Phratamnak Inn

The owner is friendly, and the rooms are clean with air conditioning that works well. You're about 100m from the beach, though getting to other places is just a little too far to walk. It's comfortable to rent a moped, and there's one available next door for a reasonable price.

Being so close to the beach was a real help since we arrived well before check-in. We rented chairs there and had a nap until our room was ready. The hotel looks plain from the outside, but inside it was great: our room was spacious, clean, and well kept. Kate, as she asked us to call her, and the staff were lovely, friendly, and helpful. Breakfast was good and plentiful. It's a quieter spot, which suited us, though it isn't close to the noise. Pattaya Central Mall and Jomtein are at least a 15-minute drive, and Alcazar took 45 minutes in traffic. If that location works for you, I felt lucky to have found this place.

The room was big, the pillows were new, and the internet was good. But both air conditioners only worked at about 10%, so the room barely cooled and I was wet for two nights. I reported it at reception the next morning. They said I had put the key in wrong, then later called repairmen who topped up the freon, but nothing changed. There were three other identical rooms available, and when I offered to move, the response was hysterical. It was hard to follow what was going on, with talk of calling the boss and then not calling. In the end, she went home without fixing anything. I paid the full deluxe price and was very unhappy. The staff were very unpleasant.

Before arriving, I messaged through booking to ask about checking in early, or leaving my luggage if a room wasn't ready. They said early check-in would cost extra. I've never been asked to pay for that, in Thailand or anywhere else. I asked whether they'd refund money if a guest left early, and they told me I could cancel the booking. That made me think the stay might be a bad experience. I checked Google again, where the score was only 3.9 compared with 8.6 on booking, read a few reviews, and decided to cancel. I found another hotel easily and was glad I hadn't stayed. Hope this helps people considering the place.