The Sarojin Khao Lak

Khao Lak’s Most Awarded Boutique Beach Resorts

12 viewsBy Willy Thuan · Living in Phuket since 1994

The Sarojin Khao Lak opened in 2005 on a secluded stretch of Pak Weep Beach in Phang Nga Province, about an hour’s drive north of Phuket. The resort was founded by British couple Kate and Andrew Kemp, who chose Khao Lak before it was widely known, drawn by the unspoilt coastline and local culture. Ten days before the planned opening, the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami devastated the area. Rather than abandon the project, they rebuilt. That backstory shapes everything about the way the resort operates.

(2,454 reviews) #2 of 20 hotels in Khuk Khak

The Sarojin Khao Lak sits within 10 acres of tropical gardens and borders a private 11 km stretch of white sand beach protected by Pakarang Cape, a coral headland that creates calm year-round swimming conditions. With just 56 residences spread across seven low-rise buildings, the scale is deliberately intimate. This does not feel like a resort. It feels like a very well-run private estate with better food.

The Rooms

The Sarojin Khao Lak has 56 residences across seven two-storey buildings, each set quietly within the tropical gardens with direct access to the beach. Garden Residences at 95 sqm sit on the ground floor with a shaded Thai sala pavilion. Pool Residences at 120 sqm add a private 5.5m x 3.5m plunge pool set into a secluded garden. Jacuzzi Pool Suites on the upper floors at 150 sqm offer elevated garden views with a private Jacuzzi on the terrace. A two-bedroom option connects a Garden Residence and a Pool Residence with an internal door, giving families more separation.

All residences share a design language of white linen, stone floors and warm wood accents. Bathrooms are generous, with a couple’s soaking tub, two rainfall showers, twin vanities and a dressing area. Every room has a private terrace with a Thai sala, Bluetooth speakers, an espresso machine, and a daily-replenished minibar. Rooms are serviced twice daily. The attention to small details, fruit baskets, personalised water bottles, and handmade towel sculptures at turndown is consistent and quietly impressive.

Children under 10 cannot stay at The Sarojin Khao Lak . Children aged 10 and above are welcome. The atmosphere is firmly adult in character, even when families are present.

Restaurants and Dining

The Edge is the main restaurant, serving Thai and Southeast Asian cuisine in an open-air setting by the beach. The food earns consistently exceptional reviews. Guests describe it as among the best Thai cooking they encounter anywhere in the country, not a softened or tourist-adjusted version. The Edge won a MICHELIN Guide recognition, which, for a 56-room boutique resort in Khao Lak, is a meaningful distinction.

Ficus serves contemporary Mediterranean cuisine in a more relaxed garden setting. A wine cellar with over 450 labels is available through both restaurants. The resort serves a la carte breakfast with sparkling wine until 6 pm daily, which means guests who want to sleep late or take a long morning walk on the beach are not rushed to a buffet before it closes. In practice, this flexibility is one of the most frequently praised aspects of staying here.

Private dining options go well beyond the standard at The Sarojin Khao Lak. Candlelit dinners by a jungle waterfall, meals on a secluded sandbank, and gourmet picnic baskets for day trips can all be arranged. Weekly cocktail parties and open-kitchen culinary evenings are complimentary for all guests.

Facilities

The infinity pool has a sunken Jacuzzi lounge area and three floating pavilions positioned over the water on individual platforms. It is the kind of pool you get into and then stop tracking time. Pathways Spa sits within the mangroves and has four open-air treatment pavilions, including two couples rooms with soaking tubs and rainfall showers, plus a separate air-conditioned room for facials. Treatments draw on Thai, Balinese, Swedish, Shiatsu and Hawaiian techniques. The spa has won multiple awards, and guests return specifically for it.

All water sports equipment is complimentary at The Sarojin Khao Lak: Hobie Cat sailing, sea kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, windsurfers and a Topaz dinghy are all available at no extra cost. Mountain bikes are also free to borrow. The Sarojin Khao Lak has its own luxury charter boat, Lady Sarojin, for day trips to the Similan and Surin Islands, available from November to April.

A fitness centre, croquet lawn and petanque pitch round out the on-site options. Thai cooking classes, jungle tours, elephant sanctuary visits and deep-sea fishing can all be arranged through the resort.

The Location

The Sarojin Khao Lak is on Pak Weep Beach in Phang Nga Province, roughly 89 km north of Phuket International Airport and about 10 km north of Bang Niang and Khao Lak town. The beach here is sheltered by Pakarang Cape, which keeps the water calm enough for swimming year-round. Five national parks surround the area. The Similan Islands, one of the world’s top-rated dive destinations, are less than an hour by boat.

The Sarojin Khao Lak surroundings are quiet and largely undeveloped. There are a few small local beach restaurants just outside the resort gates. Bang Niang provides the nearest market, night market and a wider range of dining, a 10-minute drive away. Khao Lak is not Phuket. There is no nightlife here, and that is the point.

Who should book The Sarojin Khao Lak? Couples and honeymooners who want a genuinely secluded luxury beach experience with exceptional food and service. Guests who value personal attention over large resort facilities. Divers heading to the Similan Islands who want a proper base to return to.

Who should skip The Sarojin Khao Lak? Families with children under 10. Anyone looking for nightlife, a busy beach strip, or a resort with a large pool scene. Guests whose priority is being close to Khao Lak town or Phuket.