Just finished a 6 day stay at the resort. The highlights are the service which is amazing, the spa (get the signature massage) and the grounds. The rooms are actually 2 floor bungalows which every detail is flawless. The grounds are breathtaking and they can not do enough for you. I took part in two excursions which one was to Phi Phi island with snorkling and the other was to ride on an elephant and see Tiger Temple. The guides are very detailed and great. Being rainy season (rained for 2 total hours in 6 days) the resort is about 1/4 full which makes for even better service. There is a lot of downtime and no bar so it is a good thing for the reading room. There is plenty of wine and cocktails available throughout the day and night though. The buffet on Thursday night is nice as well. The downside of the resort is the gym (5 pieces of equipment from 1902 I think) and the room is like a sauna and has bees in it. Also, there are a lot of large bugs and ants here that attack all day and night. The food at the Thai restaurant is good, but for a 5 star resort, the food at the other restaurants and as a whole is way below par. It is hard to get food here that is not in a sauce, fried or just average. Other than that, this is a great place that I would reccomend.

This was our second stay- the only hotel we have ever gone back to, which says it all! The setting is absolutely stunning, and service and staff wonderful. We were worried about food prices as the last time we went it was all half board. However, they were not unreasonable and only slightly more than the other restaurants on Railay beach (and much nicer). We would definately recommend it.

The Rayavadee is quite simply a wonderful place. The setting is amongst the most beautiful natural scenery in the world.Staying in Rayavadee gives you the feeling of living in a luxurious tropical village.The staff are very good and obliging and are also lovely people.The Pavillions are very nice and homely.Whilst they could probably be upgraded slightly they have a charm. The food is very good in the restaurants despite what some have said.Naturally if you are staying here for longer than a week you will get tired of the restaurants.We went on a private excursion to the Mangrove forest and this was well worth it.Again the staff made this memorable. The long tail boats at the beaches give the place a bit of a buzz and are interesting to watch.They actually look good in photos with the Limestone karsts as a backdrop.To sum up really this is a memorable place to spend a week in.In comparison to our stay in the Evason in Koh Yao Noi nearby it wins because of the setting,charm and service and loses only slightly when comparing the quality of accomodation in the Pavilions to that in the Evason.

We stayed at Rayavadee for 13 nights - firstly this could have been our mistake as perhaps that really was just too long to be 'captive' here. Our first impressions (after a gruelling journey, not the fault of Rayavadee though) were positive; luxury boat transfer & warm welcome. Our 'room' was very nice towards the pool and not shaded as other have reported - in fact if you pay more for a hot-tub room you are likely to be in the shade. Beeches are beautiful except the one you land on but this is not a bathing beach, however when tide is low a lot of litter, oil on this one. Plenty of sun loungers & very comfortable. Pool large & beautiful scenary all around - breath-taking. However food not great in any of the restaurants we tried (didn't use fine dining) & sent meals back including in the Thai restaurant which was a disappointment. Also no bar area which meant resort had little community; we don't particularly socialise on holiday but this was just strange! Afternoon tea was a nice touch & included. Rooms well stocked with complimentary water, fruit, tea/coffee, biscuits, toiletries daily. Other extras very expensive not just compared to local area but to other similar standard hotels we have stayed in i.e. trips. wine. The only way off the resort area is by water taxi!!! These are awful be prepared to get wet as well as sustain a few brusies. I also like to get dressed up for evening meal - what I mean is nice dress etc & men in long trousers - this was not appropriate here & if you went on the beach which we did you were really dining with backpackers (no prob with this, just didn't have enough casual gear with me..........took loads of new clothes back to shops unworn when I got home!) In summary if you are looking for five star luxury this isn't the place, we feel that we could have got better service, food & value for money in many other places.

I have to start by saying that I stayed at this resort in 2006 and maybe it has made improvements since then, but I went to Rayavadee with very high expectations and was a little disappointed. If you are looking for a nice resort and don't mind the prices, this could be the place for you, but if you are a truly discriminating traveler and like to stay in only the nicest places and expect Four Seasons style service and standards (like i do when i travel) you will be not be happy at Rayavadee. let me start off with the good things the resort has to offer: The grounds are expansive and very well maintained. This is the best part of Rayavadee- you truly feel like you are in a beautiful little village surrounded by ocean and mountains. Each bungalow is also extremely spacious with elegant thai decor and the bathrooms have fantastic amenities. The pool is very nice as well although nothing breathtaking. here is the downside (and again, i will admit i am being picky- there is nothing horrible about this resort. But if you are looking for bliss and perfection, these issues may stand in your way) The beds in the rooms are hard and water pressure in the bathrooms is lacking (by the time we were able to fill the deep soaking tub, the water had turned cold!). The spa is ok but not great. The food is really bad in all of the restaurants. Completely bland. At least the atmosphere at the Thai restaurant at night is very nice but don't expect a culinary experience. The staff is very nice and anxious to please but no matter how hard they try, they just don't seem to know what they are doing. The biggest disappointment is the beaches. Not only are the completely overrun with Daytrippers (this does make a difference- thinks tons of people, longboats and trash) but there are also several hostel style hotels next to Rayavadee so lots of backpacker types partying on the beach at all hours. If you are like me, you went to Thailand for beautiful, secluded beaches and you will not find that here. Anyway, this is definitely a nice resort but if you have high standards and want a more exclusive experience, i would suggest the Aman resort in Koh Samui or the Maldives