Nice ... with a few buts.
Checkin was quick and we, surprisingly, were given a room upgrade. Thank you. The Hotel is divided in two ... adults only section and family section. This is a great feature as it was always quiet around the pools and public areas. I don't know if it was the time of year, but 95% of the guests were from Europe, and they tend to just want to lie around the pool all day ... which is fine. It also means that there is a degree of smoking in the restaurants ... not nice. The hotel rooms tend to be quite noisy. Perhaps its the lack of carpeting and the great expanses of concrete and tiles... but we seemed to be woken by hotel noises throughout the night and the noisy rattle of the maids trollies early in the morning. The location couldn't be better ... out the back gate onto the beach. The included buffet breakfast is fine, except that for the last couple of days, someone decided to save the Hotel some money and the juices were so wattered down as to be unrecognisable as juice. Maybe new staff. Internet was a bit of a complex issue. There is free slow speed wifi in the foyer (apparently) ... except my laptop couldn't pick it up. High Speed internet in the room costs 200 Baht for 1 hour. In some rooms you need a lan cable, in some it works by wifi. Customer Service was excellent, although the staff are hamstrung by Hotel policy somewhat. It took 30 minutes to check out ( and we were the only customers at the desk) ... as they have to send someone to check your mini bar and count the silverware. Lucky we weren't trying to catch a flight. In summary, great location ( nicer than Patong Beach), good facilities, nice restaurants and nice and friendly staff. Just let down by complicated and expensive internet, smoking in the restaurants and noisy premises.
