The Pano Hotel And Residence

Our room was clean, looked out over beautiful hills, and sat on a quiet street close to the Main Street’s shops and restaurants. The bad smell in the showroom and noise from the corridor were drawbacks. My main concern was the pool, where hotel staff were feeding stray dogs. I understand the situation, but I’d keep the dogs out of the hotel and wouldn’t feed them there. Dogs are cute, though strays may carry diseases.

We stayed five nights and found the location easy to enjoy on foot. It’s close to everything, with plenty of good places to eat, but set back from the main street so nights were quiet. The room was comfortable and functional, and the pool was clean. It has what you need for a short or medium stay. A few small cosmetic repairs and some new towels would improve things. We’d recommend it.

The pool was the biggest letdown for us. The water looked murky and unclean, and the wooden sunbeds had no padding. Maybe I’m picky, since it didn’t seem to bother other guests, but it was the dirtiest-looking pool water I’ve seen. The hotel is clean despite the cockroach comments that had worried me before arriving, and the rooms were cleaned daily. It’s a bit tired and could use renovation, but the location is great and it’s a good cheap-and-cheerful option. Staff were very nice, especially the lovely, polite, happy cleaning ladies. We got daily room cleaning and fresh towels, and reception was nice too. The room itself was okay but tired, with no drawers for socks or other things and just three hangers to share between two people, which was a bit ridiculous but not the end of the world. There was no safety box either. I wouldn’t stay here again if I came back to Thailand, mainly because of the pool.

The room felt spacious, with high ceilings, and from the garden side we looked onto a lovely overgrown field full of insects and life. That side also meant watching locals commute in the morning and hearing stray dogs howl during the 8 AM national anthem. Nomads, the neighboring hostel, played thumping bass until about 10:30 PM every night, so pack earplugs. Staff were direct and handled requests, but there were few extra hospitality touches and very little English spoken. The pool water was cloudy with sunscreen and whatever else; they need filtration and/or to replace the water sometimes. Good value, with some rough edges.