The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town has an interesting history. It's one of the oldest hotels in town and it became really famous when Leonoardo Dicaprio stayed there in room 204 during the shooting of 'The Beach' in 1998.

Th e hotel is located smack in the middle of the 'Old town' in Phuket town and there are plenty of beautiful Sino-Portuguese buildings and plenty of interesting shops, bars, restaurants and museums to be check out, all within walking distance.

The hotel itself has recently been renovated but it's still made of wood, so if you're a light sleeper, you may have problems falling asleep, since noises and movements revereberate easily. I think it's part of the whole expereince of staying in such a place, but t's not for everyone.

It's definately old world charm paired with modern convenience. The staff is very helpfull and friendly and it's well worth a visit with the added bonus of being able to discover on foot the amazing 'Old town' of Phuket town.

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The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town; Guest room

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town; Interior

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town; Interior in blue room

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town; Interior

The Memory at On On Hotel in Phuket Town; Exterior

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort

The Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort, which is part of the Radisson group, is a great beachfront location in a private and shallow bay, just two minutes from the scenic, white sand Makham Bay in Panwa. Nicely tucked away in a relaxing and quiet corner of Phuket, away from all the hustle and bustle that other parts of Phuket offer. On the other hand, scenic and interesting Phuket town is only 15 minutes away and the Phuket Aquarium is around the corner.

There are three free form swimming pools, which makes the resort perfect for both romantic and family friendly getaways and for children there's the Sapparot club with many children activities on offer. 

For a nice and relaxing stay away from the busy parts of Phuket, the Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort may be a good option.

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Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort; Pool Villa

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort; Deluxe Twin

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort; Junior Suite

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort; Swimming pool

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort; Exterior

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom

The Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom is a small French run family place, with only three bungalows and opened it's doors in 2015,

The French couple is very pleasant and will make your stay a memorable one, especially combined with their restaurant on the beach with lovely food and wine. Remember where the owners originate from!

The three bungalows are basic but very nice, with aircon, wifi and a small fridge but it is fairly isolated, if you need something from town, you will need your own wheels. It is however a perfect place to rest and relax for a few days and be shut off from daily life with a 'bon vivant' lifestyle on the beach. If you're up for this, you will have the time of your life, with long and quiet stretches of beach and bring some good books!

Enjoy the less travelled roads and beaches of Southern Thailand!

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Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom; Beach life

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom; Guest room

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom; Exterior

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom; Guest room

Le Petit St Tropez, Khanom; Beach road and sunset

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta

The Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach is nicely located at one of these seemingly endless beaches on Koh Lanta and also directly next to a nice park. 

It's just in-between two nice areas with many restaurants and shops, just too far to walk to Klong Nin to the South and Long beach to the North, so occasionally you will need wheels to get out of the resort.

The rooms are basic and could do with some renovations but have everything you need, except wifi is only available in public places like the reception and the breakfast is also very basic.

For a quiet getaway on a lovely beach the Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach will fit the bill,

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Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach; Sunset

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach; Guest room

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach; Guest room

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach; Exterior

Lanta Casuarina Resort, Koh Lanta on Phra Ae beach; Swimming pool

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata

The Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata is a fairly new hotel to me, it was already build and completed just under two years ago.

The location is idyllic in the Kata hills on Phuket and the 104 rooms come with a hill or ocean view. The rooms come in a wide variety, ranging from Superior to Deluxe and there are also Suites with Sea view. 

A nice touch is that if arrival time is confirmed 48 hours in advance, the room will be ready upon arrival, otherwise the frist night will be for free and a 16 year old has free breakfast and an extra bed (as in 2016). There's also a kids and teenage room available and as a parent, these are things that attract and interest me! 

The Kata beach is just a 5 minute drive away, so there is no direct beach access. However, the pool is great and is located directly next to the breakfast restaurant, which allows you to eat your croissant or rice porridge whilst sitting in a pool chair, dangling your feet in the water!

The Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata is a 4 start hotel but with amazing rates, especially out of season or booked well in advance. 

Since I teach PADI IDC programs around the corner at PADI CDC Center 'Dive Asia' at Kata Big Rock, we had a few of our candidates stay here and we only received positive feedback, just like the hotels receives in general good feedback from the majority of its guests.

Well worth a visit and recommended by me comes the Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata with all facilities, despite lack of beach access.

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Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata; Guest room

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata; Guest room

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata; Swimming pool

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata; Exterior

Eastin Yama Hotel, Phuket in Kata; Sunset over Kata

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket

The Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket is a fave of mine and I stayed here a few times when I visited Phuket and needed to be in the Kata area.

It has a good location for me, in Soi 7, especially considering that I typically visit with my own car which I can conveniently park in front. Nonetheless, even without your own wheels at hand, many restaurants, markets and various shops can be visited by foot and the beach is about a 15 minute walk away in case you're looking for that. Motorbikes can be rented but be careful if you do rent a motorbike, it's better that you have some or a lot of experience driving motorbikes, since the roads in Thailand are dangerous.

The rooms are big enough and have everything I need, air conditioning, a fridge, TV but alas, the internet speed was never really fast. The hotel staff has always been friendly and helpfull though. There is a small gym on the third floor of the new building but this hotel does not have a pool or an elevator. The hotel boasts 36 rooms over three floors in two seperate buildings.

Since the location is inside Patak Soi 7, it's also a very quiet location.

The new building has the nicer rooms and the old building has more basic rooms, but still with all you need and the rooms have a very good rate.  Very high and positive reviews can be found at various booking sites on the internet and I can add my blessing, so to say and can recommend Baan Kata Maytha if you need to stay for a few nights and are not necessarily looking for water activities.

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Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket; Guest room

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket; Guest room

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket; Exterior of the new building

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket; Gym at the third floor of the new building

Baan Kata Maytha, Kata, Phuket; View towards Patak road and the Kata hills, with the original building in front

Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi

Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi

During one of my running events, I stayed at the Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi for a night and it turned out to be a most pleasant stay.

With only 15 rooms it's small and cosy, but be aware, there is no elevator. If you're on the upper floors, you will have to walk.

The rooms are very nice and spacious though and make you immediately feel at home. Staff is friendly and the rooms have all that I need, a good working air conditioner unit, a fridge, a bathroom and wifi plus a TV.

The breakfast that should be included with the room is hardly worthwhile mentioning, it's very basic, but on the other hand, for the price you pay for the room, you can't expect much better or more.

The Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi is located on a hill just outisde of the city center, it took me about twenty minutes to walk to the town center, which I enjoyed but may not be everybody's cup of tea. It may be difficult to find transporation near the hotel.

There are plenty of other hotel options available in the center of town, but I really enjoyed this hotel, it's new and friendly. Well worth the stopover.

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Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi; Guest room

Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi; Guest room

Baan Andaman Bed & Breakfast Hotel, Krabi; Guest room

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani

The Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani is conveniently located near the very center of Surat Thani town, just across the old bridge in the middle of town, at the very first crossing. You can't miss it.

It's a quiet and relaxed area with plenty of very good Thai restaurants along the river and on the small island in the middle of the river.

There's also a 7-11 directly next to the hotel, which add to the convenience and during my visit they were also selling soup just outside of the hotel and looking at the amount of visitors to the soup shop, it must be of very good quality.

The rooms are adequate and cheap. It's a bit noisy but it didn't disturb me and the rooms have all the basic convenience you need nowadays, a small fridge, a TV an air con plus a bathroom.

The duplex suite room is great if you travel with children, don't forget to bring some extra bedding, like a blanket. There are also plenty of smaller and even cheaper rooms available. Since the hotel is next to the river, there may be some mosquitoes in the room.

I can recommend this resort, simple yet delivering all you need at a very good price and near the city center and all the town has to offer. Next time in Surat Thani we will visit the new water park, of which we heard great reports. A review will come shortly.

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Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani, Duplex suite

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani, duplex suite

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani, duplex suite bedroom

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani, garden scene

Sabye D Resort, Surat Thani, exterior

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan

The Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan is a nice and small but comfy resort with just 18 rooms. Having aid that, the rooms on the street side may be a bit noisy from passing motorbikes.

The  infinity pool, the view and the sunsets however make up any complains you may have. They are stunning and a real treat at very reasonable price and staff seems to be very friendly as well.

The Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan is located almost on top of a hill, which supplies the amazing views. Opposite are two restaurants, my recommendation is for 'Big Mountain' with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

Give Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan a try and enjoy the hospitality and views and the nearby Haad Chao Pao with you can find a nice beach and the resort has very reasonable pricing.

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Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan; Guest room

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan; Guest room

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan; Guest room balcony with view

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan; view from the room at the ocean side

Sea Garden Resort 2, Haad Chao Phao, Koh Phangan; Sunset

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya

The 247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya or the twenty four seven Boutique Hotel is centrally located in Soi Honey, near second road and near the beach of Pattaya. The beach is just a five minute walk away, as is Central Festival, the big shopping mall. There are tons of restaurants around and if you're looking for night life, you will find that you're in the middle of it. Walking street is just a few minutes away as well by the the ten Baht taxi

The hotel itself delivers a good service with rather small but excellent rooms for a good online rate. The rooms are fairly new and have all you need, from an a/c to a mini fridge and a nice 'in the room' shower with glass windows.

Breakfast is adequate and is across the road and does the job. Just eb aware that there is construction going on at the moment at the back, where most of the rooms are, so during the daytime it's slightly noisy.

The 247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya is a very good choice though and delivers good quality for the fair price you pay compared to other Pattaya hotels.

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247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya; Guest room

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya; Guest room

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya; Guest room

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya; Mini suite

247 Boutique Hotel, Pattaya; swimming pool on the roof

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai

During our recent visit to Hat Yai we stayed at the Aloha Hotel Hat Yai.

The Aloha Hotel Hat Yai is very centrally located in downtown Hat Yai, within walking distance of the railway station but also near the shopping malls and plenty of restaurants, bars shops and the famous market is also only two blocks away.

It's interesting to stroll around and the streets are lively and busy and it's fun to watch all the hustle and bustle going on with a very international mix of visitors, many Malaysian people visit, but also Chinese and Western tourists can be found.

It was sad to see the amount of shark fins for sale and the shark fin soup at the various Chinese oriented restaurants.

The hotel is straightforward, no luxury but does the job and has everything you need, a/c, a fridge and good wifi. The restaurant serves an Asian breakfast, nothing fancy but good enough to fill your stomach in the morning. 

We were on the ninth floor and had a nice view over the city.

A nice touch is their parking area, with an entrance at the other side of the block, a back entrance, since parking can be tricky in that part of town, it's always busy there during the day time.

It all served out purpose and it was convenient for us. If you're in Hat Yai for a short stay, I can recommend this hotel.

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Aloha hotel Hat Yai guest room

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai twin guest room

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai guest room interior

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai exclusive room interior

Aloha Hotel Hat Yai exterior, front entrance