Pooh Beach Resort & Spa Resort

The staff were always kind and ready to help, and breakfast had a good range of choices. Our room was spacious and quiet, with a nice pool view. We spent three days here and found the location handy, within walking distance of Jomtien beach and close to Tiger Park and the floating market. There's also a very good Indian restaurant about 300m away. We'd happily stay again, especially for a family trip. 10/10.

I stayed here in early January, and the location at the end of a bar street does make it easy to get a beer or food nearby. The fresh orange juice was good, but I waited 15 minutes for it while I was the only person at the pool restaurant, which looked closed. Breakfast felt more Indian and Muslim style than what I'd expect from a 4 or 5 star place. Agoda and Booking rate it 5 stars, but to me even 3 seems more realistic. Check-in at 2 pm was a mess, with one person at reception and a queue that took about 30 minutes. We didn't get to our room until 2:45, so half the afternoon was gone. On arrival, the entrance door looked quite dirty and there was no one to open it or welcome us. The stairways and bathroom seemed straight out of the 80s. The shower was the smallest I've seen in a hotel room, with an old, heavily used curtain. On checkout day, housekeeping was already knocking at 9:30 to clean. I also notice that lots of 5-star reviews have been appearing over the past week, and almost all mention staff by name. This place is not one I'd recommend.

The pools are lovely, though it's a shame most guests don't shower before getting in. If you're just trying to cool down, use the shower. You shouldn't get into the pool covered in sweat and sunscreen. A few weeks ago there were plenty of free sunbeds when we arrived, but now guests quietly claim them and disappear, so the beds are taken with nobody there. The hotel is being repaired and refurbished, so some things still need work. Breakfast has lots of options, though I would have liked some cheese and cold meats. Hopefully it will eventually reach the standard it deserves, because it could be a lovely place.

The food and location were good, and most of the staff were helpful, as is usual for me in Thailand. Reception was the exception. I'd booked a ground-floor room with a pool and garden view a month ahead, but on arrival they apologized and said the hotel was full, so we got a second-floor room instead. There's no elevator, the corridors are dirty, and the bathroom was under construction. I'm only 175 cm tall, but there wasn't enough room to sit on the toilet normally, so I had to sit sideways. The TV only worked if we used our own internet hotspot. Rooms aren't cleaned automatically either, you have to hang out the "pls make my room clean" sign.