Is Khao Lak Dead?

[grumpyoldman]

Firstly, I hope the mods will see to leaving this in the Phuket Forum as Khao Lak seems closer to Phuket than Ao Nang, also I believe most visitors transit to Khao Lak through Phuket's Airport. Really, I believe Khao Lak should be part of the Phuket Forum instead of Krabi.

This was one of the "gossiping" topics, we "old men with drinking problems" sort of discussed at the TV party.

Anyway, two recent reports from people I know who were in Khao Lak. One a Thai women, friend, was up there doing sales two weeks ago, said she maybe saw four people walking on the main drag.

Second, chap that I work with up there last weekend, said, boring, no one around.

I suppose there are two views, one, professional people looking to expand, my view is, Khao Lak is dead, best take business to Krabi instead. Second, for those looking to get out of the hustle and bustle of Phuket, Khao Lak might be nice albeit, quiet.

[Guest]

I have heard many locals saying in Phuket that Scandinavian tourists have moved from Phuket to Khao Lak. I suppose it's not the case then?

[grumpyoldman]

I have heard many locals saying in Phuket that Scandinavian tourists have moved from Phuket to Khao Lak. I suppose it's not the case then?

Always been popular with the Scandanavians oilinki, until the Tsunami.

Family of mine in Stockholm says, just about everyone there knows someone who perished, many have taken up Koh Lanta since then.

[Shot]

The Mrs, our two kids and I were there the last week of September. We had a great time. Several businesses were closed as we expected for low season. We ate out 3-4 times and the restaurants always had other customers. Definetly more than a few people around. It’s broken up with about 1km between the north and south end. We stayed in the north part near 7-11 (which was packed 24-7) we are planning another trip for February.

@ oilinki. There did seem to be a lot of Scandinavian owned businesses.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Shot

[LivinginKata]

First up - I always consider that Khao Lak related topics should be in the Phuket forum.

Second - one of my friends spent a few days in Khao Lak recently and thought it was reasonable busy, mostly scandanavians. Seems to be few Russians have found there way up there.

Third - must be tough to survive in business there. At best a 3 month high season, then deadsville the rest of the year.

I miss the pre tsunami days when a nice chalet right on the beach could be rented for 1,000 baht/day. As we know those were mostly destroyed. Now the replacement chalets are more than double the price.

[BOBBYTIN]

First up - I always consider that Khao Lak related topics should be in the Phuket forum.

Second - one of my friends spent a few days in Khao Lak recently and thought it was reasonable busy, mostly scandanavians. Seems to be few Russians have found there way up there.

Third - must be tough to survive in business there. At best a 3 month high season, then deadsville the rest of the year.

I miss the pre tsunami days when a nice chalet right on the beach could be rented for 1,000 baht/day. As we know those were mostly destroyed. Now the replacement chalets are more than double the price.

hi there,my guesthouse is in khao lak,not a big place ,but we are turning customers away. the hotels all around us are full.the main street is packed at night time,dangerously so,as the powers that be made a dual carriage-way straight through town. the shops and restaurants seem to be doing ok. though the ones run by nepalese do tend to be a bit overpriced and not as busy as the thai run ones.our bar restaurant ,though a budget place is doing fine. i think people come and see there are no real nightlife places here,and come up with the boring comment. the swedes are arriving,still lots of germans,and a bit of everything else. all in all,khao lak is busy 5 months a year,then it is a very quiet place.i had peter callen here a while ago,he seemed to like khao lak. try booking a room anywhere right now,i think it would be hard.patong it is not,but great for couples and families.

[JetsetBkk]

First up - I always consider that Khao Lak related topics should be in the Phuket forum.

Second - one of my friends spent a few days in Khao Lak recently and thought it was reasonable busy, mostly scandanavians. Seems to be few Russians have found there way up there.

Third - must be tough to survive in business there. At best a 3 month high season, then deadsville the rest of the year.

I miss the pre tsunami days when a nice chalet right on the beach could be rented for 1,000 baht/day. As we know those were mostly destroyed. Now the replacement chalets are more than double the price.

Several times I've thought of moving there. I'm sick and tired of Phuket - there's too many people and not enough infrastructure on this small island. Let's not even go into the crime and corruption.

But when I went there to look around, there were no obvious places to rent. In Phuket, you can drive up lots of sois and see signs for places to rent, but I saw none of that at Khao Lak. I obviously didn't go to the right places.

So if anyone has any ideas of where long term rental accommodation is available, links to web sites, etc, then please post it.

Thanks.

[BOBBYTIN]

First up - I always consider that Khao Lak related topics should be in the Phuket forum.

Second - one of my friends spent a few days in Khao Lak recently and thought it was reasonable busy, mostly scandanavians. Seems to be few Russians have found there way up there.

Third - must be tough to survive in business there. At best a 3 month high season, then deadsville the rest of the year.

I miss the pre tsunami days when a nice chalet right on the beach could be rented for 1,000 baht/day. As we know those were mostly destroyed. Now the replacement chalets are more than double the price.

Several times I've thought of moving there. I'm sick and tired of Phuket - there's too many people and not enough infrastructure on this small island. Let's not even go into the crime and corruption.

But when I went there to look around, there were no obvious places to rent. In Phuket, you can drive up lots of sois and see signs for places to rent, but I saw none of that at Khao Lak. I obviously didn't go to the right places.

So if anyone has any ideas of where long term rental accommodation is available, links to web sites, etc, then please post it.

Thanks.

hi,give me a clue as to price and needs. there are a few places,not too pricey,but it is quiet here may to oct,if you are retired it is fine,if you have kids,that presents more of a problem.message me if you want,if i can help i will be happy to.

[JetsetBkk]

hi,give me a clue as to price and needs. there are a few places,not too pricey,but it is quiet here may to oct,if you are retired it is fine,if you have kids,that presents more of a problem.message me if you want,if i can help i will be happy to.

Up to 25,000 / month is OK. I like it quiet and have no kids (that I know about).

You can give details here or PM me if you want. Thanks for any help - I could do with a drive up there again. Haven't been much since the tsunami.

[taninthai]

One off my favourite restaurants I have ever eaten in is in khao lak ,

I always find it bait strange up there it's pretty big and spreads probably at least 40 km along the coast line the north end mainly big posh hotels beachfront them sort of customers never leave the hotel,only ever been there low season so always seems dead to me, know the owner of ayara villas he seems to do well in the few months there are tourists around.

[BOBBYTIN]

hi,give me a clue as to price and needs. there are a few places,not too pricey,but it is quiet here may to oct,if you are retired it is fine,if you have kids,that presents more of a problem.message me if you want,if i can help i will be happy to.

Up to 25,000 / month is OK. I like it quiet and have no kids (that I know about).

You can give details here or PM me if you want. Thanks for any help - I could do with a drive up there again. Haven't been much since the tsunami.

drive up and i will gladly show you around. there are cheaper than that,depends how high end you want to go. i would suggest having a month or so up here,get the feel for it,it is not for everyone. you can 2 bedroom bungalows from 10k a month. again it depends what you want. and if you have your own furniture. i will mail you my address.

[JetsetBkk]

drive up and i will gladly show you around. there are cheaper than that,depends how high end you want to go. i would suggest having a month or so up here,get the feel for it,it is not for everyone. you can 2 bedroom bungalows from 10k a month. again it depends what you want. and if you have your own furniture. i will mail you my address.

Thanks. I'll let you know when I'm going up again.

[fiddlehead]

Drove through there last week.

Looked pretty crowded (for Khao Lak) and I know many of the resorts are booked 100% for the Holidays coming up.

It's a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Phuket (sometimes)

[BOBBYTIN]

Drove through there last week.

Looked pretty crowded (for Khao Lak) and I know many of the resorts are booked 100% for the Holidays coming up.

It's a pleasant change from the hustle and bustle of Phuket (sometimes)

you came in my place,sorry i was not in.next time,give me a bell.

[geriatrickid]

I have heard many locals saying in Phuket that Scandinavian tourists have moved from Phuket to Khao Lak. I suppose it's not the case then?

The Scandanavian market segment for the most mart is one of the most desirable. Young families, older people with money,, usually well behaved, environmentally responsible, good spenders, and not to mention - pleasing to the eye. Wherever those people are, the economic benefits per visitor are significantly higher than with other visitors. They also improve the tourist experience for everyone else You can make more money from fewer people.

[grumpyoldman]

First up - I always consider that Khao Lak related topics should be in the Phuket forum.

Second - one of my friends spent a few days in Khao Lak recently and thought it was reasonable busy, mostly scandanavians. Seems to be few Russians have found there way up there.

Third - must be tough to survive in business there. At best a 3 month high season, then deadsville the rest of the year.

I miss the pre tsunami days when a nice chalet right on the beach could be rented for 1,000 baht/day. As we know those were mostly destroyed. Now the replacement chalets are more than double the price.

hi there,my guesthouse is in khao lak,not a big place ,but we are turning customers away. the hotels all around us are full.the main street is packed at night time,dangerously so,as the powers that be made a dual carriage-way straight through town.

This is the exact opposite of what my workmate said about last weekend.

He said he had no problem staying in a guesthouse on Bang Niang, plenty of rooms at all hotels there. he said up on the street nighttime a few people about but not crowds by any means, mentioned his friends staying at The Ramada, plenty rooms there too.

LIK-any chance of getting TV to move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum?

[LivinginKata]

LIK-any chance of getting TV to move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum?

Khao Lak does not have a designated forum, so I don't understand why you talk about 'move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum'.

It's long been the custom to place any topics relating to Khao Lak in the Phuket Forum.

[Guest]

LIK-any chance of getting TV to move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum?

Khao Lak does not have a designated forum, so I don't understand why you talk about 'move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum'.

It's long been the custom to place any topics relating to Khao Lak in the Phuket Forum.

This one. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/forum/50-thailand-local-forums/

[stevenl]

LIK-any chance of getting TV to move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum?

Khao Lak does not have a designated forum, so I don't understand why you talk about 'move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum'.

It's long been the custom to place any topics relating to Khao Lak in the Phuket Forum.

This one. http://www.thaivisa....d-local-forums/

Agree, doesn't make much sense to place Khao Lak in the Krabi forum.

[Phronesis]

Khao Lak is going through a transitional phase.

In days gone by it was a diving town. However, the coral around the Similan Islands and other regional destinations is now bleached and entirely dead. The diving fraternity is well aware of this and the subsequent word of mouth has resulted in a significant decline in the visitation of experienced divers.

With its dive industry shot to bits Khao Lak is now sourcing its visitors primarily from euro families and FITs (free independant travellers).

Although the later group (FITs) is now also moving on due to the lack of budget accommodation.

If you look closely on the right as you drive out of Khao Lak township heading north, you will notice that the Australian bikie group the Nomads have now established a rather large "Club House". For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Nomads they run a good deal of the Meth trade in Oz.

In the near future I expect Khao Lak to be flooded with Ya Ice (meth) and then, in the wake of strategic payments, the current alcohol free "green zones" removed or ignored. A series of beer and gogo bars will then emerge and the current Scandie and euro family tourist will move on.

They will be replaced by Russian and Iranian sex tourists.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Phronesis

[stevenl]

In days gone by it was a diving town. However, the coral around the Similan Islands and other regional destinations is now bleached and entirely dead.

Some of the corals are damaged, but the phrase as stated above is really way, way over the top. That also means the rest of the post has no basis.

[grumpyoldman]

In days gone by it was a diving town. However, the coral around the Similan Islands and other regional destinations is now bleached and entirely dead.

Some of the corals are damaged, but the phrase as stated above is really way, way over the top. That also means the rest of the post has no basis.

I'm with you stevenl, Phronesis's post is <deleted>. "Ice and sex tourists" whaaaaaaaat????

[LivinginKata]

This one. http://www.thaivisa....d-local-forums/

Never really noticed that my bad. I'll discuss with the upper management and recommend a change.

[BOBBYTIN]

Khao Lak is going through a transitional phase.

In days gone by it was a diving town. However, the coral around the Similan Islands and other regional destinations is now bleached and entirely dead. The diving fraternity is well aware of this and the subsequent word of mouth has resulted in a significant decline in the visitation of experienced divers.

With its dive industry shot to bits Khao Lak is now sourcing its visitors primarily from euro families and FITs (free independant travellers).

Although the later group (FITs) is now also moving on due to the lack of budget accommodation.

If you look closely on the right as you drive out of Khao Lak township heading north, you will notice that the Australian bikie group the Nomads have now established a rather large "Club House". For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Nomads they run a good deal of the Meth trade in Oz.

In the near future I expect Khao Lak to be flooded with Ya Ice (meth) and then, in the wake of strategic payments, the current alcohol free "green zones" removed or ignored. A series of beer and gogo bars will then emerge and the current Scandie and euro family tourist will move on.

They will be replaced by Russian and Iranian sex tourists.

ha aha ha. what a ridiculous statement.the nomads have a pair of townhouses knocked through ,they meet once a week,they are always courteous.the guy who runs it has a little bike rental,a nicer bloke as you would want to meet.drugs,let me tell you,the police are very active here searching for drugs,and using the full extent of the law.it seems to me you are one of those know it all,know nothing types. i have lived in thailand 20 years,khao lak is the nicest location for families and couples. as for the bleaching,yes it has been damaged,but that is not a permanent thing ,it has a way of repairing itself from bleaching. you are too used to patong mate. as for the divers,go to the pier in tab lamu, and see how full the boats are. i suppose you believe in the mayan calendar , and we are all going to die soon. Edited December 9, 2012 by LivinginKata
insult removed

[David006]

Got dumped by both waves a few hundred meters off Patong aboard my boat...still here...

Drove through Khao Lak two days after for visa run...bodies and body bags everyplace ...left if tears.

Not been back but......

Maybe watch the movie but..suspect Hollywood...same same the beaches on "D" day , twin towers etc.........if ya weren't there...?

[JetsetBkk]

Got dumped by both waves a few hundred meters off Patong aboard my boat...still here...

Drove through Khao Lak two days after for visa run...bodies and body bags everyplace ...left if tears.

Not been back but......

Maybe watch the movie but..suspect Hollywood...same same the beaches on "D" day , twin towers etc.........if ya weren't there...?

I was there a couple of weeks after.

[petercallen]

Personally i like Khao Lak,Its not a place for bar ladies but there are plenty of nice friendly people there and no piles of rubbish laying around the place

[JetsetBkk]

Personally i like Khao Lak,Its not a place for bar ladies but there are plenty of nice friendly people there and no piles of rubbish laying around the place

Sounds like my kind of place. Do you know how good/bad the Internet access is there?

[schlog]

Personally i like Khao Lak,Its not a place for bar ladies but there are plenty of nice friendly people there and no piles of rubbish laying around the place

Sounds like my kind of place. Do you know how good/bad the Internet access is there?

Same question for me. Is it possible to get a internet line there which is stable 24/7 with real international speeds to US and Europe with 3MB down and 1MB up?

2 Years ago it was not possible, also the internet in Marriott was not stable.

Edited December 9, 2012 by schlog

[Arandora]

Why on earth move Khao Lak to the Phuket Forum. Apart from the vast amounts of money flooding out of Phuket into new Developments - three 4/5* resorts opened on 1st November and a huge Gracelands opening 1st January 2013 which seems to show Phuket investors have confidence in its future - it has nothing in common with Phuket or Krabi. It's not even in the same province as them! Khao Lak has its own identity and appeal to visitors who want an alternative to the rampant commercialism of Phuket which is also evident, sadly, in Ao Nang. From being the area most affected by the Tsunami it has recovered magnificently, with very little governmental and international support compared to the "Jewel in the Thailand Tourism crown" of Phuket. Recent announcements of government aid have been pledged to Phuket and to Krabi, but not to Khao Lak where it is needed just as much. When you still get taxi drivers at Phuket Airport trying to persuade tourists arriving bound for Khao Lak to go to Phuket instead as there is still destruction everywhere, it makes you wonder about the Thais feelings towards their fellow countrymen.

My wife and I stay in Khao Lak for 5 months every year and have seen it struggle, first to recover from the Tsunami, then the farcical Bangkok Airport sit-in that impacted on other destinations, then the 2008 world wide recession, then the Bangkok disturbances, and still it attracts inward investment as well as locals upgrading their accommodation to compete. More and more visitors, particularly Australians, are coming in the Wet Season when the weather of recent years has been almost as good as the Dry Season for large parts, and accommodation at half-price or less makes it to many an irresistible choice with many return bookings.

25km of great beaches, accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, great restaurants with a growing number of international options - and only 1 McDonald's and even that introduced earlier closing due to lack of customers.

So "Is Khao Lak dead?" Absolutely not!!! and the last thing it needs is for it to be developed as another Phuket or as one local Phuket on-line rag persists in calling it "wider Phuket".Taking into account traffic and peak hours It is as quick,often quicker, to turn left to Khao Lak from the airport as it is to turn right and go to the southern Phuket destinations.