Raya Grand Hotel

For one night it was a reasonable 27 Euros. The bed was comfortable, the staff were fine, and the location worked well. Maybe the toiletries could be better, but really, I can’t complain.

The hotel staff were fantastic, especially the evening waiting staff, who kept our drinks topped up and were as helpful as could be. Without the great service, I’d have rated the hotel one star. The restaurant meals were by far the worst Thai food we’ve had, and they weren’t the cheapest either. We ordered three dishes with fried rice, but the sticky rice arrived about 10 minutes before the first meal and was almost cold. Some of the chicken in the first dish was raw and chewy. The second was chicken green curry with fried rice, but it came as fried rice with green curry paste mixed through it, and the chicken was very chewy, as if it had been defrosted too long in a microwave. The third meal arrived with the rice that had been sitting on the table for 20 minutes. The sticky rice was cold, the beef with mushroom had no mushroom, and the heavy use of mushroom soy sauce made it taste bad. At breakfast, we picked four fried eggs from the servery and they were cold. We asked staff to heat them in the microwave, but three of the four still weren’t even warm. We sent them back and had toast with jam instead, which isn’t my usual breakfast. I had to eat something to take my medication, otherwise I’d have gone without. After we returned the eggs a second time, staff offered to make fresh ones, but we had somewhere to be and couldn’t wait any longer. The rooms were a bit dated, and the washbasin only had cold water.

I like how friendly the staff are, especially some of the housekeepers who greet you with sincere smiles. The hotel has been around a long time, and its facilities are aged but still well maintained. It’s clean and comfortable enough. Breakfast is decent, though there are only a few choices, and there’s parking at both the front and back.

The restaurant food was very nice, and the front desk staff were efficient and friendly. It’s in a very good spot for bars and restaurants, and great for the price. I’d stay here again.