Saichol Grandview

The pool area really is lovely, though the property looked better in the photos. Rooms smell unpleasant and need renovation; the bathrooms are very average, and the mattresses are so hard they're difficult to sleep on. Breakfast is freshly made but only average. They ask for a security deposit at check-in, and transport to the pier is available at a very high price.

We ended up adding a night just to spend another day by the pool, which is enormous and very clean. The resort looks brand new. Our bungalow was spacious, spotless, well equipped, and had good-quality linens. The staff were happy, friendly, and helpful. We had a king bed and could see the pool from our bungalow, which was fewer than 20 steps away. Our walk-in price was half the rate shown on the online booking site. There was a sewer smell in the bathroom from about 8pm to 8am, but not during the day. We shut the door and couldn't smell it in the room. Getting into and out of the pool without stairs is a little awkward, but there's a shallow section where you can sit on the edge and swing your legs in. It was different, but no real problem. We didn't eat at the on-site restaurant, so I can't comment on it. The pier is under five minutes away, and the dam is a couple of minutes farther. I'd give it a 9/10. The hard mattress and bathroom smell kept it from being a 10. If the nearby market, one block away, is open, the papaya salad and fried chicken are delicious.

The shake itself tasted incredibly artificial, and I wouldn’t pay 110 THB for it again. Getting one I could drink without getting sick took a lot of arguing, even though the yoghurt had been added without clearly telling me and I’d explained I’m lactose intolerant. Staff said it was already in the system and wouldn’t change or cancel it. Eventually the driver took me down to the shake stand and I got a different one. This should have been an easy fix. This happened after our pre-booked Khao Sok tour, which included food. We were brought straight to Sai Chol Grandview Resort Restaurant for a basic rice and chicken meal described as included. Then staff went around asking everyone to buy a 110 THB shake because the meal was free. That felt pressured and misleading. The staff were unfriendly, and there was little effort to sort out the order. I wouldn’t recommend it.

The chlorine smell in my room was so strong that I couldn’t shower. It got even worse with hot water and irritated my eyes and nose. I can’t say what the water was like in the other rooms, and I imagine they may have fixed the problem by now.