tl;dr Huge kids club with supervision. Wonderful pools and small water Park. Good service. Long version: We enjoyed our stay at the Sands with a baby and a toddler on the "splash" and noisy side of the hotel. That side includes the small water Park, the big kids club, a restaurant with Pad Thai, pizza and stuff the kids can eat, with fairly reasonable prices but it closes at 18. The quiet side has a more prestigious restaurant, beach access and two pools: one for adults only and one for all. It has a lake with big fish with twice a day feeding time so little ones can help feed. The beach is about 5-10 minutes walking from the "splash" side. Breakfast buffet is also separated for families and adults by 2 different restaurants. We used the babysitting service for our baby. Someone from housekeeping came to the kids club (as per our request) and wonderfully played with our baby, while our toddler was fascinated by the vast variety of toys and entertained himself. The kids club staff is not interactive with the children (other than planned creative activities) and mostly watches the safety of the children. Parental presence is welcome. The hotel provides free water bottles and beach towels to your room. The baby got a wooden baby bed and our toddler used the extra bed/sofa which could be conveniently turned around so the back of the sofa became bed safety rails.

tl;dr Pristine beach is not private and without security control. Better priced restaurants and massages on the main road. Long version: For breakfast all are seated outside, no air conditioning. The hotel has a mobile app where you can order room service and receive warnings of jellyfish but unfortunately it didn't have the weekly evening magic show for kids and the advertisement appeared on the quiet side of the hotel, which we didn't attend regularly. The bathtub wasn't clean when we first entered the room but the room service came in briefly and cleaned. Outside the hotel, on the main road, a good selection of cheaper restaurants and massages.

It was spotlessly clean, staff were exceptionally helpful and the breakfast was excellent! Massages were very very good!

There wasn’t anything to dislike

This was a perfect stay for our young family of 4. The check in process was smooth and easy, bags carted to our rooms and the app on the phone gives you all the details about the property including room service. We loved the buffet breakfasts, the waterslides, the aqua zone, the beach and all the restaurants. I loved that the in house room service dishes and prices are similar to dining out in one of the resort’s many restaurants. Pool towels were constantly replaced without needing to call for more and there’s complimentary water that is constantly replenished by calling for more water. The resort has a laundry room operated by coins which made it easy to wash and there’s a mini mart on site with access to beer, water, snacks etc. We had a pool access family room which had two TVs, a separate sleeping area for the kids and direct access to the pool which was so handy. The staff were super friendly and everything was easy and relaxed. The walk to the main road is easy and there are plenty of restaurants and bars if you need a change of scenery. I preferred the beach massage to the spa massage (and it was a lot cheaper too). Kids club is okay but the kids would much prefer the waterslides. Great great family resort!

Nothing. It was perfect.

Nice facilities, good for kids. Counter and travel desk staff friendly and helpful. Good food quality and dining room service through the app.

Despite being a kids friendly place, extremely restrictive times for slides and water park, allowing their use only few hours a day, lifeguards they don’t understand kids with special needs, I believe they need to be trained to be more patient and friendly. (Specifically the one with the brown mask, extremely rude even with parents who at the end we are the customers), this really made me discard this place for future family visits. Another down point because of the pool bars, who serve really low quality cocktails and mocktails in a place full of fresh new flavors.

The hotel is a large resort but still there was plenty of space around to not feel too crowded. The fact that the kids pool area was a separate pool area made a huge (positive) impact. And having a pool area for adults only was great. The beach is only a few steps away and the shops and restaurants a short walk from the hotel. One could also use the hotel's own taxi service to get into town for a small expense. The rooms were large and nicely decorated. The bed was supercomfy.

It was peak season so during meals (breakfast & lunch) the restaurants were pretty crowded but we managed to find a spot every day.

We had a great stay with our daughter (2y) in this family friendly hotel and would recommend it to everyone travelling with young children. - Friendly staff - Multiple swimming pools (1 adult only, 1 with a lot of waterfun, 1 close to the beach) - Well-equipped gym (don't expect high-end materials, but there is enough for a proper workout) - Great kids club (also possibility to request babysitting services at a reasonable price) - Large breakfast buffet that offered a wide variety of foods (Thai, Western, children's buffet, ...). They have enough high chairs and plastic tableware for the little ones. - Direct access to the beach - Close to the main street where you can find diverse restaurants, bars, massage salons, etc. Note that the Bang Niang night market is located 5 minutes (by car) from the hotel. The Bang Niang area is also busier. Nang Thong area felt more child-proof (except for the streets, strolling with a buggy can be challenging - but that seems to be the situation in more Thai locations) - Lunch at Talay restaurant was good.

- Food in the restaurants is more expensive compared to local restaurants around the corner - The room was sometimes a bit humid and tv had some issues (we did not really need it so not a real problem for us) - They play quite loud music at the children's/family pool, which is not needed (in my opinion) as there are a lot of children and water activities that make noise already. Or play some chilled music instead

Exceptional service. Amazing facilities and set up

They should have more for teens and should run a shuttle service via their golf carts up to the main road and to the night market

We had an absolutely fantastic stay at this hotel and would highly recommend it for families! There were so many great activities to keep the children entertained throughout the day – from exciting water slides to multiple pools, they were always busy and having fun. It really allowed us adults to relax knowing the kids were happy and safe. The food was another highlight – a wide selection of options meant everyone in our family found something they loved, and the prices were very reasonable for the quality and variety. The cocktails were also a lovely treat, beautifully made and perfect for sipping by the pool in the evenings. Our room was stunning – modern, spotless, and incredibly spacious. The best part was having our own private pool, which made the experience feel extra luxurious and gave us some lovely moments of quiet and privacy. Overall, the hotel offered everything we needed for a memorable and relaxing family holiday. The combination of great food, drinks, activities, and luxurious accommodation made it truly special. We’ll definitely be returning!

Multiple pool options is a plus, our son enjoyed the kids pool. Rooms are very similar to the pictures in the web site, they are spacious and the housekeeping is good. You will have multiple options inside the hotel for food and the open buffet provides variety of options. Should you need, there are many restaurants at a walking distance along the main road of the Khao Lak. Staff are responsive and helpful. The kids club is nice and clean. All in all, it is a good Hotel for a family trip.

The waiting time at the all day dining is a little bit annoying. Just to note, not much to do in or outside the Hotel at night time.

The hotel is very nice , specially for kids , they can be entertained all day . Pools are nice , beach is not that nice but you can still walk around . Location is great . Walking distance to plenty shops , restaurants and massages . Hotel is pricey , better to eat outside .

The beach is full of rocks , you need to walk a bit to find a safe spot for Swimming . The housekeeping very very bad , they don’t actually clean , they only tidy up beds , I had to ask them to remove trash and replace towels and others . The swimming pool in the room has very dangerous edges ( for kids ) , they need to repair them .