Chalaroste, Koh Lanta — nine villas, a rooftop each

Nine villas on a hillside above Saladan, all identical — no room type to agonise over. Each has its own rooftop, and the rooftop is the reason to book.

We were there end of November 2025 and it rained most of the week. The hills behind the property go a particular green in that weather and the sound on the roof doesn't stop. We worked from the rooftop through most of it. The pool sits in the middle of the property and rarely had more than a couple of people in it.

The walk up is genuinely uphill. That's the trade — you're off the main road, so what you hear at night is the hill rather than scooters, but you're climbing home every time. There's a 7-Eleven at the bottom, cafes a short walk on, and the beach is a walk rather than a step off the deck. Scooters rent on site, which is how you get to the rest of the island.

Rates run about ฿1,500–2,000 a night depending on season and how full they are. Breakfast is available and it's good — simple, fresh. We mostly swam first and ate out, but we took it two or three times when the rain made the decision for us.

Getting there, we booked the Lanta–Ao Nang transfer through 12Go Asia: a van, a short ferry crossing you stay inside the van for, and it drops you at your hotel door. Hotel to hotel, no pier logistics.

Small property, and the hosts run it like a house. That's most of why we'd go back.

The full week — Klong Dao swims, Lanta Old Town, the southern scooter run — is in the nomad post.