My wife, two year old son and I stayed here for two nights earlier this month. We had a number of issues with the place and certainly wouldn't recommend staying here.

The first issue was that our key card stopped working a few times a day and we had to walk back to reception (in a different building) each time to get a new one reissued. The one time we phoned from the poolside phone and asked somebody to drop a replacement down, they said they would do so and then didn't bother turning up. Judging from previous reviews, this is an ongoing issue.

The other, and far more serious, issue is that upon check-out we were asked to wait while housekeeping checked our room. We were then accused by the reception staff of having stolen a number of items from the room, namely an umbrella, a torch and a glass. We assured them that these items were not in our room upon arrival, but they insisted that we had stolen them and were going to have to pay for them. The staff were rude and confrontational. After 10 minutes of arguing with them, our two year old son started getting upset, so we just had to walk away. The calm manner in which the staff accused us of stealing suggests that this isn't the first time they've done this to guests. Perhaps they try this trick every so often to try to wrangle a few extra Baht from guests, so be warned.

This was by far the worst and most offensive we've had in three months travelling through Malaysia and Thailand. Avoid this place.

We were a little nervous after reading bad reviews on trip advisor, but were pleasantly surprised. Set on a lovely beach, the resort pools are great for children, the grounds are well maintained and staff were helpful. The breakfast was good and for $50 per night per room we were very happy with our choice to stay. We were upgraded on arrival to family rooms which overlooked the pool. There is a good choice of restaurants outside the resort and there is a free shuttle bus into Khao Lak central each day, just make sure you book a place early.

Had a two week stay at the Emerald over Songkran. Having read mixed reviews I was a little pessamistic however the price we paid vs the stay did not warrant it at all.

The Hotel is located on a sandy stretch of beach with a number of restaurants and bars in the near vicinity. This is a laid back resort area and attracts older couples and families. Not suited to those looking for nightlife. Check in was smooth and we were escorted to our rooms. These were lagoon view and overlooked beautiful gardens. The room was large, clean and well appointed with a nice balcony, ideal for evening drinks. It had a fridge which was unstocked but the hotel has a minimart attached so no problems. Rooms were well cleaned and aircon very efficent. Only downside for me was the bed was too firm.

The hotel has two restaurants,one near the beach and the second where breakfast is served up near the lobby. Breakfast was good with a variety of fruits, cold cuts and an omelet station however did lack Thai food as the hotel mainly caters for German and Scandinavian guests. Food at the beach restaurant from the A La Carte menu was good and tasty. There was a happy hour from 4-6 with drinks at a 50% discount.

The hotel has two pools. One on the beach and the second near the lagoon with slide. The later was quieter but did not benefit from the sea breeze which was welcomed mid day.

Staff in the hotel were very friendly and we had no issues in communication. The surrounding area has a number of restaurants and bars inc Italian, Seafood, Indian and Western. There were a few bars where one could drink to around 01:00.

All in all I would certainly return to the hotel and I would like to say the Khun A, who speaks excellent English was always pleasant and helpful.

Our family usually prefer smaller boutique hotels especially in Thailand where luxury accomodation is very accessible. However I was extremely satisfied with our stay at the Emerald.
The hotel is about 1 hour away from Phuket airport and five minutes taxi-drive from Khao Lak centre. It lies on a very quiet beach : no one to ever bother you at any time. Few people in the water even though the hotel was busy. The sea was also nice for kids because it goes down slowly.
The number one thing you should consider about this hotel is the great pool. So great for the kids that we barely went to the sea! It has deeper areas and shallow areas to play with kids or even babys. The bungalow (villa 3) was in very good standing and of large size, a terrace facing the Andaman sea with the feeling of your private beach and a beautiful hot tub and garden shower. The buildings were relatively new and well maintained. In fact the only busy area was the beachfront with most chairs busy at some point, but it did not bother us as we preferred to be in or around the pool.

One thing to criticize, as with many "international" hotels in Thailand, is that the restaurants are of very bad value (this time also the the service). Food was way below the average (except a very good breakfast buffet) and you pay 4-5 times local prices. But the good thing is that after the first day we found that the local restaurants, just 50 m from hotel entrance were just what we needed : great local flavor, cheap, family cooking and surprisingly an above average quality Indian restaurant. Same thing with the massages/spa :Here again, walk 10m to the opposite of the hotel entrance and you get local service for a fraction of the price.

Our daughter spent almost the entire week in the pool with the perfect sized water slide and enjoyed. A day trip to Similan Islands and a lovely (top quality) dinner at the J.W. Marriot teppanaki restaurant were the icing on the cake for yet another extremely pleasant holiday in Thailand.

We spent a very relaxing week there and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for the same, especially families with parents or children to take along. I would not recommend it to the younger crowd looking for bar or night action (there did not seem to be much around) . Overall a great resort if you plan to relax!