I stayed here with my family in December 2011, and have stayed multiple times on my own or with friends since 1996.

The best thing about this place is that it is right next door to Khao Sok National Park. The property was established in the early 90s with nature tourism in mind. The family that owns the resort have managed to keep some nice forest remaining. You can hear gibbons calling, and see macaques and hornbills fly across the property in the mornings. The water in the stream is very clean and you can usually see small fishes poking about between the rocks since there are no other developments upstream.

The property has gone through much development in that time with the number of bungalows expanding from 5 to more than 20. The best rooms to stay in are the new treehouses. They are well-designed, comfortable rooms with balconies and clean bathrooms in the rear of the property on a hill with views eastwards over the beautiful karst mountains. Small children may find the steps up to the treehouses a bit steep. The next best rooms are the new riverhouses in the east of the property which have aircon and nice balconies, and again clean bathrooms. The older concrete bungalows near the restaurant are a bit small and cramped inside. The original bungalows on the hill overlooking the khlong (river) were built from timber and are now in need of repair.

This is a family operation and they are lovely people from Surat Thani Province. Khun O is the young lady who manages the property for her father Khun Anothai. I have found they try their best to please guests once you tell them your needs. If you need your room cleaned make sure you tell them in the morning.

The food is really excellent with a range of original Thai dishes. There are two levels to the restaurant which can get crowded when there are groups coming through and staying during the high season. Be patient with the cooks who will turn out a nice meal for you. Banana and pineapple pancakes are a breakfast specialty, definitely worth trying. Try any of the curries or local fish dishes.

It is worth taking a trip to the Chiew Larn Lake inside Khao Sok National Park. This is best done as a day-trip because the Rainforest Resort is much nicer place to sleep than the rowdy floating rafts on the lake. If you are into nature watching, you don't even need to walk into the park. At the restaurant you can watch a range of small birds feeding in the flowering trees and bushes, or just watch them from the balcony of your bungalow with a nice cup of coffee in the morning, or a beer in the late afternoon. At night you can spot frogs in the river and ponds around the property. You might pick up a few leeches in the process but that is par for the course and they come off with a squirt of insect repellant. Avoid going to the Monkey Temple since the macaques there are fed garbage by tourists and it disturbs their natural movement and behaviour.

The best time to visit Khao Sok is October - December at the end of the low season when the temperatures are relatively cool (up to 30 Celsius) and there are fewer visitors. But I have been there in August and September when it's raining heavily and the place is beautiful and very quiet there.

There is an internet service if you really have to connect but it's not always reliable. The digital GSM telephone signal is good.

Because I would not recommend the cheaper bungalows, this place is not the best choice for backpackers. It's really best considered a mid-range resort and it's good value relative to what else is available in the area in that category. You can make bookings online. They have a website at http://krabidir.com/khaosokrainforest/

We really wanted to like this place more, too bad, because the surrounding rainforest is beautiful.

We stayed in a newer, A/C bungalow. Nice room, comfy bed, great air, inviting balconies. The bathroom smelled atrocious. I think there is some sewer issue. We kept the bathroom door closed and asked them to clean it to try and cover up the smell. It just came back.
Also had problems twice with the shower not working properly.

The food is pretty good and the restaurant fairly comfortable. Be sure to say hi to Lucky the dog.

We booked one tour and was happy overall. We no longer got a hard sell. Yet every new person we saw on arrival or over dinner was given the sales pitch right away. It's pretty uncomfortable to watch, yet it's the norm here in Thailand. You wanna visit the nicer parts of Khao Sok, you gotta book a tour. PLEASE do not book any elephant tours in Thailand where you ride on them in a seat. This hurts the elephants and elephants working like this are rarely treated well.

The feeling here is definitely one of sell, sell, sell. At the prices we paid for a bungalow, the bathroom should work better and the service should be nicer.

We stayed for about a week in Dec. 2011 and were surprised by the nice accomodation - just keep in mind that this location is not a kind of beach resort but a starting point for excursions into the rainforest. Bungalows (those with AC) were just 2 months old and cleen and comfortable (comfortable bed, warm shower, AC, refrigerator). Although there were no mosiquito nets we had no problems with them - just took a spray in the evening hours. Food was simple but good. If you want the room to be cleaned just ask the staff at the reception... Staff was friendly and very helpful - we had some wondeful and interesting conversations at lunchtime.

We booked the overnight lake tour and had a guide from the rainforest resort who was just great. He took us to different places that were not in the official programm for this tour - we really enjoyed it. Although this tour is only for people who are ready to do without a shower and the usual amenities for a day. Accomodation on the lake is really simple but also great adventure.

Additionally we booked a tour to this big flower (forgot the name) which khao sok is famous for. We were really lucky and found some blossoming ones - they are really impressive and look like from outer space. According to our guide this really depends on the time that you visit - if they do not blossom they just look like little balls - not spectacular at all.

You can also get a (not very detailed) map at the entrance and to some excursions on your own. Best is to ask at the entrance they will tell you how far you can easily and safely track on your own. Just wear long trousers - there are some (small) leaches in the grass.

We really enjoyed our stay and can absolutely recommend the rainforest resort.