Karon Beach Resort, Ban ra wai (1)

KARON BEACH RESORT I would rate the Karon Beach Report as a 3* (maximum 3+*) hotel rather than a 4* one as it claims. The rooms are nice and have all the necessary equipment (TV with 2-3 channels that show movies in English, a mini bar, a tea and coffee set, A/C). The bed is pretty hard so people who have the slightest back problems might want to opt out of this hotel. Lighting in the bathroom is pretty miserable, which makes shaving and putting on make-up a little complicated. The view is superb. The Andaman Sea is literally 30 meters away and the sound of breaking waves is very romantic. You will not get the usual set of shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer in disposable jars here � instead there are three big bottles that they staff are filling up with shampoo etc. depending on how much you have used up. There is a small terrace with two chairs and a table outside where you can sit in the evening and enjoy the sunset and the sea view. The beach is nice although swimming is very often prohibited due to strong undercurrents and big waves. There is an area on the beach where you can have a massage. The hotel has two swimming pools and a children�s pool. The bigger swimming pool also has a bubbling section with steps so you can lie or sit on those, depending on your preferences. The pools are not very big in size, but really nice. There is a pool bar where you can order fresh juices and nice cocktails for about 5-8 USD. Negative side: too many Aussies who can be really loud (especially after 2-3 cocktails) and disturb the tourists. The hotel itself is pretty sleepy, nothing is going on there. No activities, no animation, no entertainment whatsoever. There is a desk where one can book excursions but I strongly recommend buying everything from one of numerous travel agents from the street as the hotel charges double price on virtually everything. The only air conditioning in the public area is the reception desk/ cashier - this area is separated with a glass wall from the rest of the lobby which is usually dark and uninhabited. The buffet breakfast is probably the weakest spot of Karon Beach hotel. The menu is all the time the same: baked beans, fired rice, saut�ed potatoes, pork sausages and grilled tomatoes. We spent 10 days in this hotel and the menu did not change a bit. The fruit corner offers bananas, jack fruit, melon, rambutan, papaya and fruit salad where everything is already mixed together. The �Egg corner� has its own rules: while they are serving omelets every day such delights as pancakes can only be ordered 1-2 a week, which was very upsetting for my husband. The staff could not give us a reasonable explanation as to why they can not fix pancakes every day. And the culmination of the breakfast story is the hunt for croissants and Danish buns. For some unknown reason which the restaurant managers failed to explain to us the restaurant orders only a certain amount of croissants and Danish buns every day. As a result these types of pastry disappear by about 8:30-9am. Those who get up at 6:30-7 o�clock to make it to their trips or excursions do not have to worry, but tourists who opted for a quiet lazy day on the beach are going to miss both. Twice we tried suggesting the restaurant order more croissants and Danish, alas, to no avail. The restaurant only holds buffet dinner twice a week: Mondays and Fridays which we did not find a very attractive policy either� And the last note. We paid 85 USD for our hotel room which was already a discounted price given the low season. I think 85 USD is way too much for Karon Beach Resort, let alone its normal range of USD 160+. If we ever go back to Phuket I will be booking another hotel.