Kata View Guesthouse

We rented a Honda PCX from the owners for 250 tbh per day. The location was great, about a minute by bike from the beach, on a quiet street with lots of restaurants nearby. My room was clean and tidy, cleaned every day, and was in a separate building set back from the street, so it was quiet. Everything went fine for the money, and I booked three nights. A few small issues: the toilet gurgled loudly when a neighbor flushed, there was no soundproofing so you could hear everything, and there were very few sockets in awkward spots.

The room had bugs and mosquitos, and one of us got some pretty serious bites. Basic things like a blow dryer and kettle were missing, and there were no views from any room, whatever the descriptions say. The building is about 3ft from a main road, so cars and motorbikes roared past noisily all night. On day one, the front desk insisted on charging me an extra 1000THB for paying by credit card, saying “THEIR bank charges them more.” Credit cards are a standard way to pay for hotels around the world, and this fee blatantly disregarded the booking.com reservation contract. It felt like a SCAM. On day two, our AC broke down in the Phuket heat. The maintenance guy eventually came and refilled the Freon in the rooftop unit. It broke again after just 20 hours. There were apparently leaks, and they hadn’t intended to fix them the first time, just refill the Freon and hope that would get them by. That made for another miserable day.

The guesthouse felt more like visiting our favourite auntie during the holidays than staying in an impersonal hotel. The family who runs it was warm, friendly, and clearly cared about making us comfortable. They even replaced a broken light over the bed without us having to mention it. We stayed in a spacious family room with a simple but appealing look, floor tiles, and wooden furniture. There was lots of storage and two balconies, which were great for unwinding. We also made use of the roomy canteen with coffee facilities, a microwave, and the essentials. Other services include laundry, a massage parlour, a tours desk, and bike rental. Kata View Guesthouse gave our family a wonderful stay and exceeded our expectations. We felt very welcome and cared for, and we’ll be back on our next trip. It’s our perfect retreat in Kata.

There are coffee shops, restaurants, a pharmacy, and a 7-Eleven nearby, which makes the location handy. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the beach and busy main street. The room was a letdown, though, especially the blanket, which didn’t feel like a proper one. Better bedding would make a difference. It’s an okay option for a short stay if you’ll be outdoors most of the time.