Review of Baan KanTiang See Villa Resort on Koh Lanta

This page contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.

We were a little concerned at first. Baan KanTiang See Villa Resort is located a 30-minute drive down Koh Lanta’s west coast, near the south of the island and far away from the island’s hub of restaurants and shops. We felt even more isolated as we drove up and up a very steep hill at Kantiang Bay to get to the resort.

As soon as we reached the resort our first response was “wow” and we decided the location was perfect after all, with stunning views of jungle-covered hills leading into a golden curve of palm tree lined sand and green-blue sea.

We didn’t want to be anywhere else and we soon realised why it’s considered one of the best Koh Lanta hotels.

Contents

View from Baan KanTiang See, Koh Lanta

Arrival

After a welcome drink we were taken to our villa, and as we approached we couldn’t believe the whole place was just for us. As we walked inside it was another “wow” moment when we saw the astonishing sea views from the spacious living room.

We knew instantly that Baan KanTiang See was somewhere special and as we explored our villa we fell in love even more and knew that it was going to be very hard to leave.

Back to Contents

The Villas

Baan KanTiang See villas at sunset, Koh Lanta
Sunset at Baan KanTiang See

There are only eight villas at Baan KanTiang See so it’s a peaceful, intimate resort with a shared infinity pool (more on that later).

You feel close to nature with flower-filled gardens, the sounds of birds and cicadas, and monkeys playing on your terrace in the early morning.

Back to Contents

Living Room

Living area at Baan KanTiang See

The villas are very large with two double bedrooms and two bathrooms. The spacious open plan living room and kitchen are bright and airy with double height ceilings and glass doors leading on to the terrace with sea views.

The décor is simple and elegant with terracotta floor tiles and Asian touches in the artwork and low table with cushioned seating.

The couch/day bed is massive and covered with cushions—just how we like it. There is certainly no shortage of places to lounge and the terrace provides plenty more options.

There’s also a flat screen TV and the fast WiFi. There’s no A/C in the living areas (there is in the bedrooms) but there are two good fans.

The glass doors open the full width of the room and with the hilltop breeze the heat is not usually a problem, but we were there in the hot season and A/C would have been nice in the afternoons.

Still, the heat was an excuse to jump in the infinity pool!

Back to Contents

Kitchen

Kitchen at Baan KanTiang See

The kitchen is huge with lots of worktop space and cupboards, a real gas hob (it’s usually electric in Thailand), coffee maker, blender, rice cooker, microwave, toaster and plenty of pots, pans and plates. The only thing missing is an oven but these aren’t common in Thailand.

We also appreciated that some basic supplies and food were provided including washing up liquid and sponges, condiments, coffee, soft drinks and a beer, and a loaf of bread, eggs and ham for breakfast.

There’s also a big container of filtered water which the staff replace when needed—we loved not having to worry about drinking water.

If you don’t feel like cooking, the resort provides a home delivery menu from some of the local restaurants and you can just call reception to order.

Back to Contents

Bedrooms

View from bedroom at Baan KanTiang See

The bedrooms are stylish with high ceilings, a very comfortable double bed (with lots of pillows), wardrobe and day seat.

The stand out feature is the view. You can lie in bed and look out at the sea or the stars at night. The lightweight bamboo blinds provide enough privacy but also enable you to see out. The sun wakes you naturally in the morning and we loved waking up to that view.

The bedroom glass doors lead directly on to the terrace. The second bedroom has the same amenities and view, plus an ensuite, and the room is accessed from the other end of the terrace so feels quite private.

Back to Contents

Bathroom

Bathroom at Baan KanTiang See

The main bathroom is made up of three separate rooms—the central sink area with lots of storage, the toilet, and the large outdoor shower where you can enjoy views of the trees and hills as you shower.

We loved the choice of two shower heads—a big rain shower head and a detachable one that’s useful for washing sandy feet.

Back to Contents

Terrace

Terrace at Baan KanTiang See

The terrace is one of the things we loved most about Baan KanTiang See. At 78 m2 it’s bigger than most hotel rooms and runs the length of the villa with access from both bedrooms and the living room.

There are plenty of seating areas to choose from—comfy padded sunbeds, reclining chairs, full length floor cushions, and a large dining table seating six people.

Terrace at Baan KanTiang See

As the WiFi reaches the terrace we found this the perfect digital nomad office.

Working at Baan KanTiang See

Back to Contents

Facilities

Infinity Pool at Baan KanTiang See

The helpful reception staff can arrange laundry, book trips and transport, and order food.

The only resort facility that really matters to us is the pool and Baan KanTiang See has an amazing one.

The infinity pool is shared with the other villas but we usually had it to ourselves. It was wonderfully relaxing swimming towards the sea and gazing out at more incredible views. We passed many blissful hours here.

Simon in the Infinity Pool at Baan KanTiang See
Us in the Infinity Pool at Baan KanTiang See

We also liked the seating area in the pool where you could cool down and read a book or turn on the jets to transform it to the “jacuzzi seat”.

There are deckchairs by the pool but no sunbeds—you have these on your terrace though.

Back to Contents

Area

Despite our initial concerns we loved the location of the villas. It feels very natural surrounded by jungle-covered hills and, of course, those amazing sea views.

It’s a 10-minute walk down the hill to the beach and village. Kantiang Bay is one of the best beaches on Koh Lanta—a 2km stretch of golden sand that is never crowded.

Kantiang Bay
Kantiang Bay

The village has a few restaurants and shops including a 7-Eleven and the excellent Drunken Sailors, which does tasty Thai food, sandwiches, burgers, smoothies and coffee. It’s very vegetarian-friendly.

There are a few bars on the beach, but this isn’t the place to come for partying.

There are plenty of opportunities for day trips if you can tear yourself away from the villa. We organised an excellent day scuba diving with Scubafish who are based at Kantiang Bay, and we went island hopping, kayaking, snorkelling, and swimming through the Emerald Cave on the 4 Island boat trip with Freedom Adventures who are also locally based. Most tour operators will pick you up from Baan KanTiang See. 

Read our guide to the best things to do in Koh Lanta

Kayaking at Koh Ngai on our 4 Island trip
Kayaking at Koh Ngai on our 4 Island trip

Other trips we recommend if you rent a scooter or car (or arrange a taxi) are to the even quieter Waterfall Beach south of Kantiang Bay and to the National Park at the southern tip of the island for hikes, a lighthouse, and an empty beach.

We do recommend having your own transport as it will enable you to explore the island and the walk up the hill to the villas is very steep—not fun in the heat of the day. The resort rents automatic scooters for 300 baht a day, but we negotiated a weekly rental with a travel agent in the village for 1000 baht.

Back to Contents

Video Tour

Watch this video for a tour of our villa at Baan KanTiang See.

Back to Contents

Summary

We loved Baan KanTiang See – it’s a truly special place where you feel at home in a tropical location. The villas are spacious, very comfortable, and we couldn’t get enough of that “wow” view.

Back to Contents

Highs

  • Huge, comfortable villas.
  • Gorgeous sea view from every room.
  • Peaceful setting.
  • Massive terraces with generous seating.
  • Beautiful infinity pool.
  • Well-equipped kitchens.
  • Fast WiFi.
  • Friendly staff.
  • Monkeys!

Back to Contents

Lows

  • Steep hill to get here.
  • No hand towels were provided although bath and pool towels were.
  • It’s not on the beach.
  • No A/C in the living area.

Recommended for: Families and couples looking for a relaxing retreat without giving up home comforts. It’s also very digital nomad friendly with plenty of comfortable places to work and fast WiFi.

Back to Contents

Location

Baan KanTiang See Villa Resort is located at Kantiang Bay on the southwest coast of Koh Lanta. You can reach Koh Lanta in 2-3 hours from Krabi by private or shared minibus or ferry. You can get to Krabi by overnight bus or short flight from Bangkok.

Back to Contents

Cost

A villa costs from 5000 baht ($162) in the off season (May-October) which for a family or two couples is good value. The villas can accommodate up to eight people (maximum four adults) with extra mattresses available.

Click here to see the latest prices at Baan KanTiang See

If you are looking for a more traditional resort at Kantiang Bay, see our review of the luxurious Pimalai Resort in our post on the best places to stay on Koh Lanta.

This post was originally published after our stay in 2012 and was updated in 2019.

Thank you to the lovely staff at Baan KanTiang See who provided our villa.

37 Comments

  1. Wow! Loving the look of this place. If we can get one we are hoping to spend our last week here! Fingers crossed!

    Reply ↓

  2. Hi, thanks for this review and amazing photos we are considering renting this place for our stay in Ko Lanta in two weeks!!. Do yo remember which was the villa you booked, the color? Right now they just have the Red available and would like to know if it is well located with the awesome views you had. Thank you!

    Reply ↓

    • They all have amazing views so I wouldn’t worry. I think we were in purple. Have an amazing time -we loved that place!

      Reply ↓

  3. Hey guys! Liz and I will be staying here for a few days in March. I was trying to find a blog that covered this place and funny enough, I found you guys. What a coincidence! This place looks amazing. We can’t wait to see it with our own eyes.

    Reply ↓

  4. Love your blog.How do you safeguard your writing tools when you are swimming. Is that a Mac air?

    Reply ↓

    • It’s a Macbook Pro, although I have a Mac Air and love it – I think it’s the perfect travel laptop. We just leave our laptops in our room whne we swim.

      Reply ↓

  5. What Luxury! It is a little pricey for Thailand – but WOW is it value for money anyways! Hope you enjoyed every second!

    Reply ↓

    • We do think it’s great value for the quality, space, pool and view but obviously there are plenty of cheaper options in Thailand for those on a budget. We did enjoy every second thanks!

      Reply ↓

  6. Wow – beautiful place, not sure I’d be able to work with that pool teasing me in such a subtle way ;)

    Reply ↓

  7. Great post. Great photos. I just love your blog.

    Have a question though if you don’t mind , Did you get this deal for free ?

    Reply ↓

  8. I am gritting my teeth because of insane jealousy. Moments spent in places like this are the ones we remember in life

    Reply ↓

  9. What a beautiful spot! Sucks about the hand towels though ;) Would love to work here for a week or 10 while blogging.

    Reply ↓

  10. That’s a great deal for such a big place and it looks like it has all of the comforts of home. Although, my view at home doesn’t quite look like that. I would have to knock down a few houses first. :)

    Reply ↓

  11. Looks beautiful! That view is amazing and you can’t beat having all that space to yourself, very nice.

    Reply ↓

  12. Now that’s a stunning resort! I drooled esp. at the pool and the beautiful view of the sea as if the pool is the ocean itself! Really gorgeous… will definitely put this on my bucket list.

    Reply ↓

    • We’d definitely recommend it. It really does feel like you are swimming into the ocean from the pool.

      Reply ↓

  13. That view from your infinity pool is amazing! Being on the beach is nice, but it would be hard to trade that spectacular landscape just to be 10 minutes closer to the water. Sounds like this was the perfect place to relax; the hotel staff in particular sound really friendly and helpful!

    Reply ↓

    • We didn’t mind not being by the sea at all. It was hard to drag ourselves away from the pool anyway! We usually went down to the beach for a sunset walk which was a great way to end the day.

      Reply ↓

  14. What an awesome view! And it’s such a small thing, but I love how they provide take-out menus and help your order at the front desk. There have been so many times we’ve just wanted to order in and not have the hassle of going out to a restaurant to find food… but we just didn’t know where to order, or HOW to order in another language.

    Reply ↓

    • We love that too, especially after our very unsuccessful, hungry attempt to order a pizza in Bangkok without a phone (even to book online you needed a phone number!). They get deliveries from our favourite restaurant Drunken Sailors too.

      Reply ↓

  15. Wow, killer wi-fi and a view like that – it doesn’t get much better! It’s only 3000 THB for up to 8 people? I think that’s a pretty good deal. Great photos and review, makes me want to get out of Bangkok now and head to Koh Lanta!

    Reply ↓

    • There are some great deals around at this time of year and although it’s cloudy and a little rainy sometimes we’ve had plenty of gorgeous days. The villa would only comfortably sleep 4-5 adults but even still, we think it’s a bargain for the quality.

      Reply ↓

  16. Looks amazing. We stayed at a similar place on Koh Samui but it was slightly cheaper but also not as exclusive. We had to watch our budget while on the road with our toddler. Instead bikes we rented a jeep for $20per day as we couldn’t handle the up the hill battle with a stroller ;)

    Reply ↓

    • A jeep is probably more practical with kids, although we’ve seen plenty of families renting the tuktuks here that have sidecars attached to a motorbike. Not sure I’d want to tackle the hill in one of those though!

      Reply ↓

Leave a Reply

Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. By clicking the Submit button, you give consent for us to store your information for the purposes of displaying your comment and you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.