I have just returned from a 6 night stay at the Tropical Herbal Spa & Resort near Aonang Beach in Krabi. I'd booked this hotel based on the reviews on Tripadvisor and unfortunately was misled by the comments by other reviewers. Our travelling group comprises of two families with four children...this is where the problem begins, amongst others. The resort is very child unfriendly. We were given two villas right at the top of a steep slope and walking up and down from our villas several times a day with young children was not ideal. It was impossible for my almost two year old to walk around on the premises as she kept falling over the uneven grounds.

Our villas were old and badly needs maintenance. On New Year's Day, it rained non stop for 24 hours and water started leaking from the roof into the room. The outdoors bathroom area was uncovered and the bathtub became flooded overnight with the rainwater - which my husband had to unclog with his bare hands. The open bathroom concept doesn't work in this instance - the leaves kept clogging up the drainage area in the bathtub and I dislike the bugs flying around, especially when I am having a shower. I felt uncomfortable leaving my toiletries in the bathroom areas as I didn't know if insects and such may crawl into my toiletries bag during the night.

Then there were the geckos that made loud noises during the night and woke me up with the screeching almost every single night. I am quite certain they had crawled into our villa (we stayed in Villa 6) through a hole as the noise was so close. In one case I became quite scared that a gecko might fall on my head while I was sleeping!

The room was also far too small for 2 adults and 2 kids and I think the place is only suitable for couples.

The grounds were very green and lovely but there are too many mosquitos, especially around sunset. The pool was pretty nice, although I noticed that part of the wooden decking area was broken and beer bottles left besides the deckchairs by others were not cleared away.

Staff was friendly enough but service patchy - they don't seem to understand that if there are four persons staying in a room you need four towels and you had to ask them to replenish basics such as toilet paper. My sister had to buy a roll of toilet paper from the nearby 7-11 as the staff failed to provide a new roll - despite my sister's request.

Breakfast is adequate - pretty standard fare: eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, orange juice, toast, coffee, etc.

Overall I think the concept of Tropical Herbal Spa and Resort is a good one (i.e. small number of villas in a lush green surroundings for a 'get away from it all experience') but really the place is not meant for families with children. I doubt that I would return there again, and from chatting with another family from Spain who also stayed there (but had to be housed at another hotel when the roof of their villa caved in during the heavy rains), it's unlikely they will either.

There are new owners who took over the resort during our stay. I only hope that they can dramatically improve the standard of the resort and invest in maintenance of the villas.

In hindsight I wished I had booked at another more established hotels, such as the Tipa Resort. I am sure that my experience in Krabi would be far more positive if I did.

we were greeted by lovely friendly staff, welcome drink and cold towels ( we needed them after walking from the point- note to self get a tuk tuk next time!)
great room with flower filled bath, air con, fridge.
Lovely pool with sun all day even though its surrounded by lush vegetation.
Great pad thai in the restaurant which is really cheaply priced.
The steam room didn't seem to be working (and I think you have to pay which is a bit bad) and we didn't have a treatment as we were told spa was full, loads of places down the road to get a massage though.
Great hotel over all.

Our stay at Tropical herbal spa was just excellent. The villa was lovely, lots of privacy and it was relaxation at its best. Lol, keep an eye out for the occasional squirrel. All in all, the room was spacious, air condition was good, bath was huge, and everything was clean. Breakfast was also good, you have a lot of options, and the staff are always willing to tend to your needs. We also booked our tour packages through the resort, they had good rates and made everything worry free. I have fallen in love with Thailand and the resort, hope to be back real soon :)

Normally I don't write reviews but in this case I have to make an exception.

If you are looking for a truly amazing place to go on vacation, a place were everything is cheap, the weather is beautiful all the time and the natives are friendly, Ao Nang Beach, Krabi in Thailand is the perfect choice.
My opinion is weighing heavenly on our amazing stay at The Tropical Herbal Spa & Resort in Ao Nang Beach. This place offers everything equivalent to a five star hotel. When I'm comparing it to a five star hotel I'm talking about the staff. They will attend to your EVERY need and make it their personal mission to make your stay truly amazing. When my family and I arrived, we were greeted with refreshing towels at the front desk. While our suitcase were taking to our room and the rooms were made ready with fresh flowers etc., we were offered a freshly made welcome drink. This is a resort that at their maximum capacity have 9 couples/families to accommodate. But this is not the only reason you feel like a royalty, the people working there takes the credit for that. The only thing that is not equivalent to a five star hotel is the price :). The setting of the hotel is beautiful. The villas are placed in a jungle-setting and are decorated and designed individually charming. The resort offers private spa treatments, pool area, room service, wireless Internet anywhere at the resort and lets not forget the most amazing breakfast. Every day you will chose from a long list, the items you want for breakfast the following day and whether you want it served in your room or enjoy it at the restaurant. Do you chose to eat at the restaurant they will cook it anyway you please while you are sitting at the table.

Tropical Herbal Spa & Resort is a heavenly place with an amazing staff and I warmly recommend it for an amazing vacation.