Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: www.citinloftpattaya.com or check out Hotels.com for the best deals on accommodations in Pattaya, Thailand.

Location:

The hotel is located in Pattaya city, tucked away on a quiet street a couple of streets away from busy Pattaya Klang Road. We had trouble finding the hotel because there are several streets with the same name in the area. We arrived by car and it took us over 60 minutes to find the hotel by having to stop several times and ask taxi drivers to help us. Furthermore, the hotel is quite far from the beach, tourist restaurants and tourist shops. It is approximately a 30+ minute walk to the beach. The hotel does provide a shuttle service that takes you to a nearby supermarket which will reduce the amount of walking you do. However, you can't count on the shuttle to take you back as it may not be there when you want to go back despite their outlined shuttle schedule. We normally don't mind doing a bit of walking, but we felt that this was a bit too much even for us. Needless to say, we didn't like the location of this hotel.

Room Comfort:

The rooms are very spacious and decorated in modern Thai decor. We were upgraded to a family suite which had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 balconies, a small kitchenette and a living room. Although we booked a non-smoking room, the room had a very strong smell of cigarette smoke when we first entered the room. We confirmed that the room was non-smoking and we were assured by the staff that it was, but by the smell in the room it was clear that they simply removed the ashtrays prior to our arrival. The room had air conditioning, modern flat screen TV's, in room Wi-Fi and a handy control system for the lights, fan and a/c on the night table beside the beds. Toiletries were provided, but the shampoo and shower gel seemed to be refilled rather than replaced. The bottles were slimy and felt used. This hotel was new at the time of our stay, but already felt like it was aging quickly. The furniture was chipped and the bathroom tiles are already starting to mold and crack.

Cleanliness:

We felt that the cleaning staff were not doing their job properly at all. Our room was not as clean as it should have been when we first arrived. In fact, after had a look at our room, we asked the manager to provide them with a list of things to clean. Including, dusty furniture, dirty floor, stained mirrors, stained faucets, water stains on the counters, leaking toilet, leaking faucet, dirty bed sheets and so on. Furthermore, there were a number of odd looking bugs all over the suite and many mosquitoes in the room so that we had to spray ourselves with bug spray before sleeping. On a positive note, the towels were clean.

Overall, it was difficult to settle and get comfortable due to the lack of cleanliness, which was really unfortunate because the rooms were actually very nice. Although the manager did a great job informing his staff of the problems which were all addressed to our satisfaction, they should not have been an issue to begin with. If the cleaning staff does a better job cleaning the rooms, the rooms would be quite comfortable.

Service:

Our first experience with the hotel staff was not a pleasant one. We were having difficulties finding the hotel, so we used our mobile phone (at our expense) to contact the hotel to get directions. A young women answered and we explained that we were in Pattaya and needed directions. Her attempt to provide directions was very poor, compounded by our trouble understanding their limited English and strong accents. The women then passed the phone to another women who again wasn't able to provide better instructions. In the end she got frustrated with us for not being able to understand her and she hung up the phone on us. The calls made to the hotel in an attempt to get directions proved to be costly and useless as we spent about an hour of our time looking for the hotel. After stopping and asking for directions several times, we finally met a local that was familiar with the hotel and pointed us in the right direction. When we finally arrived at the hotel we immediately asked to speak to the manager as we wanted him to be aware that his staff was not able to provide directions to a guest and hung up the phone on them, making the matter worse. The manager was very kind, apologetic and professional. After this initial experience the staff were all very kind to us for obvious reasons.

Food:

There is a restaurant located on site. Breakfast was included with the reservation. It was provided in a buffet style manner. An egg station was also available for made to order eggs. We found the quality of the food to be very poor. The breads, pancakes and croissants were very dry and tasted old. The rice and potatoes tasted stale. The made to order eggs were good but would sit for a while before they were brought to us so at times came cold. Since our breakfast experience wasn't good we decided to eat elsewhere for dinner.

Overall Value:

We had taken advantage of one of their offers and booked a deluxe room though the internet. The offer was to stay 2 nights and get one free. The offer was great and the value would have been fantastic if we had enjoyed our stay. Although it was kind of the hotel staff to upgrade us to a family suite, it also seemed that the larger room came with more problems. When we checked in, we told them that we didn't want the family suite as we knew it was too big for 2 people but they didn't have a deluxe room available so we had no choice but to take the larger room. The funny thing about the upgrade was that when we arrived, the upgrade was already in their system but when we talked to the manager he said he would give us a complimentary upgrade. He made it sound like it was something he was doing as a way to apologize for his staff, but it was something that was already arranged for us before we checked in as they had already booked all their deluxe rooms. It was a nice thought.

Needless to say, we didn't enjoy our stay here and would not return again. There are many hotel options in Pattaya and for a new hotel that is part of a reputable chain it turned out to be very disappointing. Although the hotel rooms were very nice, they weren't maintained to our satisfaction to merit another visit to this hotel.

Other Notes:

There is an uninviting pool at the hotel located adjacent to the hotel's parking lot. It's a small pool at the front entrance of the hotel which sits mainly in the shade all day. If you want to stay at a hotel with a pool, stay elsewhere.

Photos:

Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: www.royalorchidpattaya.com or check out Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in Pattaya, Thailand.

Important Note:

This is one of the few resorts that we decided to review without actually spending a night at the resort. We decided to write this review because we feel we had a thorough look at the hotel and spoke with enough employees and travelers to confidently write this review. Furthermore, we were shown multiple rooms and feel confident with our review based on what we witnessed.

Location:

The hotel is located on the north coast of Pattaya called Naklua Bay, within close walking distance to the beach, shops and restaurants. The resort is located far enough from the main road to be quiet in the evenings. If you want to stay in the main Pattaya area, this hotel is a bad choice as it is on Naklua Bay and not Pattaya Bay. Pattya Bay is traditionally associated with any discussions on Pattaya, Thailand such as Walking Street, Beach Road and other Pattaya attractions. However, if you are looking for a quieter place to stay in Pattaya, this location works. Depending on what you are looking for, this location can be good or bad.

Room Comfort:

We were shown deluxe and superior rooms and both types of rooms were old and run down. Although their brochure stated that their rooms are newly refurbished, the rooms we were shown were either already showing signs of aging or were not refurbished. We did notice some nice rooms by the pool which may have been refurbished. The rooms were spacious and all had modern amenities such as flat screen TV's, air conditioning, in room safes, Internet connection and toiletries. The rooms we were shown were not worth the price they were charging.

Cleanliness:

The rooms seemed clean; however, the bathroom tiles had mould in spots. The resort lobby and grounds were clean and well maintained.

Service:

The service we received from the hotel staff was good. They provided us with a few options of accommodations and explained what the resort had to offer, such as breakfast, onsite restaurant, a pool, and so on. We did hear from other travelers that the service could be better as some travelers weren't getting their free bottles of water on a daily basis.

Food:

We did not have any meals at the resort so we can't comment on it.

Overall Value:

For a luxury hotel, it's not very luxurious compared to other Thai hotels. Pattaya has a lot of options for accommodations and this resort is a poor option for the area. The price charged for the rooms isn't justified and is in fact overpriced for the area.  Since the hotel caters to tour groups who bring their clients to this hotel, they have less incentive to upkeep their rooms. Furthermore, tour operators get a substantial discount on the rack rate so booking a room on your own isn't worth it. We normally recommend to stay clear of those hotels that cater to tour operators as we find the management and staff don't take as much pride or care of the hotel or their guests since they don't have to work as hard to bring in the guests. This hotel is no exception. With so many hotels in Pattaya, you could stay in better hotels or resorts for half the price.

Other Notes:

Check out Hotels.com for the most options and best deals on other accommodations in Pattaya, Thailand.

Photos:

Inquiries:

At the time of our visit, you could only make reservations by calling 044-297150 or 081-9674204. Otherwise, you can check out Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in the Khao Yai National Park, Thailand area.

Important Note:

This is one of the few resorts that we decided to review without actually spending a night at the resort. We decided to write this review because we think it's a good option for the area. We think staying at this resort would be a good and authentic Thai experience. We were shown multiple rooms and feel confident with our review based on what we saw.

Location:

The resort is located within close proximity to the Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. It is located off the highway 2090, about 5km from the main park entrance on the north side of the park. The resort is spread out on a nice and secluded property and has good, distant views of the bat cave where you can see thousands of bats emerging into the sky at sunset. Since the resort is so close to Khao Yai National Park, it makes it a good base for exploring the park, especially if you want to do some early morning hikes. The resort could be hard to find as we did not see any signs to it off highway 2090, but it's possible that there are some and we just did not see them since we weren't looking for the resort to begin with.

Room Comfort:

The accommodations at the resort range from tents with shared bathrooms to private cottages with private bathrooms. They also rent two full 4-bedroom houses. Each type of accommodation is well maintained and full of Thai character. Since we didn't stay overnight at the resort, we really can't attest to the comfort of the rooms.

Cleanliness:

The resort grounds are nicely maintained. From what we saw the cottages seemed to be clean and well maintained as well. Since we didn't stay at this resort we cannot fully comment on the cleanliness.

Service:

Although we weren't staying at the resort, the owners (and family) made us feel very comfortable and welcome. The owners of the resort spoke little English but they did their best to communicate with us and welcome us into their resort/home. Their daughter who was visiting for the weekend spoke English very well. She kept us company as we watched the bats emerge from their cave and afterwards joined us for a drink. Her mother brought us some local fruits called Tamarind to try which we thought was very nice. A few hours had gone by before we realized how much time we had spent there. We were lucky to find this place and we were truly welcomed by the very hospitable Thai family, even though we weren't overnight guests at their place. (The owners did not know we were travel advisors either so we know their hospitality was genuine.) We thought this was a true demonstration of Thai hospitality.

Food:

We did not have any meals at the resort, but can only imagine that they would true homemade Thai dishes.

Overall Value:

Although we did not have the pleasure to stay here we were very happy that we came across this place. The family that runs the place were very kind and welcoming. It seems that they take lots of pride in their resort and take good care of it. We liked that there was a range of accommodation options for people yet the resort was still small enough for the owners to show you traditional Thai hospitality. If you're looking for a different, (i.e., one that caters to Thai tourists where you are likely to mingle with Thai people as opposed to other Westerners) and locally run place to stay at in the Khao Yai area, we recommend you give this place a try.

Other Notes:

We could not stay at this hotel because, unfortunately, we could not fit it into our schedule. We discovered this resort strictly by chance. We were actually looking for a good place to view the bats emerging from their cave when we stopped and asked a very nice man for directions. With his limited English he said to follow a dirt path and pointed us to a gate. The gated property turned out to be his resort. At the time, we didn't realize that he was allowing us to view the bats from his property which was actually the Ban Rai Chay Khao resort.

Photos:

Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: www.sabaiempress.com or check Expedia.com for the best prices of hotels in Pattaya, Thailand.

Location:

This hotel opened its doors in mid-2009 right off Pattaya 2 Road and Soi 1 in Pattaya, Thailand. The Pattaya 2 Road is a very busy street and rooms facing the road tend to be noisy. We had a street facing room but actually enjoyed the noise of busy Pattaya. The hotel is within a 5-minute walk to the beginning part of Pattaya beach, (Walking Street is located at the end of Pattaya Beach as a comparison), and is nearby to many shops and restaurants. The hotel is approximately a 10-minute walk from the main tourist shopping area in Pattaya, or about a 30-minute walk from Pattaya's famous Walking Street. We preferred this location to hotels located off Pattaya Beach Road or the ones closer to Walking Street, but that really depends on why you are visiting Pattaya in the first place. 

Room Comfort:

The rooms are very stylish, comfortable and beautifully decorated with traditional Thai decor. The rooms are also large and feature flat screen TV's, large comfortable beds, and free Wi-Fi. The walls are nicely decorated with simple wall paintings of flowers which we thought were a nice and unique touch to the rooms. The bathroom was also large and modern with plenty of hot water and great water pressure. The rooms have in-room safes and air conditioning, while good toiletries were also provided.

Cleanliness:

The room, including the bathroom, were very clean and very well maintained. The trendy hotel lobby, restaurant and pool area were also very clean and well maintained. The staff wore professional clean uniforms. Sheets and towels were fresh and clean.    

Service:

The service was great for the price. No matter what we asked for, the staff responded in a very friendly and welcoming manner and did their best to fulfil our request. There is free on-site parking, a restaurant and a beautiful rooftop swimming pool at the hotel  The hotel staff can also book tours for you if you're interested.

Food:

We didn't try the food at the hotel so we can't comment on it. Breakfast was not included with the room booking, but there are a number of restaurants near the hotel where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Overall Value:

This hotel offers great value and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Pattaya that's not after the sex trade industry. We visited a lot of hotels in Pattaya and can assure you that the beautiful, comfortable and clean rooms at the Sabai Empress offer excellent value for Pattaya.

Other Notes:

N/A

Photos:

Inquiries:

You can visit the hotel's website at: www.ecovalleylodge.com or check out Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in the Khao Yai, Thailand area.

Location:

The resort is located a few minutes drive off highway 2090, near Pak Chong, which is the main road that leads to Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai NP is approximately a 20-minute drive from the resort.  Pakchong is about a 10-minute drive from the resort and is a great place to try local foods at their daily night market. The hotel sign located on Highway 2090 is in bad shape and can be hard to spot especially if arriving at night; however, once you turn off highway 2090 there are many helpful signs to lead the rest of the way to the resort. The resort is set in a very quiet and relaxing area that we found to be a good base to explore the beautiful surrounding area.

Room Comfort:

We stayed in a bungalow which was nicely decorated with simple but tasteful Thai décor and wall photos of some of the surrounding attractions. The bungalow was small but still comfortable. We were placed in a bungalow as far away as possible from the restaurant because there was a potentially loud school group from abroad hosting a good-bye party at the restaurant the night of our arrival. In an effort to make our stay comfortable, the owner strategically placed us as far away from the group as she could which was a very nice thought. However, since the bungalows are split into 2 rooms and the wall separating the two rooms are thin, our neighbours with their young crying child proved to be louder than the group. This is something that's out the control of the thoughtful owner, so just be aware that the walls between the rooms are fairly thin.

There are no mosquito nets over the bed; however, there is a screen door that helps keep the mosquitoes and other insects out of the room. We still recommend that you spray yourself with mosquito spray before going to sleep as some mosquitoes do manage to get into the room. The bathroom was big enough but we found the shower head to be very ineffective. The shower head was old and clogged which caused the water to squirt in all direction, making the entire bathroom wet while we showered. Furthermore, there was poor water pressure, making showering more difficult than we would have liked.

Finally, the resort has several games set-up on it's grounds, like badminton nets for example that you can take advantage of. Alternatively, you can borrow one of their books.

Cleanliness:

The room including the bathroom were very clean. The resort grounds, pool and restaurant were also well maintained.    

Service:

The service was good but could have been better. The responses to our email inquiries and booking were slow and scarce. We had to follow up on a couple of occasions to confirm our emails were received and the reservation was made. However, the owner did apologize for the delayed responses and was present to welcome us to the resort on our arrival. We didn't like that the staff who checked us in did not inform us about breakfast or about the safe in our room that was built in the wall behind a photo. We were simply asked to fill in a registration card and then shown to our room. Nevertheless, the staff are friendly and maybe it was the lack of their grasp of the English language (or the lack of our Thai dialect) that caused the lack of disclosing some vital information during check-in. Some staff did speak English well, while others had trouble communicating in English. Furthermore, the owner allowed us to check-out well beyond the usual check-out time so that we could rent bikes and explore the area which was very kind and helpful. This was only possible because they were not expecting any guests to that room that day. Nevertheless, the late check-out was very much appreciated. The hotel can book tours for you or provide information about things to do in the area. We didn't use their tours as we had our own transportation and prefer to travel and explore the area independently. In addition, we also felt the tours were priced a on the high side, but hopefully that's because they provide excellent tours. Internet is available at the resort but is not free and we found it fairly expensive for Thai standards.

Food:

We only ate breakfast at the resort which wasn't bad but wasn't great. We chose to eat elsewhere for lunch and dinner as we felt the prices at the resort were high for Thai standards.

Overall Value:

We enjoyed our stay here and think the resort is beautiful. Although we feel the bungalows are a good value, we do feel that the tours, food and internet are overpriced. The bungalows are a nice place to come back to after a long day of outdoor activities (as long as your neighbours aren't too loud). We recommend this place to others, but only if you have your own car to explore the area and Khao Yai National Park independently. We should also mention that the owner is professional and very nice and accommodating.

Other Notes:

The activities that we were able to do from the resort on our own included, biking to the Big White Buddha, exploring the surrounding farms on foot and by bike, visiting the night market in Pakchong, seeing the bats leave the cave at sunset (see our review of Ban Rai Chay Khao for more info), hike at Khao Yai NP, and so on.

We rented bikes to explore the area and managed to ride to the Big White Buddha. The bike ride was nice and finding the Big Buddha on our own was very rewarding. If you want to bike to the Big White Buddha from the resort, here are the directions:

• When exiting the resort go right and make the first 2 possible left turns that you come across. Continue biking and take the next right. You will reach a Y intersection where you will take the left road. Eventually, you will reach a chicken farm, (that you will recognize by the smell), where you will make a left. (There is only one possible left at the chicken farm, so don't worry about getting lost.) Continue biking until you reach an intersection where you continue going straight. At the end of this road make a left and then make a right at the end of that road. At the end of this road make another left. Take this road all the way to the end and then make a right. From here you should see signs to the floating art market, follow the signs. You should start seeing the Buddha in the distance. Pass the floating market and at the end of that road make another left. The big White Buddha should be sitting straight ahead of you. Enjoy the views from the top! We know that these directions sound complicated, but they are not. If you get lost, the locals are very friendly and will guide you along, so don't worry too much about getting lost.

Finally, be beware that there are ticks and leeches at Khao Yai National Park. When you finish your hike, take the usual precautions and check your body for ticks. Don't forget to shake out your clothing (and wash them) as ticks can sit on them until they find something else to latch on. Although we were informed about the ticks at the park's visitor center and took some preventive measures by wearing long sleeve shirts and trousers, we still managed to contract a tick as we didn't shake out and wash our clothing right after the hike. 

Photos:

Reservations:

Hotels.com offers the best price and selection for hotels in Ayutthaya, Thailand.  You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.ayothayahotel.com

Important Note:

This is one of the few hotels that we decided to review without actually spending a night at the hotel. We decided to write this review to share our experience with this hotel because we feel you deserve to know. We were shown multiple rooms and feel confident with our review based on what we witnessed.

Location:

The hotel is located on a busy street "inside the island" in Ayutthaya. It's in close walking distance to shops and restaurants. You could also walk to the main attractions from this hotel, but it's not a short walk.

Room Comfort:

We were shown two rooms and both rooms looked very run down. The furniture looked old and outdated. The bathroom was also very run down with mouldy bath tubs. The standard rooms are located in a 2-storey motel style building at the back of the hotel near the car parking lot, while all other rooms are located in the main building.  The rooms facing the busy street are quite noisy.

Cleanliness:

The rooms looked like they had been serviced but we wouldn't say they were spotless. Mould was evident on the bathtub trim. It was hard to tell if they were clean or just old.

Service:

The service was terrible. Prior to our arrival we called and asked about availability and were told that they had a superior room available for 1200 THB including breakfast. Upon arrival, we were told that they only had a standard room available for 500 THB. We decided to have a look at the room and it looked worn down and not worth the cheap price. When we returned to reception, we once again asked if they had a better room. After some hesitation, and our mention of our earlier phone call, we were told a superior room was available for 1200 THB (with a snobbish tone that suggested it was too expensive for us). We asked to see the room and the staff reluctantly passed a key to the bell man to show us the room. The room shown to us had 2 twin beds that we weren't interested in staying in for that price. We enquired about a double bed which we were now told wasn't available. Both rooms that we saw were disappointing and worn down. Regardless of the fact that they didn't have a double bed room available, we would not have stayed here since the staff thought too highly of themselves and the rooms weren't good enough for us for that price. The attitude of the staff was poor and it seemed like they were judging their potential customers based on appearance which is sipmly wrong.

Food:

N/A

Overall Value:

We don't recommend this hotel as the rooms are poorly maintained and the staff thinks too highly of themselves. The hotel wasn't good enough for us so why should it be good enough for you?

Other Notes:

We did not stay at this hotel. The sights in the area are very nice and if you have time to spare then we would recommend making the short trip from Bangkok to this area. We do want to caution you that if you do spend the night here the accommodations aren't good value compared to the rest of Thailand. This was one of the worst areas of Thailand for accommodations that we have seen.

Our Rating: 2.5/5   Year Reviewed: 2010

Photos:

None taken.

Location:

This hotel is located "off the Island" in Ayutthaya which we found to be a very inconvenient location unless you have your own car (or else don't mind the use of taxis). We had our own car but still had trouble getting around as the traffic in Thailand cities can be very bad and difficult to manoeuvre through. Nevertheless, the hotel is located on a quiet street and some rooms have partial views of the river and one of the temples. Opt out for a hotel "on the Island". It's better for sight seeing and choice of restaurants.

Room Comfort:

The hotel has deluxe or superior rooms but the only difference between the two as far as we could tell is the view. Furthermore, the view from the higher priced rooms isn't good enough to justify the higher price. Although the rooms are spacious, they are very worn down. The furniture was basic and aging. The bathroom was spacious but again worn down and aging. A good array of toiletries were provided in the room, including travel toothbrushes and toothpaste. The rooms have air conditioning, safe and a mini fridge. The lobby is well maintained but the rooms are neglected. We didn't feel comfortable at all here and were quite disappointed with the accommodations. This hotel caters to tour groups who pay considerably less to the hotel and therefore the hotel takes little pride and effort to maintain the rooms.

Cleanliness:

Although the bed sheets and towels were fresh and clean, the room wasn't. We found a couple cob webs along the bed frame and ceiling. There was a squished fly on the wall of the bathroom and water spots on the mirrors. There was also mould along the ceiling where there air conditioner was located. The bathtub was also lined with mould while the shower curtain was torn. Don't let the shiny lobby fool you into thinking the rooms are the same.

The hotel is designed in such a way that the doors to the rooms are located outdoors similar to motel style accommodations and as a result spiders and geckos are common in the hallways.

Service:

The service from the front desk/reception staff was great as they were very welcoming and friendly. However, the bell boy was very pushy when it came to us booking a room and then coming down to the restaurant for drinks. The hotel offers a free welcome drink which tastes like sugar. While waiting for our welcome drink the staff was trying to get us to buy other drinks which we didn't appreciate. There was a swimming pool on the property that was under construction during our stay.

Food:

An American buffet breakfast was included with the booking, but the buffet was mainly Chinese food with some toast and eggs. The food wasn't good at all. The buffet was limited and the food available wasn't good.

Overall Value:

We don't recommend this hotel but should mention that before we decided to stay at this hotel, we checked out many guest houses and hotels in the area and we have to admit that (unfortunately) we could not find any accommodations that were a good value. There are many options of places to stay in the area but most hotels are very worn down and are catering to either backpackers or tour groups. If you do decide to stay at this hotel, negotiate on the price as this hotel is not worth the price they charge. Tour groups pay around 600-800 Baht per night, compared to their published rates which is at least 3x as much.

Other Notes:

The sights in the area are very nice and if you have time to spare then we would recommend making the short trip from Bangkok to this area. We do want to caution you that if you do spend the night here the accommodations aren't good value compared to the rest of Thailand. This was one of the worst areas of Thailand for accommodations that we have seen.

Our Rating: 2/5   Year Reviewed: 2010

For the best possible price of hotels in this area, please visit Expedia.ca. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.woraburi.com

Photos:

Location:

This family-owned resort is located approximately 10 km from the Kanchanaburi city centre and approximately 50 km from the Erawan National Park. The resort is located in a tranquil garden on the river Kwai. It's beneficial to have your own transportation in this area; however, if you don't, you can easily arrange for transportation or taxi service. We had a difficult time finding the resort but with the help of the owners Dennis and Nee who came to find us, we eventually managed. We didn't realize that there are several army bases in this area so when we followed the directions, we made the left turn after the 3rd army base from Kanchanaburi, instead of the first one. We had no idea we passed 2 army bases before getting to the 3rd one. If you are driving to the resort and don't know what a Thai army base looks like, it's very easy to make the same mistake. Nevertheless, with our own transportation we really enjoyed the location of the resort and its beautifully surrounding area.

Room Comfort:

At the time of our visit, the resort was less than 1-year old, so the air-conditioned bungalows were new and in great condition. The bungalows are spacious and very well built. The bungalow was thoughtfully designed to ensure insects don't get in. There are no mosquito nets in the room, but they don't seem to be needed as there doesn't seem to be an issue with mosquitoes in the bungalows. The room decor isn't the traditional Thai style you may see in most places around Thailand and didn't appeal to our senses but it really didn't bother us as everything else about this resort was perfect. Since the resort is still getting established, we can only imagine the decorations will improve. At the time of our visit, little things like night tables were still not there, but we are sure will be added in the future. The bed was hard but the pillows and comforter were very soft and comfortable. There was a TV in the room, but no cable/satellite at the time of our stay. There was a DVD player in the room and Dennis has a wide selection of DVDs you can borrow. The bathroom was also very spacious. Potpourri was placed in the bathroom to gave it more of a homey feel. No toiletries were included but a bar of soap was provided.

Cleanliness:

The bungalow was very clean. Bed sheets, towels, floors and bathroom were all very clean. The towels had a few small stains on them, but they were very soft and clean. The gardens at the resort were beautifully maintained. The large swimming pool and the restaurant were also very clean and well maintained. It's very apparent that the owners take great pride and care into running this resort.

Service:

The service was fantastic. This is a resort where we were personally welcomed by the owners and received a warm and friendly personal touch during our entire stay. The owners Dennis and Nee are great people. They have a lot of information about the surrounding area and did their best to help us plan our time while in the area. They also ensured that we had an enjoyable stay. They put a lot of pride, attention and care into running this resort and ensuring their guests are happy. As mentioned above, we got lost trying to find the resort and once we contacted Dennis, they quickly set out to find us and bring us to the resort. We really enjoyed the company of Dennis and Nee and very much appreciated the fantastic service they provided. Our stay here was great and we would have loved to stay longer!

Food:

The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Nee is a fantastic cook. We enjoyed a delicious Thai meal for dinner and a western breakfast. Both were enjoyable and filling. There are numerous fruit trees on the property, so don't be shy to ask what fruit is in season and if you can have a taste. We enjoyed some delicious fresh papaya during our stay.

Overall Value:

We highly recommend this resort. The service and resort exceeded our expectations. The price was fantastic, the accommodation comfortable and the service was great. We truly felt welcomed by friends rather than by strangers. We enjoyed our stay and would go back again as it's going to be hard to find a better value of accommodations in this area.

Other Notes:

The resort has a beautiful little patio by the river to enjoy a meal or a drink. Erawan Falls is a beautiful attraction in the area. It is a 7-level waterfall with pools that you can swim in. It is approximately a 50-km drive from the resort, but well worth it. Dennis and Nee can also arrange for tours/transportation to the park.

Our Rating: 4.5/5   Year Reviewed: 2010 

For the best possible prices of accommodations in this area, visit Expedia.ca. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.xanaduresort2008.com

Photos:

Location:

The hotel is located on a quiet street within easy walking distance to Patong beach and the main street where you will find many bars, restaurants and shops. The location felt safe to walk around at night without any worries. We thought the location was great.

Room Comfort:

This is a small hotel designed in Chinese style with Chinese decor. All rooms are decorated in a different colour to enhance "...guests' experience according to their mood". This is known as colortherapy, or as chromotherapy. Each room, therefore, can supposedly bring out different moods according to the colour. We split our stay at this hotel between 2 rooms. We stayed in the pink room and the red room. Both rooms were spacious and nicely decorated with Chinese traditional decor. The bathrooms were also large and nicely decorated. The locks on the doors felt flimsy and easy to pick. More secure locks should definitely be put on the doors, but it didn't seem like safety was an issue at this hotel during our stay. The rooms were starting to fade a little so hopefully the owners will repaint the rooms in the near future.

Cleanliness:

The towels and sheets were clean, but we felt the bathroom could have been a bit cleaner. There was hair on the shower wall and in the sink.    

Service:

The service at this hotel was good, except for the part where they didn't reserve the proper room for us which is why we spent our stay in 2 separate rooms. We had booked the red room but were initially provided the pink room. The receptionist didn't speak English very well so when we mentioned the error he called the hotel owner immediately and we spoke to her directly. She arranged for us to stay in another room the first evening and then switched us for the rest of our stay to the room we booked. She was very kind and apologetic. She later helped us with booking a boat to the Krabi province. She was very pleasant and helpful. There isn't a lift at the hotel but the hotel is small so even if you are on the top floor there aren't that many stairs to climb.

Food:

Breakfast is provided with the booking and it was good. It was served in the small restaurant next door.

Overall Value:

Overall, our stay here was good, but we felt the price was a h for what you get (for Thailand standards). We liked the colour therapy themes and thought the room deco was very different then we had experienced before. We recommend this hotel as it may be a safe choice at Patong beach which can have a lot of poor accommodations. If your budget allows for more upscale accommodations, Patong has those as well and you might want to start there. Phuket has a wide variety of accommodations and although the place wasn't bad we would most likely stay elsewhere when visiting Phuket again.

Other Notes:

Please note that we have received concerning reports in early 2010 that the red room is in bad conditions. We cannot support or deny these claims so please be careful when selecting this hotel, especially the red room. 

If you are travelling to Patong Beach and are unsure of where to stay, book one night somewhere and spend an hour or so the next morning looking for a new place. Patong Beach has a lot of options and unless you are travelling in the peak season, you will get better sense of your options and deals are once you are there.

Our Rating: 3.5/5   Year Reviewed: 2009

For the best possible price and most variety in accommodations in Phuket, visit Hotels.com. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.amantahouse.com

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Location:

Peace Laguna Resort is located on a quiet street just off the one of the main roads in Ao Nang, Krabi. The resort is set around a beautiful lagoon with beautiful cliffs as its backdrop. It is within very close walking distance to shops, restaurants and the beach. We think the location is prefect for Ao Nang.

Room Comfort:

The rooms at this resorts are stylish and luxurious. We had reserved a superior room but were upgraded to a deluxe bungalow which we loved. The bungalow we had a lower and upper half which are rented to guests. We received the upper half which has nicer views, even though the lower half wasn't rented and was more accessible (since you don't have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to). The beautifully decorated bungalow was very spacious with very high ceilings. It had a lovely balcony overlooking a small lagoon. The bathroom was also large and beautifully decorated. The bed was large and comfortable. Finally, there was a private outdoor shower from which you could see the beautiful cliffs while you showered. The room was just perfect.

Cleanliness:

The resort was as clean as it can get. The room and bathroom were very clean. The staff were all outfitted in professional and clean uniforms. The hotel grounds were lovely and very well-maintained.

Service:

We received excellent service. Our email inquiries received timely responses and check-in and check-out were easy. Check-in took longer than it should have; however, they did inform us that it would take a little longer than usual since we arrived early in the morning (well before check-in) and offered us a drink while we waited in their comfortable open-air common area. They also apologized for the delay to check us in, but it really wasn't a problem as it didn't take longer than 30 minutes anyway. The staff were very courteous and professional.

Our only complaint about the resort is that it was difficult to get towels for the pool as they seemed to run out of them by 9:00am. On one occasion we were asked to use our rooms' bath towels, that we had already used to dry ourselves with that morning, and asked us to have them replaced afterwards.

Food:

The food was great. The buffet breakfast offer a wide variety of foods that were delicious.

Overall Value:

We highly recommend this place to others. It was a fantastic place to stay in Ao Nang and we truly enjoyed it.

Other Notes:

If you need to have laundry done, there is great and cheap laundry service just down the street from the hotel.

Our Rating: 4.9/5   Year Reviewed: 2009 

Hotels.com offers the best price and selection for hotels in Ao Nang, Thailand. You can also visit the hotel's website at: www.peacelagunaresort.com

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