Lotus Paradise Resort

The bed was easily the best part of my stay at Lotus Resort, and the staff were friendly and tried to help. The location is right in the middle of Koh Tao’s activity, which is handy for exploring. But the condition of the room made it hard to enjoy the island. There was a persistent bad smell, somewhere between damp and sewage, and it was difficult to feel comfortable or clean in the room. The shower drain didn’t work properly, and the toilet often flooded. The walls also had a lot of peeling paint and made the place feel neglected. Noise is another issue. Club music played loudly and steadily until about 2:00 AM, so sleeping early is unlikely if you aren’t out partying. If you’re a heavy sleeper and plan to stay out until 3:00 AM, the comfy bed and location might suit you. Otherwise, the smell and maintenance problems make this a hard place to recommend without serious renovations.

The location made things easy: food was nearby and the beach was just a few minutes away. I stayed 5 days and 4 nights, though the room quality and atmosphere didn’t quite justify the price. I know Koh Tao accommodation can cost more because of where it is. The bar noise at night, as other reviews mention, usually settled around 2 AM. My room was a little farther away, so I only heard it faintly. The receptionist’s service was disappointing. He looked around 35-40. At check-in he said the latest checkout was 11:30 AM, but on checkout day he came to remind me at 11:00 AM in a tone that didn’t feel appropriate for customer service. My kettle also didn’t work. I called for a replacement, and the same staff member said he’d bring one, but it never arrived. Would I stay again? Maybe, if there were no other options.

Our room was acceptably clean, but sometimes the tap water came out dark brown, which was concerning. Housekeeping was poor too. We put out the “Make Up Room” sign, but the maid left the sign and water bottles on the floor outside our door and didn’t clean. There was a table right there, but the items were still left on the floor. We had to ask reception in person before the room was finally cleaned. When we came back from the beach, all the shower towels had been taken away, leaving us with none. The noise from Lotus Bar was the biggest problem. Our room was next to it, and the hotel is right beside a bar. The hotel said the booking site had warned about possible noise, but what we heard was far beyond that. On Christmas Eve the music and bass shook the room like a concert and went on until around 2:30 a.m. We spoke to the DJ about turning it down and had told the hotel from the first night, so they knew this was ongoing. Some nights were a little better, but Christmas Eve was unbearable. The earplugs in the room did nothing against that volume. I’m Thai and have stayed at many hotels and resorts here. This was my worst experience. I believe the hotel has had many complaints about the noise and simply doesn’t care to fix it. It’s a resort where people come to sleep and rest, not a nightclub. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone seeking a peaceful stay in Koh Tao.

We spent the stay chasing the same problems. The room was never cleaned unless we went to reception twice a day to ask for it, and we had mice the whole time. They patched a few holes in the walls, but the mouse kept coming back, eating our food and gnawing on our belongings. It was almost impossible to sleep. After three nights they offered us another house, but only for an extra charge. The noise was severe as well. The booking information mentioned possible noise because some houses are near a bar, but ours was about 0.5 meters from it. There was a pool party every other night, with such loud music and heavy bass that we couldn’t understand each other inside. They also didn’t mention that the resort is on the main nightlife street. It made for a really exhausting holiday.