Yantarasri Resort

The rooms were clean, the staff friendly, and the pool well maintained. Breakfast is free, with Thai and Western choices, fresh fruit, and juice, though there’s no crepe or omelet counter like at many places. During the day the hotel is right under an air traffic lane, so planes can be noisy, but only for a few seconds at a time. I’d gladly come back. ♡

The location is definitely the hotel’s best feature. It’s close to the airport and a mall, with plenty of nightlife nearby, and there’s free parking. The rooms are fairly big, but dated and worn. Most of the towels looked old and used, the shower was more warm than hot, and the pool was freezing. The garden is beautiful, though the furniture for relaxing out there is worn too. Planes make it very loud during the day, about every 30 minutes. At night there are frogs croaking, but that noise felt more relaxing. Breakfast was my main complaint, with room for improvement in its temperature, quality, and service. It was a decent stay for a cheap price, but definitely not the luxury experience it seems to sell.

Nimman is a great area, quieter than the old town and full of places to eat and drink. We liked the food market at One Nimman, especially Madame Cuisine's Tom Yum Goong and the Gyoza stand, and the Moose bar was great for a sunset drink. We stayed six nights at Yantarasri in a first-floor Executive King room overlooking the pool. It was a good size, very clean, and had a huge bathtub. We liked the resort’s traditional look and all the wooden features and furniture. The balcony was lovely to sit on, and there was usually plenty of space around the pool for some sun. Other reviews mention noise. The planes are loud overhead, but they’re infrequent and stop around 10 pm, so they didn’t keep us from sleeping. We actually enjoyed hearing frogs and trying to spot them in the ponds at night. Earplugs should block them if they bother you.

The place looks stylish, with attractive common areas, but our experience didn’t match that first impression. The pool is beautiful to look at, though the water was so cold that nobody seemed to use it. Our balcony was roomy but had only one chair, and staff said they couldn’t provide another, which wasn’t practical for two people. After asking several times we got a safe, but it wasn’t mounted or secured, so it wasn’t useful. Breakfast was cold and very basic. Most guests seemed to stick to toast, croissants, and fruit. Three of the four reception staff were unfriendly and unhelpful, while the cleaning and kitchen staff were genuinely kind. There was loud plane noise every 15 minutes, and the balcony doors didn’t close properly, letting in a lot of sound.