The Lephant Hotel

The reception staff were kind and helpful. They didn't speak English, but Google Translate worked perfectly for us. For a one-night stop near the airport, or a clean and comfortable place while on the road, this is a good choice and good value. The nearby restaurant closes around 8 pm, but there are about 20 shops just 50 metres away, which is convenient.

After a 220 km bike ride from Phuket to Surat Thani, I was annoyed to get two calls from the morning staff repeatedly asking when I'd check out. I knew checkout was at noon, and it felt like they were pressuring me to leave early after a long ride. I liked the hotel and its location, and the staff on the night shift were very professional. For the rate, I'd suggest booking directly with the hotel: it was 600 baht a night, compared with 700 baht or more through Agoda.

It's a nice hotel at a petrol station, with a restaurant, convenience store, and parking right in front. The room was big and decent, and everything we needed worked. The online price matched the walk-in rate, and they don't ask for a deposit.

The compound has a Black Canyon, ATMs, a TOPs supermarket, a pharmacy, and a snack shop. At night, food carts sell wanton noodles and cooked dishes like fried rice, fried egg, and hor fun. The dinner was very nice and worth trying. There's also a washing machine and dryer next to the hotel. The receptionist was friendly and very helpful. Their English wasn't strong, but we used Google Translate to get our messages across. The rooms were clean, though the bed area was quite dark due to limited lighting. There's no kettle, but you can get hot water from a flask at reception, and there are stairs but no lift. There's a massage shop, but only one staff member, so a group won't be able to get massages at the same time.