The Aristo Seaview Patong

The hotel is new, and that's about all I can say in its favor. The receptionist wasn't welcoming, and after we checked in they demanded payment for all four days upfront. We paid, though they miscalculated by just 200 Bhat. We were exhausted from travelling, but they wouldn't let us settle the difference later with our restaurant bill, so we had to pay it then. We'd booked a corner suite with a sea view, but there wasn't really a view anywhere on the property. A hoarding is blocking it, and you have to hunt around just to get a simple photo. We were put in rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors. For a property like this, we'd expect a lift. Getting to the rooms became a chore. A garden view room on the ground floor would've spared us the unnecessary exercise, since the supposed sea view mostly looks onto a restaurant roof with only a small, distant stretch of sea. Swimming seemed to be the only activity here, but there was no waiter at the pool. We found the pool cleaner instead, who told us not to jump into the lower part because he was cleaning it around 5PM. I understand the pool needs regular cleaning, but if guests aren't allowed to swim after 7 PM, why interrupt them at 5PM? When I asked him to call the manager, he backed off and said he'd clean later. I then asked him to send someone to take our order. We waited around 45 mins before someone finally showed up just to say there were no vegan / vegetarian options. That says a lot about the poor management. We still have 2 nights left out of 4, and I hope things improve.