One of the things that I most liked about Khao Yai is that it’s relatively untouched still by commercial tourism. You’re not likely to see any big chains, or even regional ones for that matter, unless you’re looking. Instead, a patchwork quilt of little independent businesses weave their way through the palm trees and winding mountain roads. The best of those, I think, is The Series Resort.
I spent a long weekend here in early January, and The Series Resort is the goldilocks of the region to me. It’s the closest to Bangkok of all the hotels I considered, and is also mere minutes to the national park entrance, vineyards, and cute cafes. It’s been lovingly redesigned by the family in recent years, but still retains the hospitality of a bed and breakfast. For me, the price seemed shockingly affordable considering the value of our stay.
So, if you’re considering staying at The Series Resort as your base camp while visiting Khao Yai, here’s my full experience.
Frequently Asked Questions about The Series Resort Khao Yai
When Did The Hotel Open?
The Series Hotel has been around for decades, but received a redesign and renovation by the daughter in September 2020.
Is The Series Part Of A Hotel Group?
Nope! This is a second-generation family business, one of the things that attracted us the most to staying here.
Is The Hotel Dog Friendly?
This hotel has no defined policy may allow dogs with prior approval by hotel staff. Give them a call and speak to management to make sure prior to bringing your pet along.
Is The Hotel Family Friendly?
We saw quite a few families while we were here and the staff seemed great at accommodating toddlers and young children.
Is The Hotel Accessible?
There were certainly more efforts made here to be accessible than at other hotels I’ve seen throughout Thailand, but there are a few areas that would be very difficult to access for people with mobility issues. Navigating the main lobby and restaurant area would require using a side ramp that’s a bit out of the way, and many of the garden features utilise rough pavers.
In Three Words…
serene, tranquil, verdant.
Location of The Series Resort Khao Yai
The hotel is located in a town called Phaya Yen in the Pak Chong District. From Bangkok, it was about a two hour drive, although we planned our departure to avoid rush hour traffic. The Series is very centrally located to exploring the region, and is about a twenty minute drive from most things we wanted to do.
The region doesn’t lend itself very well to walkability, and there wasn’t really anywhere we could have walked to had we wanted to. That being said, this seemed to be the case for all of the other accommodation options we looked at as well. To stay here, I recommend either bringing your own motorbike or hiring transportation for the day.
Amenities at The Series Resort Khao Yai
Bars & Restaurants
The restaurant at The Series Resort is located just adjacent to the main lobby with stunning views of the pool, gardens, and verdant mountains. It is open to the general public, and the best tables will often be booked in advance, especially in the evenings. The food we ordered was both fresh and abundant, each dish presented with style and care. The staff here had limited English, however, so I recommend sticking to whatever is on the menu without modifications unless you can communicate your wishes in Thai.
Spa & Fitness
There is a small fitness center located on-site with a good selection of basic weights and cardio equipment. We chose to get our exercise from hiking the outdoors during our stay, but it seemed clean and well stocked for anyone who did desire to use it.
The infinity pool is the obvious focal point of the resort, with breezy linen draped loungers framed by swaying palms and the verdant mountains beyond.
Concierge
The hospitality at The Series Resort easily rivaled (and, in some cases, surpassed) that of five star resorts we’ve stayed in — during check in, we were served freshly brewed local tea. As soon as that process was finished, our luggage was promptly taken to our room while we were escorted to the main restaurant, where we were served complementary afternoon tea.
Every day after turn down service, we received a hand written note and a little treat on our bed. The staff graciously arranged transportation for us, and anticipated our every need while actually spending time in the resort. As yet another sweet gesture, we were also offered a complementary coffee and small bag of baked goods at check out for our journey home. This is where the personal touches of a family-run hotel truly shone.
While most of the staff had limited English, everyone tried their best to communicate despite this and were very gracious at my attempts to use my limited Thai. We never encountered any significant barriers to service because of this, and even learnt a few new useful phrases for ourselves in the process.
The Rooms At The Series Resort Khao Yai
The accommodations at The Series Resort are all of a similar room type, with slightly varying views depending on the location. The rooms on the ground floor, where we were, offered more privacy due to the dense foliage. The rooms on the upper floor offer beautiful views of the mountains, but are visible to everyone sitting poolside.
The rooms themselves were modern and well designed, each with breezy canopy style beds, giant sunken tubs, and a private balcony featuring a suspended lounger.
Overall
I absolutely loved my time at The Series Resort and would recommend staying here if you’re planning on visiting Khao Yai. We actually recommended this to my family based in Bangkok shortly after we returned to the city, and they had a similarly wonderful experience during their stay.
Just a reminder – this hotel stay was booked and paid for by myself, and I received no compensation prior to this review. All opinions, as always, are my own.
