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Compare Price & Availability for all Khao Lak Resorts at: Sawadee, Hotel Club and Agoda Khao Lak Review - July 21st 2007Khao Lak continues to rebuild and a recent article in the Phuket Gazette written by Frankie Gun reported that Khao Lak now has rebuilt to 50% of the capacity that existed prior to the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.
What follows is a sampling of work that continues in the area - a truly exhaustive survey would probably take weeks! While it was widely reported locally that the Kempinski hotel group would rebuild and manage the Sofitel that was wiped out just south of Cape Pakarang - a visit to the site shows that there is no work in progress. The Kempinski press release indicated the opening of Phase 1 to be in the "autumn" of 2007, but that doesn't seem possible at this point. I saw no indication that any work was being done at all.
To the south, Bang Niang Beach is all abuzz with construction - nothing new there! The Mukdara is building a HUGE new reception area that looks like it could house a convention center and wedding hall.
Baan La On - better known as Khao Lak Town
continues with its mini-boom of several small shopping centers and a new
Siam Commercial Bank - and, of course, the shopping center that "may" have a
McDonalds.
Heading south from Khao Lak Town, the Khao Lak Laguna is making rapid progress and will be as huge as it was before. It may well have a soft opening for the 2007/2008 high season. And . . . finally, the area around the Khao Lak Merlin is on the mend with both the Khao Lak Emerald Resort and the Briza Beach Resort and Spa heavy into rebuilding. Lots of progress, but lots to do - anticipate a "soft opening" at best for this high season.
In this immediate area, once these two resorts are rebuilt - there will be only one small resort left to bring the area up to snuff.
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While
that may be true, there is a huge qualitative difference between many of the
simple bungalow resorts that existed prior to that day - and those after.
Small and simple resorts such as Gerd and Noi's and Nang Thong Bay Resort (NTBR)
- have made significant improvements over what existed before. There
really is no comparison. NTBR's simple wood shacks with a fan - would
not be recognizable next to the very comfortable A/C bungalows with Bali
showers that exist today. 
Better
news comes immediately to the north of the former Sofitel location and south
of the Best Western Palm Galleria Resort on the southern edge of Cape
Pakarang, where both the Pakarang Beach Cottage and Blue Village Pakarang
Resort are heavy into construction and anticipate opening sometime during
the winter 2007/2008 high season. From the looks of things these will,
most likely, be "soft" openings to get things sorted out for the next
season.
Nang
Thong Beach sees the rebuilding of the Khao Lak Andaman Beach Resort -
again, with nice bungalows beach front. Another old favorite - Nang
Thong Bay Resort II is rebuilding, though I doubt they will be ready for
this year's high season. Immediately to the left of the photo is the Baan
Khao Lak.
While
many tourists are aghast, the fact is the Thais love Micky D's. YOU don't
have to eat there if you don't want to! Wait and see - artists'
conceptions of what shopping centers look like here, and who the tenants
might be, are not always accurate.
