Phuket Thailand

Ozskin · #1 13-11-2004, 16:29

Thought it might be fun for board members to write in and tell us about the funniest, worst hotel or accommodation experience in thailand or in phuket. Horror staff, dirty, bugs, massive over charge? What happened, how much did u pay, and any pics?

On my last lonnng trip, i was on a tight budget, mostly around 500 baht per night, not too bad low season in patong and around isan and north thailand easy to find.

Hotel 1: Atlanta hotel soi 2 sukumvit bangkok. The original no-sex tourist hotel. Bad location, the only room left was a dormitory style room, up about 6 stories... no lift... carry my bag up 000's of stairs. Dirtiest room i ever saw, massive holes in the plaster and ripped wallpaper hanging off everywhere. To top it off a massive freeway right outside the window. Spent the night with toilet paper stuffed in my ears trying to block out the noise! 450 baht. Oh what we will settle for when we are desperate for a place to stay. Can laugh about it now.

Hotel 2: Maekong Guest House, Nong Kai. Wooden bungalow on a deck overlooking the Maekong river. Small (i mean really small) enclosed room with no windows. As soon as the sun went down the insects came out ! I had every imaginable insect crawling everywhere in my room. Including on the bed! I buried myself under the doona and just let everything crawl over the doona. price 500 baht.

I have to say that over 60 days of travelling everywhere these were my only 2 duds, so not bad going. I travelled without an itinerary and no booking ahead, often going by a few lines description in lonely planet. So it was real hit and miss stuff.

Found some real gems of accommdation and the bad places, well i call it character building!

IRISH JONNY · #2 13-11-2004, 17:17

I Would Be Afraid To Post A Couple Of Hotels As Staff Mite Log On To This Forum.....
They Mite Not Like The Idea Of Their Hotel Being Bad Mouthed.... And My Baldy Head Can Be Recognised Every Where......
Good Thread Though...
Jonny

Nicke · #3 13-11-2004, 20:03

Well, I think it is better to talk about good value for the money accomodation.

Otherwise you get what you pay for, 500 baht around Sukhumvit is exactly that kind of rooms you described. Thats why I always move up to 1500 baht range to get OK hotels there. (Nana Hotel was full at that time)

Good value for the money is Sakura Grand View in Hat Yai, 980 baht for excellent rooms and facilities. In the mid-segment around 6-700 baht is completely different, most hotels I tried in the past was very bad so it is definetely worth the step up to 980 baht if you compare with cheaper hotels.

I have same experience in Penang/Malaysia, better pay few hundred bath more and get good rooms instead of the sleasy rooms offered.

I also think accomodation in Patong is quite good value for the money in low season, in high season many hotels simply charge too much. But a good value hotel I liked in the past was Baan Ton Sai, budget accomodation but still nice and clean with garden surroundings and swimming pool. CNN is also a good one due to the location. Victoria Guesthouse has excellent location on the beach.

My cheapest accomodation and maybe the worst I had was a small bungalow in Koh Lanta with only cold water and a fan until midnight and mosqito net over the bed. I paid 300 baht. I could not sleep because it was so hot and the bed get wet. Lot of insects.

I remember I read a guide book about Phuket printed 1994, they wrote Safari Beach Hotel charged 300 baht per night. When I went to stay there 1999 they charged 1800 baht night.

barfly · #4 14-11-2004, 17:47

Safari Beach now B2200 in high season but great location.
I remember staying in the Royal Crown in Songkla once. Always had to clear the cockroaches of the bed when I got in at night and one morning I was trying to figure out how much I'd had to drink the night before as I couldn't focus on the carpet, it seemed to be moving about. I then realised it WAS moving about with millions of ants crawling everywhere!

gordy459 · #5 15-11-2004, 13:57

I stayed at the Majestic Suites in Bangkok a few weeks ago, and was very impressed. I got the big, deluxe room which was still pretty small. Everything in the room was nice, and the workers always seemed to check out your barfine when you brought them downstars to eat. They wouldn't every say anything, just kind of shoot each other glances. A busboy held up a napkin with a 10 on it, like he was scoring the olympics.

bonnetti · #6 16-11-2004, 02:08

2 dodgy places spring to mind -
the 1st was a hotel on Soi2 in Pattaya,the cockroaches were making too much noise as they fell off the ceiling onto the tiled floor,and within 5 mins. of getting the bastar*s out of the door,they were leading an assault (with all their mates

)through a 6 six inch gap between the door and the floor!!

the 2nd was a crash palace in Bafana land (Sillypore) I stayed at on a stopover on the way back to Blighty from Oz.The room had no windows,so consequently when I woke thinking it was the middle of the night,it was actually 11am (I know to some BM's this is the middle of the night!!) and I then had to run around like the proverbial blue ars*d fly to see Singapore,as I was flying out early the next morning.I saw much more when I purposely arranged a stopover of 8 hours and took one of the free city tours from Changi airport!!
Cheers,
Bonnetti

SuRFeRGiRL · #7 16-11-2004, 03:41

i think my worst accomodation was in khaosan road in bangkok, at the 'hello' guesthouse, i get a room for 3 person for 300 baths per night, it was at the last floor, fourth, no elevator of course, was a fan room, but we couldn't put the fan because we switch on it and it seemed like going down and cut all of our heads. So we couldn't sleep because the hot, i had 6 showers in all the night. The room had just 3 beds on the floor and i had to rent a key because all the people could come in the room and take all of our baggage, we finally went all the night to drink singha, the street was colder than our room, and it was bangkok in april, just imagine.

JayBee · #8 08-12-2004, 16:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuRFeRGiRL

the street was colder than our room, and it was bangkok in april, just imagine.

Not a pretty thought!

scubamatt · #9 08-12-2004, 19:04

The Whale Hotel in Nakhom Phatom.
Big room and double bed, but filthy. Ripped wallpaper, things falling of the wall. The oldest aircon unit known to man. Only 550 Baht though. Needless to say, only stayed one night and then drove up to Kanchanaburi, where we stayed in a fantastic place on the river. Can't remember the name of it.
In teh Whale hotel, had a meal in the restaurant. At first pretty good, but as I got half way through my soup, I pulled out a cockroach! They did take the dish back and offered to replace it. Didn't take them up on the offer though!

waynetheraver · #10 31-12-2004, 15:03

Try or don't try.. believe me!.... Charlies huts Chewang Beach, Koh Samui

... it was my first time in Thailand in 2002 and thought it was cool to stay in a beach hut.....Hmmm! bad move... It was disgusting and dirty i only stayed there 1 night...i paid out 1200 bht more and went to a resort!.... I'm a firm believer in you pay for what you get!....

lee_man_sg · #11 18-01-2005, 18:59

Stayed at the southland inn during 6th jan 2005 to 8th Jan 2005. Got a room at 4 th floor and had to carry my luggage by stairs as no lifts in this hotel. Even all the other rooms are not oocupied the lady gave me the room at the 4th floor then the next day gave me a room at the second floor.Price THB1200 inclusive of Breakfast but when we went for the breakfast the same lady told me no BF as not much guest. I'll never ever stay here again.

gregor200 · #12 19-01-2005, 03:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee_man_sg

Stayed at the southland inn during 6th jan 2005 to 8th Jan 2005. Got a room at 4 th floor and had to carry my luggage by stairs as no lifts in this hotel. Even all the other rooms are not oocupied the lady gave me the room at the 4th floor then the next day gave me a room at the second floor.Price THB1200 inclusive of Breakfast but when we went for the breakfast the same lady told me no BF as not much guest. I'll never ever stay here again.

How can you pay 1200 Baht for a room in a inn ?

domifletch · #13 19-01-2005, 06:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee_man_sg

Stayed at the southland inn during 6th jan 2005 to 8th Jan 2005. Got a room at 4 th floor and had to carry my luggage by stairs as no lifts in this hotel. Even all the other rooms are not oocupied the lady gave me the room at the 4th floor then the next day gave me a room at the second floor.Price THB1200 inclusive of Breakfast but when we went for the breakfast the same lady told me no BF as not much guest. I'll never ever stay here again.

For the same price, I rent a house in Nai Harn, living room, kitchen, 2 bedrroms with A/C and shared big swimming pool, cleaned everyday in high season ... nedd to speak a little by email, but finaly good price