Page Contents

• Hat Yai Accommodation Listings Page 3
  • Diamond Plaza Hotel [more]
  • Dusit Hotel [more]
  • Emperor Hotel [more]
  • Florida Hotel [more]
  • Garden Home Apartment [more]
  • Garden Home Hotel [more]
  • Genting Hotel [more]
  • Golden Crown Hotel [more]
  • Golden Crown Plaza Hotel [more]
  • Golden House Resort [more]
  • Grand Plaza Hotel [more]
  • Great Home Mansion [more]

Accommodation - Page 3

Comments: Very popular with Chinese guests and close to the centre of town, the Diamond Plaza is getting towards the top end of the hotel market in Hat Yai. It is in the same group as the nearby Grand Plaza but more upmarket.

Guest Comments:

• Wi-Fi signal in lobby but not in rooms.

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: The Dusit is an older Hat Yai hotel but it is located on a fairly quiet road, it's cheap, and it's within easy walking distance of Lee Gardens and the central tourist area.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: The Emperor has definitely seen better days and is now looking pretty awful. This is reflected in the room rates. What will probably happen some time in the future is that it will close for a complete refurbishment before reopening and charging double the current room rates.

Competition among hotels is stiff in Hat Yai with lots of supply and - as a result of the insurgency problems in the south and a declining economy worldwide - not much demand. In its current state, the only way the Emperor can get guests in is by offering very cheap room rates but, even so, there are better deals to be had locally.

The area it is in is well-known for 'Karaoke' bars. The hotel has its own Karaoke lounges and there is a disco attached - Disco Palace - which I'm not sure is open still or not.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: The hotel brochure says that the Florida is located in the heart of Hat Yai. This isn't exactly true (depending on your opinion as to where the heart of Hat Yai is) but it isn't a huge distance from Lee Gardens Plaza, which is where I consider the tourist centre of Hat Yai to be. It's a distance I am quite happy walking but others may consider the distance too far.

The rooms are a good size, especially the deluxe ones, and the views aren't bad from the higher floors.

The whitewashed exterior of the hotel with palm trees planted outside is pleasant and the atmosphere inside is relaxed and (for Hat Yai) quite wholesome.

There is a cafe and restaurant and also an in-house massage shop - Cleopatra Ancient Massage.

Guest Comments:

• 650 baht for a room with no breakfast and no wifi, and this was on a Sunday when everyone was leaving the city. On Monday morning I asked for a discount and was denied. The room was OK, nothing special but it was overpriced for being nothing special, I would not stay here again. (September 2011)
• I wanted to check out this hotel as the walk-in rate was advertised as 550 bht per night and that I need a room before my noon flight to Bangkok. I paid for the room and was told that there is no free wifi but there is a rate which I find too expensive. The room were pleasant, clean and comfortable but the minus factor has to be the poorly light bathroom and the absence of the water faucet beside the toilet as I do not use toilet paper after I have done my daily business!!! This is the main factor in not coming back for another visit. I hope that the management do realize this factor when you look at what a hotel's bathroom MUST have. I also did not check out Cleopatra massage or The One night club in this hotel. Was a bit tired, again. (November 2010)

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: Not to be confused with the Garden Home Hotel. This is a long-term rental apartment building.

I've always considered this apartment building to be one of the better long-term accommodation options in town and at one time was considering living there.

It's set back a little way from the road and you don't get quite as much traffic noise as you do at some other places. The security is good with non-residents unable to get into the building.

The room rate doesn't include a TV or fridge but these items can be rented for Bt300 each per month.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: A fairly typical middle-range Hat Yai hotel. Facilities include the 'Sometime' Pub & Restaurant, Kiss Boutique Karaoke, Kiss Music Lounge, Jen Jen Ancient Massage, and a snooker club.

Kiss Music Lounge is not what you might think. As you enter, you walk into a room full of very attractive Thai girls wearing evening dresses who are available all night or for a short time. They are very easy on the eye, and priced accordingly. These aren't your rough and ready Bt500 hookers.

I ventured into Jen Jen Ancient Massage on one occasion. There was one woman working there and it quickly became apparent why the word 'Ancient' is used in the name of the establishment. The word described her perfectly. I made my excuses and left fairly hastily.

A few years ago a farang was hospitalised after falling out of a window here. I don't know if he was drunk or just trying to avoid paying his bill. Maybe both, or perhaps he was practising for the world-renowned 'Pattaya Death Leap' which is a favourite pastime among farang expats in Thailand? Whatever he was doing, it's generally not a good idea to leave hotels via a window.

In response to a concerned guest from Malaysia who was planning to stay at this hotel with his family, what goes on here between the working girls and single male guests is not all that obvious to regular guests.

It is no secret that the sex for sale in Hat Yai is a major draw for many Malaysian tourists - not to mention those from Singapore and elsewhere. It goes on pretty much everywhere but it is kept hidden just below the surface. If you're looking for it, you will find it. If not, you may not even notice what is going on.

Guest Comments:

• The hotel is situated in a quiet neighborhood with easy access to hatyai center, around 10-15 mins walk to Lee Garden Plaza or 15-20 baht by tuk tuk. The hotel room that we got was a standard room. Regular decoration, nothing special. The room was a little old. Free breakfast was provided (egg, toast, ham and hot-dog) + coffee. Overall our stay was good consider the price is half of what Lee Garden Plaza Hotel cost! (October 2010)
• The stay at Garden Home Hotel was so-so, no good or bad experience. Indeed, the counter staffs don't like to smile but they do answer to my enquiries though. There was no door-bells for the rooms. I stayed in the Superior room, 745baht/night, at the point of advancing booking in March, I was told that 2 ABF will be included, but nothing was mentioned when I check-in the hotel and I didn't bother to ask too. There was free WIFI. In fact I booked a Superior Room with single bed and it was confirmed, but when I check-in, I was told that only double bed room is available. Haha, therefore I used one bed for slacking and another one for sleeping. The hotel wasn't as 'messy' n 'havoc' as what people think. I don't feel any uneasy whenever I am walking in and out of the hotel lobby. The walking distance from hotel to the night market was okay for me as well. (June 2011)

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: A little way out from the centre of town, this is one of Hat Yai's lowest priced hotels. It's cheaper than some guest houses.

It underwent a bit of a makeover in 2009 or 2010 where the visible areas of the hotel were refurbished but I'm not sure if the refurbishment extended to the guest rooms. It has the usual hotel facilities, including Wi-Fi Internet access.

There's a gym on the ground floor that appears to be quite popular. A session of unlimited duration costs just Bt25, and the gym is open to everyone. I wondered whether it might be free to hotel guests but I was told it wasn't.

It's possible to walk into the town centre from the hotel but it is quite a long walk. There are lots of tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis on busy Suphasarnrangsan Road, which is just a few yards from the hotel. There are quite a few restaurants nearby, including Snow White which is directly opposite.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: Thais aren't big on maintenance. New buildings look fine but after a few years they start to look a real mess. Exteriors rarely get repainted and hotel rooms can start looking decidedly dirty.

This isn't a problem with new hotels, of course, and at the time of writing the Golden Crown hotel is one of Hat Yai's newest, only opening its doors for business at the start of 2005. It opened during a depressed business period in Hat Yai, mainly due to the problems in the south, and when I looked it is possible that some rooms hadn't even been used.

The standard rooms are a good size and everything looks and smells new, as would be expected. The new carpets are spotless and have that spring in them that old carpets lose over time.

The hotel has 102 rooms. Seven of those are classified as deluxe rooms and cost Bt500 a night more. They are slightly bigger with bigger bathrooms but are not quite suites as can found in some of the larger hotels in Hat Yai. To be honest I didn't think they were worth Bt500 more. Maybe Bt100 or Bt200 more for that little extra breathing space, but not Bt500.

The hotel is well located, being close to both Lee Gardens and the many food vendors on Suphasarnrangsan Road. It is very close to the junction of Pracharak and Suphasarnrangsan roads.

Guest Comments:

• The room rate is now 950 baht a night without breakfast. The room was fine, and the internet worked well, but at this price there are much better choices. I think the best feature of this hotel is the food stands at night are so close and so good. (December 2012)
• The restaurant is certified HALAL, there is no pork on the menu, and a sign for Qibla is shown on every floor. An electric kettle is provided in all rooms. The rate is Bt800 without breakfast. Definitely one of the nicest hotels in Hat Yai. (July 2012)
• I normally stay at The Hat Yai Greenview Hotel but if was completely booked so I decided on this hotel which I had stayed before a few times. Location wise, near to Lee Gardens Plaza central area by a few minutes and the rooms are in a quiet area which although the very busy Supharangsan road is just across but after 12.00 a.m, it tends to be quiet.

  The hotel has the HALAL certificate so if you eat here, the food is devoid of pork. The qiblat direction is also noted and one nice addition to each room is an electric kettle with 2 cups and saucers and 2 spoons for us to prepare drinks or consume the 3-in-1 instant noodles. There is not a single movie shown in English but apart from this nagging factor, the room that I stayed on the 5th floor is on a smoking floor so I am okay with it. The receptionist and the manager is all right and speaks English to answer any inquiries. I hate the fact that my passport is again requested as a deposit but I am sure that if I had insisted, they cannot dos so. Overall, I am happy with the short stay and would highly recommend this hotel to others. Now, if only free Wi-Fi and a hair-drier are included, then the 800 baht charge per night would be highly justified. (July 2012)

• The third time that I've stayed here. The price started at 850 baht but when I said that I was going to stay for two nights it came down to 800 baht, with no breakfast but a LAN line in the room and also a wifi signal which was good as the LAN was so slow as to be unusable. The desk staff are nice here which I like.

  My room was on the 5th floor and it is showing its age. According to above it opened in 2005, and thats probably when the last coat of paint went on. Just little maintenance things would not take much effort and make the room much nicer, but benign neglect seems to be easier here. The room was big enough, the bed nice enough, that I would consider staying here again even though it is not the best value. (October 2011)

• I've stayed here a couple times now and thought it was fine. The only issue that I have with it is that it is pretty expensive, 700 baht or something and breakfast was not included. The wifi was nice as it worked, even in the room. I think the location is good also. (December 2010)
• This is my 4th time staying here and I consider this hotel to be just about a proper sound barrier to the sonic boom one faces in central Hat Yai. The lobby is pleasant and quiet with complimentary newspapers in Mandarin, Malay and English apart from the Thai language daily. The front desk staff are cool in the sense that there are limitations to what they can help so I leave as it is.

  There is a restaurant and the Charawa Ancient Massage beside the building but since the departure of Ahphim then I cannot highly recommend the therapists there.

  There are smoking and non-smoking floors although during my first stay here I was put in a non-smoking floor yet I was able to ask for an ashtray and the reason was that the hotel had all the room fully booked and they had to just put people in where there is a vacancy. The television channels are all right as we can watch Al Jazeera, the BBC. Media Corp, KBS Korea, NHK Japan (both with English subtitles), CCTV 4 from China, Fashion TV and the sports and movie channels.

  The rooms are spacious especially near the window and there is space compared to the Novotel Hotel room area. There isn't a proper writing desk with drawers like Diamond Plaza and the television is not of the LCD type. The attached built in clothes cabinet is a bit narrow.

  The bed is soft according to my body as an Asian so I am not sure about your European taste. I sleep well and I have chosen a room not facing the busy Suphasarnrangsan road. The windows are sound-proofed but not entirely 100%. The bathroom tiles are still in good condition and the lighting is pleasant although the Golden Crown Plaza Hotel has a standing shower and a bathtub beside it.

  For 680 Baht in an area just near to Lee Gardens, but not entirely there, it is still a good deal with free Wifi. Breakfast is also included.

  Would I stay here again? Yes and maybe after this, a return to the Golden Crown Plaza Hotel and just maybe at Lee Garden Plaza.

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: When the scruffy Inter Hotel was finally closed down, gutted and completely rebuilt, this it what it re-emerged as. It's a completely new hotel with a new name.

The Golden Crown Plaza opened in April 2007 and there are 210 comfortable, well-appointed rooms with TVs, refrigerators and Wi-Fi Internet connections.

I took a look at the hotel immediately after it opened and although it was open for business, there was still a fair amount of work to be done. At that time, neither the restaurant or massage shop had opened. Also, the suites had yet to be completed.

First impressions were positive though and the new hotel is a massive improvement on the Inter which was pretty disgusting. The location is convenient and I'm sure that when everything is finished it will prove to be a very welcome addition to the Hat Yai hotel scene.

As you can see, this photo was taken before the electricity cables were moved underground. That piece of work has made central Hat Yai look so much better.

Guest Comments:

• The Hotel Golden Crown Plaza remains the best so far so try to include that in your hotel tips.
• Still, in terms of clear satellite transmission and the supplementary TV channels from Malaysia I had to say Golden Crown Plaza wins hand down in terms of what it has to offer.
• I consider this the best hotel in Hat Yai not counting Novotel Centara for the price one pays. Got the voucher from Konsortium. The tv reception was indeed better than Lee Gardens or Regency New Wing although Grand Plaza is also not bad.

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: There are certain euphemisms to be aware of in Thailand, and further, there are some regional differences in the use of euphemisms. In Hat Yai the prostitutes are referred to as 'booking girls', a quaint term I have not heard used anywhere else in Thailand.

'Karaoke bars' are normally small shops with 'booking girls' for rent and 'Turkish bath' is a soap and sex brothel. In Hat Yai, most of the places I know that are referred to as 'resorts' provide rooms to rent by the hour. In other countries they might be referred to as love motels or something.

The first clue is the use of 'resort' in the name and the second clue is that they advertise hourly rates. So who uses these places?

The sex tourists from across the border stay in hotels and therefore have no need for places like this. It's possible that young Thai couples who don't have a private place of their own might use one of the rooms but my best guess is that the main customers are married Thai men with mia nois.

Some of the Hat Yai massage girls I have spoken to have told me that Thai men occasionally ask them to go to a 'resort' to deliver the massage. The answer is always no because they know that such men are up to no good and can't be trusted.

This place is located quite close to the many 'Karaoke bars' in the Channivet area so it might be useful for a guy who is renting a girl but can't take her back to his own place.

Apart from this short-time aspect of the business, Golden House can also accommodate regular guests. The overnight rate is Bt400, but only Bt350 if you arrive after midnight. However, I suspect that anyone arriving after midnight is probably there for the same purpose as those people arriving for a two or three hour stay.

It's actually quite a tricky place to find and a little off the map I have given a link to. If you really want to go there, call the resort for directions or ask a tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi driver to take you.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: This was the very first place I stayed at in Hat Yai. Like most tourists upon arriving in a new place, I was keen to stay somewhere fairly central and this is about as central as it gets in Hat Yai.

The rate quoted above is the walk-in rate but I got a discount by booking a room through Konsortium travel agents located just a few minutes walk away. These discounts aren't always as straightforward as they seem in that the rack rate will often include breakfast for two, while the discount coupon will just be for the room, so check first.

Having said that, however, the standard buffet breakfast provided in most Thai hotels is pretty grim and all I can normally bring myself to eat is a couple of slices of toast so an inclusive breakfast doesn't always provide very good value.

If you want to be in the middle of whatever action there is in Hat Yai, the location is good. My initial impression (several years ago now) was that the rooms and corridors needed some redecoration, and that was something that happened subsequently.

The hotel has the standard coffee shop/restaurant and massage shop. Since the massage rooms were refurbished, they are now quite pleasant and on a level with those at the Hat Yai Central Hotel.

Guest Comments:

• There is zero (Wi-Fi) signal in Neo Hat Yai, Grand Plaza or Regency.
• Grand Plaza is very very nice sans WiFi. Even though my room is located facing The Pink Lady yet it is still a very quiet and peaceful abode.
• So, Grand Plaza Hotel which is a quiet retreat to me has been my choice of stay.
• I walked in in the early morning around 7 a.m. I was charged B780/night without breakfast. Later I found out I would pay B700/night if via travel agents. I went back to the hotel for negotiation. At last I was offered to pay B700 for the 2nd night while B780 maintained for the 1st night. The hotel and its location were okay to me. (Last visit in 2007)

To add your comments, send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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Comments: Conveniently situated next to Carrefour, this place is fairly new, well-equipped and cheap. It is therefore no surprise that I have never known any rooms to be available. However, as people move on, rooms will become available.

Thais are great bargain hunters. In the places they consider expensive, you will find lots of vacant rooms. But in a place like this, you will struggle to get in.

All rooms have air-conditioning, furniture, and cable TV. Internet is available for only Bt200 per month. In addition to the rent being cheap, the deposit is also cheap at only Bt5,000.

You have lots of transport options on Phetkasem Road, and a large supermarket right next door. It seems like a real bargain but the biggest problem will be getting a room because vacancies don't appear to come up very often.

Guest Comments: No guest comments yet. Be the first to comment. Send an e-mail to phil@phil.uk.net, or use the following form. Comments will be added anonymously.

Important - Please read the following carefully before sending me your comments: Do not use this form for availability or rate enquiries. I am not a travel agent, and neither am I affiliated with any hotels or guest houses in Hat Yai. Contact the establishment directly using the information given above. Use this form only if you have stayed at this particular establishment and wish to give some feedback.

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