Payaa Hotel

Back for my second stay, and this place is still high on my list for the price and comfort. The beds are really comfortable, beaten only by The Beverly mountain hotel. I once had the room with a bathtub in the middle, which was fantastic. The TVs are the best I’ve found for English content, and some Chinese and Thai movie channels have English subtitles. The whole hotel has a dark look, especially the dim lobby, and I’d prefer it lighter. Everything else is great, though. It also smells lovely, a light, woodsy, slightly earthy scent. I can’t stand bad smells in hotels, so this one wins that category for me.

We’ve stayed in five hotels on this Thailand trip, including two five-star and three four-star places, and we love this one. The garden areas downstairs and around the upstairs pool are beautiful, and the place smells wonderful. Breakfast is available until 4pm, and check-in and check-out are at exactly the same time, which is fantastic. The location is superb, the staff are excellent, and the value for the money is unbeatable. Well done to everyone working here. We’ll definitely be back.

The Payaa Hotel is clean and sits right by the beach, with a great location. Still, some parts don’t feel like a four-star stay. Noise carries into the rooms, and the thin doors and lack of carpet in the rooms and hallways make it feel less high-end. There’s a nice pool bar, but nobody serves drinks or food there from opening to closing. The spa costs three times as much as the nice spas just 100 feet away. They even charge 100 baht for a 3 oz welcome tea, which doesn’t feel very welcoming. I see it as a three-star hotel with a few four-star features, and the product needs some work.

The room was cute, and the beach is only a three-minute walk away. I also liked being able to take my time in the morning instead of rushing to check out at 10 or 11. The pools stayed open until 11pm, and I think “breakfast” was served until 4pm, with a decent choice of main dishes that you could order more than once. Staff were attentive throughout!! Soundproofing is the downside. You can sometimes hear other guests or parties outside. Bring noise-canceling headphones or something 🤷‍♀️