Paasook Resort

Back in 2007, Paasook was the only hotel on the beach, so staying on Railay was about the only other option. For $5 a night, I thought it was hard to complain. You got privacy, a roof, a mattress, mosquito net and toilet. If you’re happy camping, the cabins are comfortable enough, and they work well for a cheap, laid-back week. It’s a hut in the jungle, not a Hilton. I can understand the bad reviews, but at that price it feels like people are forgetting what it costs.

We paid 200 Baht for a bungalow, though rooms are advertised at 100, 200 and 300 Baht. The place next door seemed like much better value for the same money, so I’d look there instead. The floor, walls and toilet were very dirty and clearly not maintained. The toilet seat looked so unhygienic that I wouldn’t use it. Although the bathroom is separate from the bedroom, it isn’t sealed off from outdoors, so mosquitoes and other bugs can get in. The bed was damp and far too soft, and even with the fan running full blast, it didn’t help with the heat. We came back late from the beach hoping to wash off the sand and salt, but there was no running water. I really can’t recommend staying here. It felt like nobody cared about the place.

A simple little bungalow with a porch near the rock wall, and great value for the price. There’s climbing right outside the door. It comes with a fan, cold shower, flush toilet and mosquito net, plus snails and lizards. The staff are lovely, and apparently guests get 20% off at the restaurant next door.

The jungle humidity was a big part of why we left after two weeks. Our belongings were getting wet and even mouldy, especially in the hut with the wooden floor, where the air seemed not to circulate as well. The rooms were dark and rather miserable, with little natural light and poor lighting, and in humid weather even the sheets felt damp. I had some small cuts from climbing that became infected, though I can’t say that was because of the accommodation. I’m glad to be somewhere cleaner and healthier now. We moved to a different bamboo hut after a week. In the low season they cost 300 baht, rising to 600 in November, which is cheap compared with lots of places on Tonsai or Railay. You get a private room, fan, mosquito net, cold shower, and Wi-Fi in the lower huts. If those basics are enough, it’s okay. We went in with modest expectations and are used to simple places, but after a while we had to leave. Noise was another problem. The walls are thin, so we heard a neighbor clearing his throat in the bathroom. Some mornings it was rain or monkeys drumming on the tin roof, and twice we were woken at 6am by repeated gunshots. Some huts have bamboo floors and walls with nails sticking out, which tore some clothes and cut my foot. You do get what you pay for, and I thought paassook was a little better than similar local places. Go if you can handle very basic conditions, but don’t expect much. I don’t understand the 5-star ratings, since Google calls that “excellent.” It wasn’t excellent to me, so I gave it 3 stars for “ok.”