Tuesday, September 1, 2026

The Best Hotels Near The Houben Hotel, by the Record

  1. A red infinity pool perched on a Koh Lanta hillside, with the Andaman Sea sitting below it like a painting someone hung there on purpose. This adults-only boutique resort runs to about fifteen rooms, which keeps things quiet in a way the beachfront hotels rarely manage. Rooms are contemporary without being aggressive about it, and the small spa and seafood-focused restaurant mean you rarely feel the urge to leave. The beach requires a walk, which somehow makes the view from up here feel like the point.


  2. The designers apparently made a pact not to outshine the jungle, and they kept it. This Thai resort on Koh Lanta sits between a forested hillside and a beach calm enough to make Phuket feel like a motorway. All rooms have full-length windows and wraparound terraces or balconies; villas add private pools if you need one. The restaurants lean into fresh seafood and Thai cooking, with classes if you'd rather learn than just eat. The Michelin Guide awarded it 2 Keys.


  3. Thatched-roof villas step down through the palms to a crescent of private beach on Phi Phi Don, with jungle cliffs rising behind and coral reefs sitting just offshore. This is a beach resort that keeps things breezy rather than fussy, with shaded terraces and wide sea views doing most of the work. A marine discovery centre runs reef restoration and shark rewilding projects, which gives the place something to talk about beyond the scenery.


  4. Thatched roofs and teakwood bungalows sit at the northernmost tip of an already remote island, which tells you something about how seriously this resort takes the word "away." OUTRIGGER Phi Phi is all suites and villas, each with verandas, outdoor showers, and mosquito netting that feels atmospheric rather than alarming. A full spa, two restaurants, and guided scuba and fishing excursions mean you can stay thoroughly busy doing almost nothing.


  5. The only way in is by boat, which tells you everything about what kind of resort this is. Rayavadee sits on the Phranang Peninsula, ringed by limestone cliffs rising straight from the jungle, with roughly a hundred circular pavilions and villas scattered across the grounds. Large windows pull the greenery inside, some units have private plunge pools, and the spa leans into traditional Thai wellness. Four restaurants and a boutique round out a place designed to make leaving feel unnecessary.


  6. Fifty-four villas sit between jungle and the Andaman Sea, each with a private pool and the kind of limestone-cliff view that makes Krabi famous. Phulay Bay is a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, so the scale is intimate but the ambition is not. Banyan trees and a circular infinity pool frame the water; the spa leans into local treatments; and the staff will organize a mountain excursion if lying by the sea starts feeling too easy. A Forbes Four Star property.


  7. Every villa and suite here comes with its own private pool, which tells you the register Banyan Tree Krabi is operating in before you've even seen the limestone karsts looming over Tab Kaek Beach. It's a full-scale resort with a spa complex, The Rainforest, built around hydrotherapy circuits, and two restaurants perched on the hillside with views that make you forget what you ordered. The Michelin Guide awarded it 2 Keys.


  8. Villas on a secluded stretch of Phang Nga Bay where the architecture earns its eco-conscious label, blending traditional woodwork, stone walls, and woven details rather than just hanging a sign. This boutique resort is built around doing very little on purpose: bean bags on the beach, a free-form pool, and a pace that genuinely seems calibrated to match the tides. When stillness starts to feel like enough, Hang Nak mountain is a short hike away for a better view of all that nothing.


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