalai’s app:

communication with the staff
restaurant bookings
spa
activities
in-room dining
buggy service, etc.

The app is excellent, the staff reply quickly and in very good English – but of course you can also call.

The service almost deserves its own section.
There was a very special atmosphere among the staff: humour, ease, professionalism and a warmth beyond the ordinary.

They recognised us and we them, and they always asked how we were getting on.

The service was in a league of its own.

Jes had a bit of an upset stomach on one of the last days, and the hotel immediately offered to fetch medicine from the pharmacy and followed up on how he was feeling.

There is also a turndown service every evening – beds turned down, slippers laid out, the room made ready. Small details that mean everything.

Taxis & transport

Taxis are easily booked through the hotel.
Among other trips, we went to Old Town Koh Lanta and to Koh Lanta town (around 35 minutes):

1,800 baht round trip
the driver waited for us as long as we wanted
luxury car
communication via WhatsApp

It worked flawlessly.

The departure – the perfect ending

Leaving Pimalai deserves its own section.

We were given a late check-out and didn’t have to leave the room until 3 pm, with departure from the resort at 4 pm.
That gave us an extra half day – absolutely perfect.

Everything happened calmly and elegantly:

collection from the villa
refreshments in the lobby
the bill (which you can follow in the app at any time)

At 3.50 pm we were driven to the resort’s private pier on the beach and taken on Pimalai’s yacht to the mainland at Krabi – where we were again dropped off at their own little pier. No stress, just calm and beautiful surroundings.
The trip took 45 minutes, and rather than being mere transport, the captain sailed along the cliffs and into small bays where we could film, take photos and enjoy it all.

On the mainland, staff were waiting with air-conditioned minibuses and water and at Krabi airport yet another member of staff was waiting to guide us to the right place.

I’ve made a video of the boat trip, which you can watch in the review.

Our pool villa

Hilltop One Bedroom Pool Villa

We stayed in a Hilltop One Bedroom Pool Villa with Ocean View, and we were extremely pleasantly surprised.

The villa was far larger than we had expected, the view was magnificent, and the pool was enormous.

The villa is brilliantly laid out – especially when travelling with slightly older children.

Jes and I stayed in the bedroom section with:

- a huge bathroom
- indoor and outdoor showers
- a bathtub
- beautiful, light design

The girls stayed in the villa’s other section, which normally serves as the living room:

- - made up with an extra bed
  - large fridge and freezer
  - full kitchen with hob, etc.
  - their own toilet and shower

The terrace is enormous and features:

dining space for 4 people
a covered lounge sofa
2 sun loungers
a huge private pool
panoramic views over the bay
an outdoor bathtub (connected to the bathroom)

I’ve made both a room tour video and photos, which you can see in the review. You can find exact dimensions, facilities and details at Pimalai.com

Stranden – Maldiverne vibes

Det er den smukkeste strand, vi har oplevet i Thailand. Fint sand, krystalklart vand, ingen sten. Der er:

- lækre strandsenge
- håndklæder
- beach bar

Vi forelskede os i deres Coconut Dream - og dem savner man altså nu her man sidder og skriver anmeldelsen🍹  Udsigten til sejlbåde, fiskerbåde og yachts er magisk og solnedgangene helt særlige.  Vi tog champagne med på stranden, mens pigerne samlede skaller – det var helt magisk.

 Udsigten til sejlbåde, fiskerbåde og yachts er magisk og solnedgangene helt særlige.  Vi tog champagne med på stranden, mens pigerne samlede skaller – det var helt magisk.

Man kan låne:
- paddleboards
- kajakker
- lille sejlbåd

The restaurants – world class

I’ll be writing separate reviews of all the restaurants, but in short, the quality, service and atmosphere are world class.

All the venues share a lovely children’s menu that appears across the different restaurants.

Seven Seas

Elegant evening restaurant with an Italian touch. Only open in the evening, and for breakfast for guests staying at Hilltop.

The menu is manageable, with snacks, starters, mains and desserts. There may be additions such as a “dish of the day”, and there are special events twice a week, such as Italian Night and Steak Night.

Rak Talay

Beach restaurant and beach bar – feet in the sand, perfect for lunch and evenings. Proper Maldives vibes, relaxed and simply a really lovely place.

A large menu with plenty of options, including grilled fish, vegetarian and Thai dishes – as well as pizza, pasta and the like.

Here too there are special events twice a week – live music, buffet, fire show and live cooking.

Spice N Rice

Beautiful, authentic Thai restaurant. Only open in the evening, and for breakfast for guests staying beachside.

Really charming, especially in their little courtyard. Spice N Rice also hosts special events twice a week – a buffet with Thai dancing, and Hotpot Night.

Banyan Tree Poolside

Fantastic lunch restaurant by the main pool below Seven Seas.

The menu here is large and lunch-friendly – pizza, pasta, burgers and the like. Also Thai dishes, salads and various desserts.

Pool Bar

Small lunch spot by the beach pool with a limited selection, but a really pleasant place. We didn’t get round to trying it.

Heritage

A stunningly beautiful bar located at Hilltop. The view is magical, and here you can enjoy cocktails and a light snack menu.

There is happy hour twice daily at Pimalai Heritage and once daily at Rak Talay – really enjoyable and well worth making the most of, as prices are high.

Breakfast – lavish and elegant

There are two breakfast restaurants:

Seven Seas (Hilltop guests)
Spice N Rice (Beach guests)

Seven Seas serves a lavish breakfast buffet with:

fresh, high-quality specialities
fantastic fruit
freshly baked bread
small à la carte dishes
eggs served at the table
and yes… bubbles, if you fancy 😉

See the photos – they speak for themselves.

Gourministeriet's Hotel Rating

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Location

Beach

Room & comfort

Value for money

View

Food & restaurants

Breakfast

Service & communication

Transport options

Family-friendliness

Overall rating

Pimalai is perfection. Everything works. Nothing is missing.

Yes – it is expensive, but it is worth every penny.

If I could give more stars, I would have. We will absolutely be back