Beautiful views and bad reviews Thailand
While some hotels are beautiful and the people are wonderful there are something’s that just can’t be changed. We’ve stayed in a different places over the many years of travelling to Thailand and other parts of the globe but here’s a straight up appraisal on some of the places we’ve stayed over time in Thailand.
#1 Samkong Place – Phuket.
As hotels go this one is a little gold mine and we were lucky enough to find it. We’ve stayed here every time we’ve come to Phuket. Situated in Samkong gives you an advantage should you be looking into cosmetic surgery and dental work as we were. The cost was $33AUD per night during the high season.
Breakfast was included, although don’t expect a full service. Breakfast consists of toast and a selection of jams,coffee, tea and hot chocolate. The rooms are air conditioned and with WiFi in room and balcony views it packs a punch in the budget end of the market.
#2 Phu Pai Art Resort -Pai, Northern Thailand.
As we’ve said before we are not into resort travelling and usually steer well clear of over-priced places like this, however with accommodation totally booked out and with people pitching tents along riverbanks and public sports grounds we had little options. We planned to stay in Pai for two nights and had to secure two different properties for our visit. Phu Pai Art Resort overlooks rice fields and has a spectacular view to the mountains. The honeymoon suites as they are called are well appointed, cozy and warm. Equipped with air conditioning and if you’re brave a hot outdoor shower. The infinity pool is not heated but I was game to give it a go in the middle of winter. The temperature here in the mid afternoon in the cooler months can vary, I was lucky enough to catch a day of 30 degrees.
With a full buffet breakfast of traditional, American and Continental the selection is spectacular.
#3 Fern Eco Resort – Mae Hong Son.
Honestly this place should be ranked a 2nd equal. Located 7km from the town of Mae Hong Son it makes perfect use of its surroundings and although out of town we quite easily could have stayed here for a week. Blessed with natural bush walks which you are guided by the dogs that live here, yes dogs! There are rice fields nestled up next to the property and in the evening you can enjoy a few beverages as the sun goes down admiring the view from the rice bar. The deluxe rooms are spacious and with natural stone bathrooms that have almost scalding hot water, you’ll never want to leave the shower!
In only two nights here we met some great people and fell in love with one of the dogs, just wish we had more time here.
#4 Patara Place – Chiang Mai.
As budget hotels go this is a goodie. Situated on the northern end of the city and a good 30 minute walk to Tha Pai Gate it serves well as a base. One thing though if you’re not used to the hot water heating systems of Asia you might struggle with a hot shower. Like all hotels simplicity is the key. The more you pay generally the more you get, so for a mere $30per night expect coffee and tea, hot water dispenser and not much else. If you are fortunate you’ll get one TV channel that has English. You better hope that the volume drowns out the noise from adjoining rooms. Our stay here had the love makers from hell next door, personally I thought that much noise only came from girls in adult movies. Although I did have a solution… Each time the yelping and whimpering started, I would mimic the sound on the other side of the wall…. Seemed to do the trick….. But morning and night became a bit of a chore.
#5 Indra Regent – Bangkok.
This was the first place we ever stayed in Thailand and if I was writing this 10 years ago it would be number 1 but as there have been several trips since then the shine of full-on large commercial hotels has declined, sure it’s a great hotel but smaller is more intimate and if you’re prepared to got out on a limb to for the extraordinary you will surprise yourself with little delights throughout Bangkok and Thailand as a whole. Indra Regent has all the mod cons from spa treatment, gyms and several restaurants. It’s handy location to markets is great if you’re a first time traveler to Bangkok as we were at the time.
#6 Baiyoke Suite Hotel – Bangkok.
Centrally located with a difficult entrance to find down a flight of stairs this hotel serves better for families than the Indra which is a 10 minute walk away. Here you get a better price and yet more space. We travelled here with our 10 years son and weren’t going crazy having enough space between us all. As it’s name suggest this is one tall building and being higher up gives you some spectacular scenery and gets you well above the hustle and bustle of the sometimes noisy streets below.
#7 Sawasdee Guest House – Chiang Mai.
You know, it’s kind of sad to see this great Guest House sitting at number 7 in our list. It’s here simple for 2 reasons, noise and a shower that at best gave you a trickle of hot water. The location is fantastic being inside the wall of the old city, but being opposite a school gives way to all manner of noise at about 8am. So if you’re an up and get into your day kind of person this might work for you. As Elena’s not a morning person at all this can be a bit of a struggle. To be fair we did stay during the Christmas festive season and New Years ways always going to be a sleepless night. Oh and the cat we called Yeowie who lives on the roof of the school and yowls all night patrolling his territory. We tried giving him sausages but no bribes were guaranteed as he continued his nightly antics.
#8 Kanravee Guest House – Pai, Northern Thailand.
Staying with a local family in small detached rooms in the back garden actually isn’t as bad as it may sound, to be frank it was downright enjoyable apart from Elena laying claim to the better mattress and leaving me to the lumpy one. The family have done well with what they supply and the covered patio with 24 hour coffee and tea rivals some of the larger establishments we’ve stayed at. Being located just beyond the Pai hospital puts you out of the rat race that Pai township is now becoming. If you just need a place to put your head down and that’s about it, give this place consideration.
#9 Karon Beach Guest House.
As we stated right at the beginning of this blog, this is the downright low and ugly side of anywhere we have stayed. As a serious recommendation our answer would be don’t stay here…. Ever! With being shown one room one day and being supplied something completely different the next was just the start. Finding dirty sheets and a used condom in the trash basket only reminds us that sometimes going cheap can have its pitfalls.
Bargains can be found and nightmares too. As there is no global star rating you really are at the mercy of the property owners. Trip Advisor is a great place to narrow down your options, but sometimes just throwing caution to the wind make for a more adventurous holiday.
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