Emerald Patong Studio

It’s a calm, comfortable place for the price, and Grab and Bolt work well here. Patong Beach is around a 20-minute walk away. Some floors have balconies with views of both the sea and city. The ground-floor gym is okay, while the second-floor pool was smaller than I’d expected. Facilities are average, but not bad.

I loved it here. It was affordable, felt safe and private, and had the comforts and amenities of home. Getting into town is a fairly short walk once you find the shortcut. A scooter is handy, or Grab and Bolt rides are cheap. I’ll definitely come back.

The apartment itself was nice, but our four nights were so unpleasant that I couldn’t wait to leave. We paid £60 a night. There was no key in the box, no one around, and neither Agoda nor the letting company, lofty villas, replied to my messages. There was no Wi-Fi either, and the smell was the real problem. At 2am, a man let himself into our room asking what we were doing there, whether we’d paid, and where his bags were. The letting company must have known he hadn’t handed the key back. I kept messaging about changing rooms, 112/13, or getting a refund. We tried plugging all the sinks, covering the shower and bathroom floor drains, and closing the toilet lid, but it was still so unpleasant. The drains smelled like sewers. One morning I had to sit in reception just to get some relief. I’m sure the other rooms may be fine, but I hope you don’t end up in this one.

The whole building felt neglected, almost like an abandoned condo, and the pool didn’t look clean. There was a musty smell everywhere and it stayed very humid even with the air-conditioning and a fan. It badly needs renovation, and really wasn’t worth the money.