Thailand’s most visited national park, Khao Yai, is just a two hour drive from Bangkok. Popular with Thais and tourists for family getaways, hiking, rafting, elephant riding or just relaxing, Khao Yai is also home to hundreds of hotels. One of the top Khao Yai resort hotels is The Greenery Resort, a contemporary boutique hotel offering superb accommodation and facilities. The first time I visited Khao Yai, I stayed in a hotel close to The Greenery, but after seeing The Greenery Resort, swore I’d stay there on my next visit. When I did, I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
Where is The Greenery Resort? – Located on the outskirts of Khao Yai National Park, The Greenery Resort is within just a few minutes driving of much of what Khao Yai has to offer. Only 20 minutes by car from both Khao Yai and Chockchai Farms, the two most popular tourist destinations in the area, it’s also close to Khao Yai’s Outlet Village and all the cheap brand name shopping that offers.
Accommodation at The Greenery Resort – On my first trip to Khao Yai, I stayed in a hotel with a group of Thai friends with another group staying at The Greenery Resort. My group and I visited them several times over our vacation and all of us decided we preferred The Greenery accommodation to what we had at our hotel.
At The Greenery, guest rooms are spacious and designed in a lovely contemporary Thai style. Our room had a flat screen TV, a large bathroom with a separate shower area (in the first hotel I stayed in, the water sprayed all over the bathroom as the shower wasn’t separated (Thai style). We also had a coffee maker, which is just about a must for me as I always desperately need coffee when I first drag myself out of bed in the morning. They also had nice little touches like fresh flowers in the bathroom and bath robes and slippers, and some really lovely designer toiletries.
Our room was quiet and had a gorgeous view out over the swimming pool. Friends, who traveled with us, had similar rooms but with garden views, which they said at night were so quiet they’d
never slept as well. The garden at The Greenery is absolutely gorgeous, so it was very pleasant sitting on their balcony having a beer.
Facilities at The Greenery Resort – The first hotel I stayed in, although nice, was distinctly lacking in facilities. The Greenery certainly made up for that. I loved the small restaurant and cafe, Cafe on the Green, where you could get a delicious meal (both Thai and international food). There were two other eateries, one a sports bar – which was incredibly fun as it had pool tables, pin ball machines, darts and huge TV screens where you could watch the latest sports events. It was a great place for a beer too.
The Greenery also has a pretty spa, where you can get all the usual Thai spa treatments, and a cute play area near the swimming pool for the kids. The main attraction at the hotel though is their activity center, where you can ride rides, play paintball, go horse riding, ATV driving and more. We rented bikes and rode around the grounds and also played paintball one day – incredibly fun.
The Greenery Resort is a lovely place to stay, whether you’re single, with a group of friends like I was, or with your family. It’s located in a gorgeous area of Khao Yai, close to everything and what with its comfortable accommodation, fun stuff to do and awesome food – you might not even want to leave the hotel.
Prices, of course, vary depending on which size of room you choose and the time of year you go. If you go during any of the Thai holidays, you’ll have to book at least a month in advance as they book up very fast. We went during off-season, so with a room rate of only 1,800 baht a day ($60), split between two we thought it was an incredibly cheap deal.
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Photo – One of The Greenery Resort’s stunning guest rooms – copyright Greenery Resort