Centara Seaview Resort, Khao Lak

During November 2013 I had friends stay at this resort in Khao Lak and went to see them on various days. Centara has a good reputation and with it's 197 luxury rooms, including one Royal Executive Pool Villa, seven Royal Pool Villas, two Royal Villas, 27 Deluxe Pool Villas and three disabled rooms, this resort delivers as well.

The rooms are big and nice with all you need and expect in resort in this class and you have immediate beach access on a lovely white sand beach.

Just keep in mind that there's a lot of water around the resort so there might be mosquito's and as in all Centara resors, the wifi doesn't come free and is actually way overpriced.

On the other hand, the recreational sport facilities and children activities are fantastic, with plenty of options and choices. The swimming pool has a slide which the children will enjoy.

The resort is also just a 5 minute walk away from the main road where you can find plenty of different restaurants and shops to your liking.

A good hotel in a nice location with plenty of options to enjoy your holiday.

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Deluxe Ocean room

Guest room

Royal Pool Villa

Swimming pool

Overview

Samkong Place, Phuket

This modest place is located in Talat Yai, Phuket Town and is within walking distance of two big hospitals; Bangkok Hospital and the Vachira (government) hospital

There's fast wifi in the room with the hotel offering plenty of parking space and around the hotel there are plenty of local eateries. Samkong is a lively place and besides the restaurants, there's plenty of other conveniences around near the hotel, like small mini markets etc.
Very good is that the hotel is located away from the busy main road and there's no traffic noise in the rooms. 

The rooms seem safe, are clean and big and come at a very affordable price.

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Guest room

Twin room

Double room

Guest room

Hotel exterior

Green Tree Village, Phuket

Last month we stayed at this lovely bungalow village, which is located near the roundabout of the two heroines in Phuket, the Thao Thep Kasattri (ท้าวเทพกระษัตรี) and Thao Sri Sunthon (ท้าวศรีสุนทร) placing it in a very central location, near to shopping areas, the Laguna, the airport and some beautiful quiet beaches as well.

The bungalows are located at a small lake and far enough away from the busy highway to make for an idyllic and lovely setting you can easily fall in love with. The setting will make up for the lack of a swimming pool but good and fast internet in the room as an up again. Breakfast is served at your balcony which makes for a great start of the day.

If you're looking for a quiet and affordable hide away on Phuket, you just found it here!

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Living room

Kitchenette

Bed room

View on the bungalow

The lake in front of the bungalows

Seetanu Bungalows, Koh Phangan

All the PADI IDC's that I taught so far on Koh Phangan were on Haad Chao Phao and the beach there is just fabulous! It's a nice stretch of almost unspoiled beach in a small bay with just a few resorts and Seetanu is one of them.

The 17 bungalows come in various price rates and there a handful of low budget fan rooms changing into good bungalows at the beach or in their luscious garden.

Just for the beach alone you will love it, sunsets and quietness! Just be aware that once every month there's a party near the beach. That night it's not quiet!
The resort doesn't have a pool but the ocean is directly in front and has shallow water.

The bungalows have a good price and I can recommend the are, plenty of restaurants are nearby in this nice and quiet corner of the island.

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The entrance sign

One of the beach bungalows

Garden bungalow

Garden bungalow

View on to the beach

The beach

Thanyapura Sports Hotel, Thalang, Phuket

This hotel, build in 2012, is a dream for a sports person and is build with the mind, body and soul coaching model in mind and just 15 minutes away from the airport.

Besides the 77 rooms, you can find;

• 50-metre Olympic competition standard swimming pool, 25-metre swimming pool
• 900 sq. metre fitness centre with cardio and strength studios, as well as aerobics, spinning, martial arts, Power Plate and yoga studios
• 500-metre cushioned athletics track
• Six Plexicushion competition standard tennis courts (four covered)
• Seven-a-side floodlit Limonta 'Soccer Pro' FIFA approved soccer pitch
• Full-size International Rugby Board standard artificial rugby pitch
• Floodlit beach volleyball court and beach soccer pitch
• Floodlit basketball court
• Thanyapura Integrative Health Center, an on-site clinic on hand to provide members and guests first aid assistance, physiotherapy, therapeutic massage and quantum therapy.

On top of that, many academies are offer; covering tennis, rugby, football, triathlon and aquatics. 

There are also camps for aquatics, tennis and triathlon.

On top of that they have a great restaurant that caters to all your sport nutrition needs.

Don't expect a beach holiday here, it's all about working out and improving your performance. A great concept!

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Guest room

Energy room

Fitness

Tennis

Olympic size pool

The Centrino Serviced Residence, Surat Thani

There are more and more new hotels surfacing in the provincial cities and Surat Thani is no exception. The Centrino is centrally located and is mostly used by travelers on transit to or from the islands (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao).
We use it a lot when we need to be in the Surat Thani town, it's easy, cheap and convenient for us.
There is no elevator, so a room on the top floor may be slightly inconvenient when checking and/or out.

Then hotel has a car park and the internet in the rooms is fast! A basic, simple and straightforward hotel with nice and big enough rooms at a very reasonable price!

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Guest room

Guest room

Guest room

Exterior

Entrance

Sensi Paradise Beach Resort, Koh Tao

During my first visit to Koh Tao, I stayed at this resort, but we're talking 1997 or such and a few things have change! Back during my visiting days, it was not the luxury resort it is nowadays!

The location is still the same, about a 5 minute walk from Mae Haad, where the ferries arrive, on a hill overlooking the bay into Mae Haad, with some spectacular views.

There are family houses, romantic suites and beach bungalows catering to all kinds of guests and there's a big pool now.

There are a few big and spectacular boulders lining the small beach in front of the resort. Keep in mind that the resort is build upon a hill, so some walking to the rooms may be involved.

A quiet location but within walking distance to the shops, bars and restaurants of Mae Haad. A nice and relaxed location.

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Guest room

Guest room

Guest room

Swimming pool

View from the restaurant

The Color Hotel, Hat Yai

This brand new hotel has just opened in June/July 2012. The rooms are spacious but if you travel with children older than 3 extra charges occur, in contrast to most Thai hotels. 

Fast wifi in the rooms is a plus but the rooms are noisy and not well insulated for noise and there's no breakfast available. That in itself is no big problem, since in Thailand food can be had almost everywhere. The hotel is located within  5 minute walk to the central part of Hat Yai, if you come by car, there's a parking garage under the hotel.

The rooms are fairly priced and considering that the hotel is so new, it may well be a good choice for your stay.

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Booking by HOTELS COMBINED

Double room

Twin room

Reception

Lobby

Exterior

Dusit Thani Laguna Hotel, Thalang, Phuket

Although I never stayed at the hotel, it's part of the grounds that host the Phuket Laguna International Marathon, in which I participated in the half marathon events in 2011 (my first half marathon ever) and 2012 and am planning to run for 3rd consecutive year come 9th June 2013.

The location is fantastic, near the beach, nicely isolated so a quiet time is guaranteed and the hustle and bustle of Patong, Katha or Karon is just half an hour away by car and the airport is just a 15 minute ride away. At the entrance to the resort there are local eateries as well, within walking distance so you an enjoy and partake in the local cuisine easily, in case you get bored with the hotel food.

The hotel boasts 254 rooms, which come in a great variety, so plenty of options are available and they all come with the modern dy amenities like wifi, private balconies and special orthopedic beds to ensure a good night's sleep. A great spa, swimming pool and a beautiful beach are at your disposal as well.

A good place to spend your holiday, not only for running!

Agoda  

Hotels Combined 

Guest room

Guest room interior

Suite room

Swimming pool

Beach

Khao Luang Resort, Lan Saka, Nakhon Si Thammarat

Within two weekends of each other we found ourselves back in Lan Saka, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, for different running events. This time we decided to use a different resort, which was recommended to us at our first visit, but it was fully occupied at that occasion. 

The Khao Luang Resort is conveniently located opposite the road that leads to the Khao Lung National park in Khao Kaeo, well worth a visit.

The resort boats just a handful of bungalow and a couple of rooms for larger parties with multiple beds.

Our bungalow was made of wood and looked really worn out, although there was a tv, a/c and hot water in the shower. Overall we thought the better rooms was had at our previous choice but the owner made up for a lot, She really went out of her way to accommodate us, she got me wifi card for the room and in general she was very friendly.

The resort also has a kind of river playground at the river side with a cable construction to get to the other side of the river or drop in midway plus inner tubes and kayaks for rent. 

The surrounding area is stunningly beautiful with mountain views and small rivers running all over the place.

If you like nature, this is a nice and off the beaten track destination!

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Entrance to the resort

Bungalow with parking space below

Side view of bungalow

Road inside the resort

The river running next to the resort, with inner tubes and kayaks for rent