Wild Cottages Elephant Sanctuary Resort

We visited yesterday on a day pass, and it is a lovely place. We had use of the pool and gardens, plenty of loungers around and a couple hammocks too, we where able to watch the elephants in the field below using the bath and just roaming around, and at lunch we were able to help feed the elephants. We also took advantage of the Spa and had a full hour and a half massage and treatment, which is good value for money, and has left me feeling totally refreshed. We ate lunch in the restaurant, and the food is fantastic, it was all absolutely lovely, and well presented. All staff were friendly and attentive, and nothing was too much bother for them. With the day pass you do get a 1500 baht credit to use on food and drink while there. Which I will say you Do need to use all of the credit before you leave. If you DON'T your bill is added up on the individual items, plus the tax and service charge. This was confusing for us and the couple before us. As we didn't use the credit, we either had to pay the full amount or to order more food to the value of the credit, as it was near closing time, we had to take this as take away. This is not a compliant, but just to make you aware, as coming to the end of the day, to find you need to pay more than you had budgetted, can be a worry. As a business I can not work out, how you benefit from us taking away more food. Surely, if I pay you 2500 baht, and I only use 800 baht of credit, you are better off?

Travelled with our 7 months old baby and we felt is very baby friendly. Despite the terrain and some hills, Wild Cottage has 2 buggies that send you from the reception to your room! We booked the family room and really love the facilities in it! Do check if they have baby cot if travelling with baby as we did not need a baby cot so we didn’t ask. Food was good, although there is only one cafe, but their great varieties of food will leave you coming back for more. Perfect for a staycation, just stay in the resort and enjoy the elephants and their facilities. As it is in the wild, do expect mosquitoes, but Wild cottage had kindly provided mosquito repellent. Understand from their staff that there will be more elephant joining soon! Can’t wait to see them!

We booked this place expecting a high-end, peaceful experience and paid a premium price of around $1,600 USD for a private villa in what is marketed as a luxury elephant sanctuary resort. Unfortunately, the reality was very different. The core issue is that the villas are not properly sealed. Doors and windows have open gaps, there are no insect screens, and it is impossible to fully close the space in a way that prevents animals from entering. This is not a minor inconvenience. It directly affects safety, comfort, and sleep. The villa itself looked beautiful at first. It was clean on arrival, the view was stunning, and the concept is impressive. However, the lack of proper sealing quickly became a serious problem. During our first night, despite keeping all doors closed, multiple geckos entered our villa, including inside the bedroom itself. The loud animal noises we heard for hours turned out to be geckos calling to each other from inside the room. One was removed around midnight, the second only after 2:00–2:30 a.m. Even after that, we continued hearing noises and feeling movement inside the room. We did not sleep at all until early morning. As a result of the sleepless night, we were forced to miss a Muay Thai activity we were really looking forward to. At breakfast the next morning, despite being almost alone in the dining area, it took around 45 minutes for our food to arrive, which only added to the frustration. The general manager offered to move us to an “upgraded” room, but initially expected us to vacate our room and be without any room until 3 p.m. Only after we objected did they agree to prepare it earlier. The so-called upgrade turned out to be essentially the same room, just slightly higher up, with the same open gaps, no sealing, and the same issues. No compensation was offered. Not even a basic gesture such as lunch, drinks, or a sincere attempt to acknowledge the night we completely lost. When we raised this, the response was simply that “this is nature” and “this happens.” That explanation might be acceptable for a budget eco-lodge, but not for a luxury resort charging this level of price. Later that day, we had an off-site activity booked through the hotel. When we arrived at reception to be picked up, the staff and manager appeared confused, made comments in Thai, and laughed among themselves. Eventually, after visible discomfort on our side, the manager drove us himself, but did not arrange a return, forcing us to walk back. Now, on our second night, we are again seeing geckos entering the villa and hearing noises, with real concern of another sleepless night. This is not about “being in nature.” This is about poor room design, lack of basic sealing, and dismissive management when issues arise. For the price we paid, the experience has been deeply disappointing. The concept has potential, but without serious improvements in room sealing, guest handling, and management attitude, this place does not deliver anything close to a luxury experience. We are still staying at the property and genuinely hope management will choose to address this properly before checkout