At a glance:

Perched high up in the hills overlooking Kamala, Keemala is a world-famous luxury resort with 38 villas, known for its whimsical architectural styles (like bird’s nests and treehouses) and prestigious Michelin Key accolades.

What it actually is: A visually unique, design-forward hillside resort with private pool villas and massive spa-style bathrooms.

What it is not: A truly private or secluded jungle sanctuary (due to close villa proximity and ambient noise).

Time of year: Spring

Room Type: Clay Cottage

Scores

Hotel Design: 80 – Famous for its unique, whimsical architecture and Michelin Key recognition. Perched high up in the hills overlooking Kamala, every single villa features its own private pool and massive spa-style bathrooms. However, despite being advertised as a secluded jungle sanctuary, it didn’t feel very private at all, as many of the villas are built very close together. The paths are also very narrow and can more or less just fit a golf cart, making it a little difficult to walk (you are in a beautiful and natural setting, some of us would like to walk/hike around the property and not depend on golf carts or worry about getting hit by one).

Location: 80 – Tucked into the hills above Kamala, the hotels provides elevated views and a simulated rainforest setting, though you are set back from the beach and local town action. If you plan to stay at the resort mostly, this is a good choice because while you can walk to town within about 20 minutes, the hills are very steep and not for the unfit or uncoordinated.

Sleep: 88 – The bed was very comfortable and at night, it was very peaceful with very little noise.

Service: 78 – A disappointment for a high-end property. Despite being assigned a dedicated personal butler, the service lacked the genuine, personal touch you would expect at this steep price point. The staff at breakfast were very good though and went as far as remembering our coffee orders.

Room Design: 87 – Highlights include massive spa-style bathrooms and private pools in every villa. Our room has a bathtub, an indoor shower, and an outdoor shower. The bedroom is nice too, with the bed facing outwards with the TV is tucked in the corner to not obstruct the not much of a view AKA facing other villas. Our room had a decent size private pool but the patio area had limited furniture and what was there, was not comfortable.

Room Amenities: 95 – Excellent in-room details, fresh coffee setup, and spacious bath facilities. The rooms feature incredibly cute details, like a hand-crank coffee grinder to grind your own fresh coffee beans every morning and bath salts were replenished daily. Both showers had excellent temperature and water pressure. The mini bar included items for purchase and complimentary items, like non-alcoholic beverages and healthy snacks.

Hotel Amenities: 80 – Features a main pool, an on-site restaurant, a bar, a full-service spa, golf cart shuttle service, and a very small gym. Decent for this size of hotel. Logistics were also frustrating: the hotel shuttle into Kamala was awkwardly scheduled, and the information on our welcome handout was out of date. A five minute ride into town shouldn’t be this difficult to coordinate, though thankfully, we were able to walk to and from town easily (the hills can be steep, but it is a good workout!).

Vibe: 80 – Whimsical and photogenic on the surface, but a bit overhyped.

Cleanliness / Maintenance: 90 – No issues to report.

Value / Extras & Perks: 78 – Rates are very expensive here and some will think it is worth it and others may question it more, especially when compared with other hotel options at this price point in Thailand. Our rate included breakfast as Hilton Diamond members and we used points for our stay to avoid paying $500USD+ per night.

OVERALL: 83.6

Would we stay again? No