We stayed at the Tubkaak for four nights and had a very enjoyable time.

First the negatives: it is a boutique resort and as such there is a limited choice of restaurants - in fact only one. Not a problem for four days but could be a problem if you were looking for more variety in the short term or were staying longer than us.

Also the rooms which are brilliant are not very large. Not a problem for us but could be a problem for some people who like a bit of space.

Cab fare into Ao Nang - the nearest town is three times the Bangkok rate and takes 25 minutes so after trying this once we did not bother again.

Beach is small and when the tide is in its gone. Also a lot of the detritus from the islands and sailing folk washes onto the beach. The resort staff do their best to clean this but it is only average.

We are keen walkers and the beach is not a long walk so you end up doing a few laps to work up a sweat.

No gym. Could benefit from a small gym ie. weight machine, step machine, bike machine and treadmill.

The positives : great service, friendly and unobtrusive, beautiful position and away from it all, some other resorts along the beach to visit, great views of islands particularly at sunset with the sun setting behind the islands, beautiful pool, good Wifi, great food in the restaurant with good variety and no fuss.

Rooms are first class with outside/inside shower. We were upgraded into an upstairs room so thanks for that Tubkaak.

About our trip into Ao Nang - arrived at about 7. 30 in the pouring rain (tail end of Burma monsoon) and the cab driver said call me when you have finished and I'll take you back. We called him at 9.45 and he had gone home. There was not a cab or tuk tuk in site by then! imagine Thailand with no tuk tuk or cab? so after expressing some concern we dropped in to a tour company who books drivers and got back for 600 baht. Seems to be something going on with the cabs there......

However there was plenty of variety in Ao Nang and even tho' it is a bit like Patong i.e. glitz and bling it has a nicer feel and less threatening.

After a busy three weeks of traveling about SE Asia, what a joy to end my travels at the stylish and peaceful Tubkaak. The hotel is quite lovely and beautifully appointed - small details add to the overall delightful impression.

Of course the fine and attentive staff added much to the stay and Patty and Sonny are the consummate hosts.

This is truly a fantastic hotel - food, rooms, pool, and beach and staff all combine to make it a unique stay.
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There are plenty praises written about this hotel in all previous reviews, and with due merit. WHAT an amazing property and a great stay. Staying at the Tubkaak is total bliss, especially if coming from Bangkok or any of the other big chaotic Asian cities.

the property is perfectly designed and laid out, keeping well with nature and its surroundings. it has the feel of staying in a perfect quaint beach village, but the great service always reminds you that you are in a high-end boutique hotel. its proximity to the ocean is fantastic. you never have to wear your shoes, nor abandon your bathing suit. its the perfect hi-key/low-key place.

another great thing about staying here is not having to do anything at all. the biggest choice you are encountered with may very well be whether to choose from the Western or Thai menu at the restaurant; or what time to schedule your massage. if you need to relax or disconnect and just not bother with doing anything, this is the place for you. [of course, there is still a blackberry signal and wireless internet. only break in case of emergency.]

a local boat to the near-by HONG islands (taken right from the property) is a great day trip, and it was the general consensus amongst most hotel guests that it is a much better experience than going to the phi phi islands which are over-crowded.

PROS:
+small, beautifully designed, keeps with nature and surroundings.
+literally right on the beach.
+great spa and great restaurant.
+all about peaceful and quiet.
+great library for an afternoon coffee break/drink and read.(if you can pull yourself away from the hammock)
+service was great (albeit a little slow at the front desk/tour desk...but relax, its the 'island way of life')
+if you get too bored, (there are two mammoth properties right next door even though you’d never know they were there, the amari vogue and the anyavee... with some more restaurant and spa options)
+upstairs rooms are great as they have higher ceilings. the outdoor shower is a great feature. for the real deal, the oceanview rooms are great, with the sand just a couple feet away.

CONS:
-far from town, so it isn’t a great place if you are looking for a party.

at the tubkaak, the one CON certainly outweighs all the PROS.
enjoy.

My boyfriend and I spent 6 wonderful nights at the Tubkaak at the beginning of April and had a fabulous time. First impressions as you arrive are a little daunting as you have to drive through a working gypsum mine and there seems to be a lot of construction/industry in the are. Then you turn the corner and find a small piece of paradise nestled into the hillside, you wouldn't even know it's there. We usually like to explore a little, but aside from the boat trip (more about that) we didn't leave the resort for our entire stay so no issues with the gypsum mine whatsoever!

The resort is small, certainly boutique and very thoughtfully designed. The lobby is at the top of the hill with the rest of the rooms/facilities sloping down to the beach (it's not particularly steep and few steps). Our room was one up from the lead in room type - a deluxe suite and compared to other hotels in the price range, possible on the small side. But beautifully made from dark teak and furnished very tastefully. Huge comfy bed in front of a flat screen, reasonably sized balcony with day bed and an inner bathrrom/loo with a door leading to an outdoor, but completely private, rain shower & huge tub.

The Tubkaak is in a very secluded spot and as we had arrived late afternoon, our first impression of the beach was when the tide was out and the sun was setting. We were lost for words. the area is surrounded by the Hong Islands and as a result the sea is completely still and you'd think it was a lake rather than the ocean. Before sunset you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in Scotland or New Zealand on one of the lakes - it's errily quiet and beautiful. The beach faces the west and you get the most incredible sunsets, there's a strategically placed longtail boat on the beach that makes for picture perfect photos - we took about a hundred of sunsets alone! During the day, the tide comes in really high and mid afternoon there's only a couple of metres of sandy area before the sea. Oh and there's loads of crabs! Great fun to watch but not if you have a phobia! Because there are restrictions on having sun loungers on the beaches, the hotel provides huge waterproof beanbags that are remarkably comfy for lounging on and even better they float!

The pool is lovely, perfect temperature and generally very quiet (might be because the already small hotel was only about a third occupied during our stay). Really high quality sun loungers and it caught the sun all day.

The hotel has only one restaurant but the food was exceptional. Breakfast was included in our rate plan and had loads on offer from poached eggs through to banana roti (yum) plus fresh juices, fruit, bacon etc etc. And in the evening the menu was extensive and reasonably priced for the quality. Great selection of both Thai and western food, lobster and blue cheese ravioli was delicious and the Thai curries were excellent. It was my boyfriends birthday one evening and the extremely helpful and thoughtful staff helped arrange a surprise dinner on the beach, surrounded by lanterns, candles, orchids etc - with a 6 course Thai speciality meal. They were wonderful, made the evening really special for us. In fact that staff were excellent full stop, friendly without being too intrusive.

As you're so close to the Hong Islands, a great trip out is by longtail boat to either Hong Island itself, which has a beach to rival 'The Beach' and a beutiful hidden inland lagoon or to some of the smaller islands. Takes about 40 minutes to get to, but go early as the tide is out and there's fewer people.

This hotel is not for you if you want plenty of night life option but if you want personal service in a high quality hotel with an extremely relaxed ambiance this could be the place for you. We visited the Sarojin in Khao Lak last November which was a really tough act to follow and agreed that a twin centre between these two hotels really would be the perfect Thai experience.