Sleep Whale Hotel (SHA Extra Plus)

The hotel is a long way from Ao Nang beach, so we had to pay 400-500 Baht for each taxi trip. I'd suggest staying closer to the beach. We booked a Phi-Phi Island tour through them and had to ride back from Ao Nang to Krabi town in the back of a truck. The next day, our transfer to Patong cost 620 per person, although the tour van charged only 500 Baht per person to drop people at a Patong hotel. At the meetup point, they then wanted another 50 Baht each to take us to our hotel near Patong beach. When we asked the hotel why, the guy acted like he couldn't hear us. Terrible experience. Never book a tour through them.

The staff were lovely, friendly and helpful, the one genuinely good part of my night at Sleep Whale Hotel. I was lucky to stay only one night, which was quite enough to appreciate its character. The street facing windows did nothing to keep out noise. It was like Bangkok had moved into my room, and even my AirPods noise cancelling gave up. There was still a bit of blood on the bathroom tiles, giving the place a true crime feel. The vintage furniture didn't bother me, but the room phone looked like a toy from a kindergarten play corner, almost needing animal buttons and a cheerful voice to say, “Press the cow to call reception!” If you're after free street concerts, mystery bathroom decor and a nostalgic toy phone, this might suit you. If you're hoping to sleep, at least the whale tried. 🐋

We were offered an early check-in because our room was ready ahead of time. It was really clean, and the bathroom was well ventilated. The hotel was exactly as advertised, and I can recommend it!

The Sleep Whale was a great priced find for a one night stop on our way back to Dubai. We had a large room at the back of the hotel and watched the sun go down. It had all the essentials, and C on reception looked after us well. The staff were super friendly. There's a lovely little coffee shop attached for breakfast, plus plenty of places to eat down the road.