The hotel is not beach front and it’s old. We had rooms 306 and 307. Noisy and dark. You get one key fob which has to be inserted in a power slot by the door. So it is required to maintain electricity and AC in the room. The rooms are very hot and take a long time to cool. Nice enough pool area. But you can get that elsewhere.
We read the reviews before we booked and as with all reviews you have to read between the lines, so this review is from a reasonably well travelled couple around Thailand and the world, not overly fussy but expect what we pay for.
Firstly it was the most we have ever paid for a hotel in Thailand so we thought it would be something a little special - No. At over £100 a night not including breakfast, it is almost twice what we pay in Hua Hin for a fantastic 3 star. More than Pantong for a 4 star, Phi Phi, Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe.
Secondly the positives
The bed is comfy
Shower is good
Towels changed very regularly
Near to the beach not on the beach
In Kamala town so easy access to bars, restaurants and shopping.
Thirdly, and sadly this is an exhaustive list
The Pool, we only went in once and that was it. It was truly disgusting. In all my years I have never seen anything so vile. Thick green/black scum line all round the edge, cloudy water where you couldn’t see your feet at the bottom, bar stools so high in the water you couldn’t get on them, very unpleasant and rude barman, many tiles missing in the pool with sharp edges, no filters to clean the water or the dirt and whatever else sank to the bottom after it had finished floating on the top and lastly with no thorough cleaning at all the water was looking stagnant by the time we left. Horrific
Staff were not friendly, never said hello or even smiled at you. Tried to ignore you for as long as possible. Housekeeping was probably the best here but it was pot luck if the room was done by the time we came from the beach at 4:30/5:00pm.
The room was quite nice but if you have any mobility issues you must ask for a ground floor room as there are no lifts and the stairs are very very steep. We had an issue with our air con that it was dripping from the vent and inside the wardrobe was wet so we couldn’t hang our clothes up. We told reception and with no apology they just asked for room number. Went back later that day hopeful it was fixed which it was as long as you didn’t turn it back on. All they’d done was wipe it dry, as soon as we turned it back on the same issue. Again mentioned it the following morning and it seemed to be ok after this but still very dewy all the time. In our friends room next door, the water tap came off in her hand, light bulbs where missing, air con was poor, the plug by the kettle was blanket plated off so they had the kettle on the floor on the other side of the room and the balcony door didn’t lock.
We had a small bill to pay when we left and as we handed the key back we were asked for 320 Thb for our bill. No issue there but no “thank you, have a safe trip or did you enjoy your stay”. They must know what a dump they are working in.
All in all we will never ever go back to this overpriced, unfriendly dirty hotel.
Apologies for the long review but when travelling so far and spending a lot of money, you deserve to know what you are walking into.
I consider myself fairly well travelled and have stayed in a whole range of hotels, home stays across the world, this hotel is definitely not 5 star, it would be 3 star at best. And it’s not beachfront either, you have to cross a road and go through a market or car park to reach the beach. We booked a Garden view room for 6 nights over the New Year period. The first room we were allocated was terrible, dark, smelly and very tired looking. The reception were initially reluctant to change as they said this was the type of room we had booked and showed us photos on the website to clarify. In fairness this is factually correct, however, in reality the rooms do not have the enhanced lighting nor the appearance of space as portrayed in the photos. The reception did reallocate us to another Garden View room towards the back of the hotel which was a vast improvement. Breakfast was mediocre at best. On the positives the pool area was quite nice although it does get crowded at times. Also the staff in all areas were friendly and polite. For the money you pay, personally I think you can improve.
From the outset I should state that we were supposed to stay three days , but due to our flight being cancelled and brought forward two days by the airline we had no choice but to cancel part of our non refundable booking , the hotel were extremely accommodating and offered us a two day credit for a future stay , which as regular visitors to this area we were happy to accept, that said we have stayed in many five star hotels in Thailand and unfortunately this is not one of them ,at best it’s three and half stars , evev though it presents quite well on approach and the check in is very efficient and friendly as is the baggage service it is sadly downhill thereafter . Our room (6106) was quite small , dark and very old fashioned ,6he bathroom was really very cramped with ancient fittings , water pressure and toiletries were adequate . The hotel is very quiet and sleep quality on a reasonable mattress was good . Externally there is a large pool , a small gym and a restaurant where breakfast is served if you make that option when booking . In short the staff are superb e everyone we encountered was charming and friendly especially poon and the pregnant lady on reception but the property either needs a complete up date of rebrand itself as three star not five star which was an opinion we heard from several other guests It really is a shame that I am writing this as I’m sure the hotel has suffered serious economic damage due to the corona virus .
I booked a five night, non-refundable stay at Princess Kamala from 30 December-4 January. Having read rather mixed reviews online, I was slightly nervous before arriving but assumed that the non-complimentary reviews would be from particularly picky guests, and given that my five night stay averaged €240/£210 per night, assumed that such an expensive stay would guarantee high-quality accommodation. How wrong I was.
After checking in on 30/12 and seeing my room, I made the immediate decision that I would be unable to stay. There was an awful smell of damp, a flimsy lock on the door, very basic amenities and very old-fashioned furniture in the room as well as an untidy and dilapidated building in serious need of refurbishment. I imagine for someone looking for a budget, two star hotel, this would have been acceptable, but it simply is not five star and is the most overpriced hotel I have honestly ever stayed in.
Given that I had already chosen a pool-view room (presumably one of the most desirable) and subsequently seeing other room doors open during cleaning the next day, it was clear that any room move would have been futile in terms of offering the quality and comfort I was looking for, so I did not request this. It was clear that this was just not for me, so I rearranged my flight home as, given it was over the New Year period, availability elsewhere was virtually non-existent.
I did not want to be disrespectful to reception staff who had been perfectly pleasant, so simply said I had to leave for ‘personal reasons’ and decided I would pick this up with detail with the hotel and the booking company when I got home (tired, after two days of consecutive travel). Before leaving, I did ask if any refund was possible, but they said that this could only be done by contacting the booking company, something that the booking company subsequently seemed surprised by given that the hotel handled all payments long before my stay. Even though it was a non-refundable rate, given that I was there for 15 hours and left after one night of a five night stay, I assumed some agreement could be reached.
I feel the price I paid was quite astonishingly high for what was a very poor hotel. I have never been so disappointed with a hotel in my life. The price to quality ratio really is quite shocking. I feel the whole stay was mis-sold and it was a real shame for me to lose what was going to be a very relaxing end of year trip, meaning I spent two consecutive days travelling as I knew I would have been very unhappy and uncomfortable there if I had stayed.
I have sent detailed messages to the hotel since my departure, trying to open reasonable dialogue about my particular situation and experience. These have mostly been ignored, although I had one reply below:
Dear Sir, Madam,
We understand you unhappy becuase the money not refund please understand our policy .
Best Regards,
This lack of effort to try to reach common ground is so disappointing and indicative, I feel, of a hotel that has simply given up on standards and guest satisfaction.
If you get a good deal and want a budget hotel that would be a nice reward at the end of a backpacking trip, for example, this may well be the place for you. If you’re looking for a luxury, relaxed escape, please, please avoid this place.
