Langham Place Rari Warin Eco Resort
30 May 2008
The Langham Hotels group became the first international luxury hotel chain to create a presence on Koh Lanta when it acquired the Rawi Warin resort in early 2008. The re-branding of the resort as the Langham Place Eco Resort + Spa Rawi Warin is now more or less complete. The resort consists of 185 rooms nestled up against, and on, a small hill at the north end of Klong Tob beach, near the center of Lanta's long coast.
The resort has several rooms types to choose from, starting with deluxe, up through villas and suites. I chose a Pond View Villa for my three-night stay. My 'villa' was actually a large room on the second floor of a small building housing three other rooms. However, semantics aside, it was a large and comfortable room, with a view of the large lagoon 'pond' and the ocean beyond. The room featured a king-size bed, wardrobe, Thai-styled sofa-bed and desk. The room had a balcony with two chairs and a table. The bathroom featured a large walk-in shower and separate large tub.
The Pond Villa turned out to be a good choice, not only because the room was comfortable, but the location was convenient to the coffee shop, the pool and the beach. The rooms up the hill might have a better view, but the schlep up and down the hill might get a little tiring. The resort does have carts to take you to and from your room, but that might get a little tiring as well. Breakfast is served in the coffee shop. The quality of the breakfast buffet was quite good, but the variety is a little less than one might expect. In addition to the coffee shop, there's a seafod grill restaurant, lounge, and a bakery shop.
Hotel facilities include four swimming pools - the large main pool, with children's wading pool below; a lap pool and a smaller pool with jacuzzi on the hilltop. There's also a gym, tennis courts and a spa. Restaurants include the coffee shop, seafood grill and bakery, as well as a lounge and full bar. Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, although access is charged extra. There's a library, children's game room and internet room available as well.
Rooms feature air conditioning, hot and cold water, mini-bar (not stocked), complementary coffee and tea, flat-screen color televisions (many channels), IDD telephones, wireless Internet access, iron and ironing board.
Pluses: Extensive facilities. Relatively central location.
Minuses: Nearby shops and restaurants mostly closed in the off-season. Beach is not very big.
Worth noting: While Langham Place operates year-round, many restaurants and shops on Lanta still close during the low season, from May to October. Even the tour office in the hotel is generally closed during this time.