Montania Lifestyle Hotel — A Timber Jungle Lodge in Khlong Sok Village, One of the Best-Reviewed Stays in Khao Sok
Want to sleep in the Khao Sok rainforest and wake up to limestone cliffs, but still have a swimming pool, a great breakfast and be able to walk into the village for dinner? Montania Lifestyle Hotel is the answer — a boutique timber lodge in Khlong Sok village, the gateway to Khao Sok National Park · Wooden bungalows with private balconies facing the mountains, wrapped in green garden, with a pool and in-house hot tubs, and an all-day Thai restaurant whose breakfast — full of homemade Thai sweets — guests rave about · A few minutes' walk to the village's main street and the minibus stop, and just a short drive to the park entrance · From approx. ฿1,200/night · review scores around 8.9, and ranked the No. 1 stay in the village on TripAdvisor.
Montania Lifestyle Hotel is a boutique timber lodge set in Khlong Sok village, Phanom district, Surat Thani — the gateway village to Khao Sok National Park, one of the oldest rainforests in Thailand · Let's be clear from the start: this is a lodge on land, not a floating raft on Cheow Lan Lake — if you're hunting for a bungalow that floats over the water, this is a different kind of stay · But what Montania gives you is genuinely sleeping in the jungle, with limestone cliffs as a backdrop, green garden all around, and conveniences a lake raft can't offer — a swimming pool, a restaurant, and the freedom to walk around the village on your own.
What earns Montania its review scores of around 8.9 and its No. 1 ranking among village stays on TripAdvisor is its wooden-bungalow and chalet rooms with private balconies facing the mountains · There are everything from the lightest-priced standard/superior rooms up to deluxe timber chalets, large family rooms and mountain-view suites, around eighteen rooms in all · The feel is a warm jungle lodge, not a hotel block · Many guests say opening the curtains to limestone peaks and the sound of forest birds is a feeling well worth a price that starts at just a few thousand baht.
One of the things guests mention most often is the breakfast · This isn't a token buffet — there's a proper à-la-carte menu, plus homemade Thai sweets that reviews praise again and again as better than you'd expect for a stay this deep in the jungle · The hotel's Thai restaurant is open right through from 07:00 to 21:00, so you don't have to go far for food if you're tired after a day of trekking · And because the hotel sits right on the village's main street, it's an easy walk out to the little restaurants and cafés of Khlong Sok.
"Opened the balcony of our wooden room to a full mountain view, the pool was quiet and shady, the homemade-Thai-sweet breakfast really was delicious, and the owner and staff sorted out our whole lake tour — such a well-rounded base camp for Khao Sok."
Beyond the rooms and the food, Montania has things most Khao Sok lodges don't · A calm garden pool with a children's pool, and three in-house hot tubs to soak in and unwind after a hike — a jungle-retreat atmosphere that's hard to find at this price · There's a tour desk to arrange activities, from day trips out onto Cheow Lan Lake to jungle treks and kayaking, along with transfers · There's free Wi-Fi throughout, free parking, and bikes to borrow for rides around the village — a real difference from lake rafts, which often have no signal and only supply power for set hours.
The location is a genuine strength · The hotel is in Khlong Sok village, within walking distance of the main street, restaurants and the minibus/bus stop, and just a few minutes' drive from the Khao Sok National Park HQ entrance, the starting point for the jungle trails, river rafting and tubing on the Sok River · Getting here is easy too — a minibus or taxi from Surat Thani town takes about 1.5 hours, or roughly 2.5–3 hours from Phuket/Krabi, dropping you in Khlong Sok village · Unlike a lake raft, which needs a drive to the Ratchaprapha Dam pier and then a longtail boat in, this is far easier to come and go from.
The honest thing to accept is that parts of the buildings are starting to show their age · A number of 2024–2025 reviews mention upkeep issues — cracked or slippery poolside tiles, tired-looking towels and curtains, firm beds in some rooms, and a musty smell in some of the older units · There are occasional reports of construction noise from nearby, and the common areas can look a little cluttered at times · This is the voice of real reviews you should know before booking — if you're particular about a room feeling brand new, lean toward a deluxe chalet or a newer unit.
The other thing to understand is that this is a jungle lodge, not a lakeside stay · Cheow Lan Lake and the Ratchaprapha Dam pier are further away — a drive of roughly forty minutes to an hour, then a longtail boat — which most people visit on a day tour the hotel helps arrange · The in-house lake tours are bookable, but some reviews say the price runs high, so it's worth comparing with operators in the village first · And don't forget this is tropical rainforest: hot and humid, with rain that arrives out of nowhere, mosquitoes and insects, and no beach — Khao Sok is a land of jungle and lake, not sand and sea.
Honestly, Montania Lifestyle Hotel is best for travellers who want to use Khlong Sok village as a relaxed base camp for exploring Khao Sok — sleeping in a wooden jungle bungalow, with a pool, hot tubs, a great breakfast, dinner a short walk away in the village, and the park entrance close by, all from a starting price of a few thousand baht, with a team that arranges tours and transfers · The things to accept are that parts of the buildings are old, and that this is a lodge on land, not a lake raft · If you can live with those two, this is one of the best-reviewed, best-value stays in the Khlong Sok area.
A tip from those who've followed the reviews here closely: if your budget allows, choose a deluxe timber chalet or a newer room to sidestep most of the old-room, musty-smell issues · Book ahead in high season (Nov–Apr), as rooms are limited to around eighteen and fill fast · Plan for 2 nights or more so you can split it into a day trekking in the park and a day on the Cheow Lan Lake tour · And pack mosquito repellent, a rain jacket and shoes that can get wet, because the Khao Sok rainforest brings rain quickly and plenty of insects.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ No. 1 reviewed stay in Khlong Sok village, scoring around 8.9
- ✓ Renowned breakfast — a proper à-la-carte menu plus homemade Thai sweets
- ✓ Garden pool and in-house hot tubs — a jungle-retreat atmosphere
- ✓ Friendly owner and staff who arrange tours and transfers for you
- ! Parts of the buildings are ageing and need more upkeep
- ! Occasional construction noise from nearby
- ! A lodge on land, not a floating raft on Cheow Lan Lake
- ✓ Wooden bungalows with private balconies and lovely limestone-mountain views, a real jungle feel
- ✓ Walk to the village main street, close to the Khao Sok park entrance
- ✓ Free Wi-Fi, parking, bikes to borrow and an all-day restaurant
- ✓ A great base camp for trekking and joining a Cheow Lan Lake tour
- ! Some rooms in older buildings smell musty and beds are fairly firm
- ! In-house lake tours run fairly pricey — compare first
- ! Hot, humid rainforest, frequent rain, mosquitoes and no beach
- 💡If you're after the experience of sleeping on a floating raft in the middle of Cheow Lan Lake — this is a lodge on land in Khlong Sok village, and the lake is further away by car and boat, usually visited on a day tour → if you really want to sleep on the water, pick a raft on Cheow Lan Lake instead.
- 💡If you're particular about a room feeling brand new — parts of the buildings are ageing, and some older rooms smell musty with firm beds → choose a deluxe chalet or a newer unit, and check the latest room reviews before booking.
- 💡If you're expecting a beach — Khao Sok is rainforest and lake, hot and humid, with frequent rain, mosquitoes and no beach → if you want the sea, look at stays over on Koh Samui/Koh Tao instead.