Du Talay Hotel Koh Chang

The location is great, but check-in was frustrating. Staff weren’t helpful and turned down all our requests. The rooms were okay, though not the cleanest.

There’s a restaurant right by the sea and staff are kind, with service available 24/7. The location is at the south end of White Beach, which works well if you plan to walk along the shore. The rooms are fine, but most don’t have balconies or sea views. There’s access to the water, though no beach in front because the hotel building reaches the sea. Breakfast only had three choices and was seriously short on variety.

The hotel sits at the lower end of White Sands Beach, and the Jacuzzi sea view room gives you the best uninterrupted ocean view. It’s a mid-priced place with polite, attentive staff. Breakfast is served right over the beach, with limited but tasty choices. There are good food options nearby, a night market just opposite, and Muay Thai Boxing on Wednesday & Saturdays. You can rent a scooter opposite by the money exchange for 300 baht per day, and there’s scooter parking out front.

I liked the view and the easy access to the beach, though at high tide the water reaches the resort boundary, so there’s technically no beach access then. The Jacuzzi worked perfectly and our special room’s bathroom was great, but it had no clear instructions or side products. The curtains blacked out the room well. A bathrobe, beach towel, and safety locker were provided. There are no umbrellas or elevators, so getting to a Jacuzzi room means climbing three flights of stairs each time. Only the Jacuzzi rooms face directly toward the beach and have a great balcony. Other rooms face nearby hotels and have no view or only a partial beach view. Room sizes and toiletries were okay, though supplies were basic with no cotton buds. The split AC cooled the room quickly and strongly, and more lighting would help. Wi-Fi was bad. Room service was okay, but they didn’t clean our room because we hadn’t put out a cleaning card, which isn’t how it’s done in hundreds of hotels I’ve stayed in. The intercom had no instructions, though you have to dial 1111. They charge 500 baht for a lost card, which feels like a rip-off, and the deposit is 300 baht. The restaurant wasn’t very busy, but the service and food were very good. For breakfast, you can choose just one item from their 6-7 options, so I wouldn’t bother eating there. Overall, it was a great stay, but there’s nothing special about the hotel, and I’d book KC grande or a nearby hotel for the same price. One more thing, Agoda booking was bad. The charges and higher taxes were hidden. I was shown 1300 baht when booking, but it came to over 2300 when I paid at the hotel. I’m not sure whether Agoda or the hotel was at fault.