The Nakamanda was a lovely surprise. We had never been to Krabi before and were a little unsure as Krabi is quite developed (people hassling you to go into their restaurants / shop etc) but knew that Nakamanda was further out on a quiet beach and were pleased when we arrived and saw the location. It is also not too isolated, there are a few shops and restaurants near the entrance (the Indian restaurant is very good).

The room was lovely and spacious, with very large windows and a comfy sofa, but the best bit was the large sunken bath with its glass panel above so you could bathe and see the stars at night.

The grounds are not very big (but it is a smallish hotel) but are well kept and there is a huge pool and plenty of sun loungers.

Food was excellent, both Thai and Western, and the food and drink was very reasonably priced, the cheapest we have had at equivalent hotels in South East Asia, but the quality was still superb. There is nothing worse than feeling that you are being ripped-off by a hotel on drinks but at Nakamanda that was not the case.

The hotel has a shuttle that goes into the town of Ao Nang at 5:30pm and returns at 10pm which is good (and cheaper than a taxi) and they even recommend where to eat there, but it is nice when you return to the quiet of Nakamanda after seeing some of the gaudier bits of Ao Nang.

The only thing that is a shame (which we did know before we booked) is that it does not have a better part of the beach, you can just walk round the left corner and swim there, but there is a new resort being built next door and it is a shame that the Nakamanda was not able to buy a small piece of the land on the corner to be able to have access to that part of the beach. That said, we had just had 8 days on Phi Phi at the beach so it did not bother us too much.

My boyfriend really likes to use the gym but the equipment was quite outdated and needs to be updated, especially the running machine. We meant to add this to the hotel questionnaire before we left but we did not have time.
That said, we really enjoyed our stay and would go again, the above points are me just being picky and it really is a lovely hotel.

This hotel is stunning and beautifully located right on the beach. Although as the tide comes in you can not access the beach so you only have until the afternoon before you have to head for the pool. Which is amazing!!!
It is a little quite and the spa a little pricey but if you walk along the beach towards the Sheraton, there is an amazing Thai massage hut, which does the most amazing massage. I went three times, really professional and felt more authentic as apposed to catering to us Westerners.
If you want a hotel with activities and lots to explore this is not the hotel for you, but for a romantic few days and excellent food its perfect, they are very accomodating and very kind. The outside the front of the hotel is a laundrette, I recommend using them, its wonderful to go home with clean ironed clothes and the owners are so genuine and helpful. I also recommend that if you want some clothes or suits made they can copy anything and do anything. Excellent quality and lots of materials to choose from. Both are opposite the hotel.

Enjoy your stay and the wonderful Thai people.
Truly special people.

Pros- We only stay at small hotels, so the size was perfect for us. Beautiful pool; very helpful and courteous staff; mosquito repellent always available; plenty of water available and provided free of charge; excellent poolside service; rooms are very nice- top level are better as long as you don't mind all the steps; all rooms have a nice terrace. Very nice spa. The issues with the construction of the hotel next door was not a problem as they appear to be finished on the Nakamanda side. Lovely Lunar New Year celebration.
Cons- NO BEACH. Very nice view at high tide, but at low tide, the sea is not in front of the hotel. There is no beach on this spot, only rocks, whereas there is lots of white sandy beach around the corner on both sides, but not in front of the hotel. Given the expanse of the beaches around this hotel, one wonders why the developers built it on piece of rocky outcropping? One can only imagine that this was a discounted plot of real estate. The island across the way that you can walk to during low tide should be better maintained, there was lots of garbage on it. We do not eat seafood and the restaurant offered very few non-seafood choices. Restaurant & breakfast was not of the caliber of a 5* SLH property. As we were scuba diving every day, we did not want to go out to eat, so the restaurant became quite repetitive. Too many "trainee" staff on duty and their overall knowledge and language ability was quite poor. However, the "non-trainee" staff were all excellent with good levels of English. Although the setting is pretty, these places are built only with aesthetics in mind, and no regard for safety. There are too many very steep steps with no handrails. The steps are dangerous would be VERY difficult to manage for anyone with bad hips or knees.

My girlfriend and I spent 8 nights around New Year's Eve in this lovely resort situated 15 minutes from Ao-Nang, near the Sheraton and the Sofitel.

We had a great experience right from the start. Being a member of Small Luxury Hotels, this hotel was an obvious choice for me and I had the amazing surprise to be upgraded to a Jacuzzi Villa (additional 25m² of living space + outdoor Jacuzzi). So, for people who wonder whether this property does offer recognition to SLH members, the answer is yes!

I also met the owner by chance and he was very attentive to my comments (mainly positive) and offered us to discuss around a meal. He is thai and that probably explains why you feel like this resort has a true authentic touch that the others don't (like the nearby mentioned hotels).

The atmosphere is intimate with not so many villas, a Spa, a semi-private beach (used by few people) and the staff is indeed very kind.

The restaurant was a good surprise since prices are around 3-7 USD for starters and 6-13 USD for meals. Not cheap in itself for Thailand but definitely cheap for a 5 star resort.

The only shortcoming was the beach that has a rough sand with a lot of broken shells everywhere but the pool is so lovely that it's not a real problem. You might want to think twice about a romantic walk down the beach though or take a good pair of shoes.

We were offered a 50-minute spa treatment for two and chose a massage that was delightful!

All in all, very good discovery and we will be back.

I enclosed some pictures so that you can see for yourself what this resort has to offer