Zimbei Cozytel Khaolak

Disaster. Our room had no windows, so there was no fresh air, and it smelled moldy. Young people made unbearable noise all the time, no matter which room you were in. We were two couples and tried earplugs, but we still couldn’t sleep. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!

We had a balcony room, and the road noise really wasn’t bad. Traffic quiets down at night, and the stay was great value for the money. The location was handy too, with a quick walk to the beach and lots of restaurants and bars close by. Staff were kind, attentive, and always happy to help. Some reviews mention that the front desk doesn’t speak English, but we’re in their country, and Google Translate cleared up any confusion. Overall, a great stay.

The good parts were the affordable price, decent cleanliness, good Wi-Fi, and the location, close to both the beach and shopping area. The noise was awful. The hotel faces a main road where cars speed by, and the windows and doors let all the sound in. There’s also a beach bar next door with music and karaoke until 1 a.m. The AC compressors were loud as well. The bathroom was a mess: the drain is across the room from the shower, so water covered the whole floor, and the rest of it was in poor condition. The staff didn’t understand English and couldn’t use the card reader for excursions. The owner was the only one who spoke English, and she was friendly and helpful, but I only saw her at check-in. Breakfast was quite bad, with no fruit at all.

There are plenty of nice bars and good restaurants nearby, and the night markets are easy to reach by taxi. On the day we left, the receptionist was also very helpful with the trouble we had with our privately arranged transfer. She contacted the provider and did what she could, kindly and diligently, to help us. The rest of the stay was disappointing. Our room door wouldn’t lock at check-in. We waited about an hour and a half, then were rudely told we could cancel for free and leave or keep waiting. It was a very bad start to our holiday. In the end, they only partly fixed it, and I had to help get the door to close properly. Reception staff had no language skills, not even English, despite what the booking site said, so communication was harder. The bathroom smelled unpleasant, and some tiles were loose or falling off. The room didn’t feel well maintained. Breakfast was another letdown: we had to sign up each day, and got two lukewarm pieces of toast with a tiny side dish, barely enough for a child. The instant coffee came with only lukewarm water. The food felt uninviting, and at times cold. Overall, service and breakfast were disappointing. The location is the hotel’s biggest plus.