Name: Khao Sok Smiley Lakehouse
Address: Rajjaprabha Dam, Phanom, Phanom, Phanom, 84250, Thailand
Rating: 8

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Surat Thani Airport

Khao Sok Smiley Lakehouse

Phanom

We did the 2 day / 1 night tour with our 3 kids age 16, 14 and 12. We were picked uo from our accommodation in Khao Sok town and taken to the lake (approx 45 mins away). We then took a long tail boat for around 1 hour 20 mins before reaching the floating lake houses. The accommodation is basic however it is clean. You could smell the fresh bed linen and towels when you walked into the room. The food was also really tasty. As a family of 5 we have some fussy eaters but there was something for everyone.  The guides were super friendly and informative too. The scenery is absolutely out of this world!

Wow! What a Place!

Amazing place! The sfaff is very friendly, the activities and the free time are very well organized (kayak, hiking, swimming). The food very tasty and abundant. The rooms are very simple (don't expect a luxury hotel), but very confortable and clean. For the price you pay, I think you cannot ask for more! I would repeat without any doubt.

Nice stay in an incredible place

I think this is excellent value for money. We got transport from the Smiley Dome to the lake. Then we got a boat to the Lakehouse which took about an hour and half, but we stopped for photos. Once we arrived, lunch was already ready in buffet style (which consisted of meat and vegetarian options - all lovely!). We then had chill time and could do whatever. There was an evening and morning boat safari to find the monkeys. Unfortunately we couldn’t go to the cave due to the weather but instead climbed up a waterfall which was awesome. I recommend borrowing their water/trekking shoes. They have sizes from 38-43 but they come up big. I thoroughly enjoyed this ‘budget’ option of the lake. The accommodation was basic but did the job! All the staff were great and were hilarious when doing the safaris. 

What a location! Great staff.

We had nice little houses on the lake (we were staying on the right), mega delicious food and super nice staff (KitKat is a great guide)! We were lucky with the weather despite the rainy season and had the chance to experience all the boat trips and the waterfall hike in the sunshine.

Nice days in the National Park

On the way out we were kept waiting at the pier for an hour. If you have kids, try and be prepared because the boat ride is long (~2 hours) and extremely cramped. There is no proper communication at all during the trip, including when you get on the boat. The driver decided to let one of the passengers drive the boat which did not inspire confidence whatsoever.

The room / lake house can only be described as awful. ‘Towels’ are provided but they consist of an unclean piece of furry fabric. There is damp covering the ceiling and walls, stalks are growing through the ceiling and the curtains don’t block the light or provide proper privacy. The communal toilets are a mess; there is no option but to use these on day 2 as the room checkout is at 9am. The food is horrible - cold, infested with wasps and the same options appear at lunches on both days and dinner. The coffee was undrinkable and left out all day.

Our stay was ruined by a separate group who were staying in the lake houses and throwing a party in the main area. They used the microphones to scream, sing and make speeches during dinner, lunch and most of the afternoon. It was obvious that it was ruining the relaxation of all other guests. If Smiley decide to host a loud group / party, it is clear that they should not have other guests stay there at the same time as it completely ruins the experience.

The trip ended badly - we all got off the boat and had let the staff know several times that we had a taxi booked from the pier exit. This is a common thing to do among guests to make the onward journey more efficient (rather than returning first to the base camp). Smiley assured us that this was all in hand. The staff proceeded to leave us on the side of the road about 1km from the main exit, so we ended up walking with four bags / suitcases to the main exit of the pier and trying to communicate this with the taxi. By this point Smiley were uncontactable. This saga delayed us by 1 hour.

Smiley have since refused to communicate properly or offer an explanation / refund. Our advice would be to use another company so you can make the most of the beautiful National Park. You’ll be sure to have a better experience than we did.

Don’t waste your time - use another company

Amazing experience! During the boat ride you get to enjoy the scenery. We had a rainy day but still enjoyed the bungalow. Bit basic interior and a cold shower. The scenery and surroundings make up for this. The food was also good! Sadly we did not see many animals during the boat ride in the evening and morning (a wild bison and some monkeys/birds). My partner also went on a hike the next day to the cave. It is really an activity for the active ones, a lot of hiking, water and dirt tracks that are slippery. Overal nice experience!

Smiley Lakehouse 2 days 1 night

I lived in Thailand for 10 years and visit whenever I can. Smileys bungalows and lakehouse is my favourite place in the world!!! I’ve been going for 15 years since it was just the bungalows…. The family are beautiful people and they’ve always done everything they can to make visits special. Back then, they were simple bamboo huts with a small restaurant, but their hospitality made it better than any 5 star hotel. Now they have excellent facilities over 3 sites but special hospitality remains. My best friend even had his honeymoon there! Khao Sok National Park and the nearby lake are absolutely stunning. They offer an authentic opportunity to get back to nature and experience adventure. The food is ‘real’ Thai food. I will be returning every opportunity I get. Thank you P Wan and family…  Tom ‘Monkey Boy’, Mr John and family 😊🏝️🇹🇭

My favourite place in the world

The lake of the Khao Sok National Park is truly something to see and the stayover in the bungalows on the lake the perfect place to come to a total standstill, with just the odd birdcall and splashing of fish to be heard. The bungalows are basic, but have all you need for a one-night stay. Being on the water means it is a lot cooler and we found the fan in the bungalow enough for a good night's sleep.
We elected not to go jungle and cave trekking, but rather stay at the bungalow on the last morning for some R&R.

The ultimate end to a fantastic holiday

The lake house is amazing and beautiful for sure!! There are two different types of bungalows, ones with flat roofs and ones with a-frame roofs which a way cuter! Not sure how you get the a-frame ones but we didn't, they gave us a flat one, might want to ask if you want one. 
The water was beautiful, they had kayaks for you to use and areas in from of each place to hangout.  We loved our stay there even though it was SO HOT! But that may have also been the time of year. 

Beautiful area!

Terrible room , probably worst I’ve ever had . We tried to open windows and they fell out. Locks are broken , everything is dirty and seems used before us, the rubbish bin was full when we checked in. No chance to charge phone , no normal towels , no air conditioning, no nets on window , no normal bedclothes, bedsheets looks dirty and with stains. Night in there was a nightmare in sweat. Food selection was poor and it wasn’t good, i feel sick after breakfast, luckily not vomiting . The jungle trekking tour was dangerous , no one gives helmets or radios if any gets in trouble. No one informed us that this jungle trek is absolutely not suitable for tourists. 

Khao Sok Smiley Lakehouse

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