Ten Places To Stay Near Central Festival In Hat Yai
Introduction
For many years the centre of Hat Yai's tourist district was Lee Gardens Plaza. This is where all the retailers and restaurant chains wanted to be, and naturally this is where tourists visiting Hat Yai wanted to stay.
That all changed in December 2013 when Central Festival, the biggest shopping mall in southern Thailand, opened its doors.
The opening was fairly low key at first, but gradually many retailers, restaurants and other businesses moved away from downtown Hat Yai and relocated inside Central Festival.
In addition to the many businesses moving to Central Festival, the mall offers a number of entertainment venues including a large Cineplex movie theatre, bowling lanes, an ice rink and a children's amusement arcade.
With so much on offer in terms of shopping, eating and entertainment it is no surprise now that many tourists visiting Hat Yai want to be near Central Festival.
Before Central Festival opened this area was a bit of a wasteland and there were very few accommodation options, however, supply always grows to match demand in Thailand and a number of hotels and guesthouses have sprung up around the mall.
This page will try to help you find suitable accommodation if you wish to be near Central Festival in Hat Yai.
In these lists of ten I try to avoid the terms 'top' and 'best' because these terms are subjective and they imply a degree of arrogance. From time to time I will change the information on this page.
Caveat
Some of the room rates below may no longer be current and have quite possibly increased slightly since I last checked. I will check room rates again when I pass these places, but if you know of any errors please let me know.
Agoda Rating: Very good - See here for details
Comments: This is a really nice hotel and it's actually not too far from Central Festival. Just make sure that you don't walk along Sripoovanart Road to Kanjanawanich Road.
Walk back behind the hotel towards the bus station and enter Central Festival through the back entrance.
Room Rate: Bt1,800 to Bt4,500
More Information: Buri Sriphu Hotel
Agoda Rating: Very good - See here for details
Comments: Similar to TD Resident, Chudchada Place is more like a serviced apartment than a hotel. It's reasonably priced and the walk to Central Festival, through the bus station, isn't very far.
Room Rate: Around Bt500
More Information: Chudchada Place
Agoda Rating: Excellent - See here for details
Comments: Despite being called a 'hostel' I normally associate hostels with dormitory rooms and this one appears to have individual rooms, more like a guesthouse.
It looks fine and gets good reviews. It is located next to Central Festival near the Z Sleep Hotel and Hasu Guesthouse.
Room Rate: Bt250 to Bt400
More Information: Central View Hostel
Agoda Rating: Very good - See here for details
Comments: This is one of the few hotels in the area that was there before Central Festival opened. It was always a clean place, but it was a long way out of town and only really useful if you had an early bus to catch and wanted to be near the train station.
The owner must have been ecstatically happy when Central Festival opened just opposite his hotel. Since then, the hotel has added a large wing and has undergone renovation.
It's not the cheapest place to stay, but it's comfortable and very close to Central Festival.
Room Rate: Bt1,590 to Bt3,200
More Information: Crystal Hotel
Agoda Rating: Very good - See here for details
Comments: This is one of the small guesthouses in the road next to Central Festival behind the Z Sleep Hotel, along with Hasu Guesthouse and Central View Hostel. It looks fine.
Room Rate: Bt490 to Bt700
More Information: Happy Home Hatyai
Agoda Rating: Excellent - See here for details
Comments: This is a really nice little place located in the road next to Central Festival, just behind the Z Sleep Hotel.
It doesn't have the same facilities that large hotels have, but it looks cosy, the owner is very pleasant, and it gets good reviews.
Room Rate: Bt580
More Information: Hasu Guesthouse
Agoda Rating: Excellent - See here for details
Comments: This is quite a nice place with 38 rooms in total. It is located on the opposite side of the bus station to Central Festival. The staff are friendly and the room rate very reasonable.
Room Rate: Bt790
More Information: PM Residence
Agoda Rating: Excellent - See here for details
Comments: The Smart Hotel is located about 300m down a road opposite Central Festival. If you don't mind walking a little bit, it's an easy walk. If you are averse to walking, the hotel provides a shuttle service to and from the mall.
Room Rate: Bt890 to Bt1,290
More Information: The Smart Hotel
Agoda Rating: Above average - See here for details
Comments: This is a serviced apartment, rather than a hotel, and it is located near to Hat Yai bus station. It is also very convenient for the Asean night market.
It's only a short walk to Central Festival if you use the rear entrance. It has been around a long time and the reviews aren't great.
Room Rate: Around Bt600
More Information: TD Resident
Agoda Rating: Excellent - See here for details
Comments: This hotel is quite new and is located immediately next door to Central Festival, just a minute's walk away. It's probably the nearest hotel to the mall.
Room Rate: Bt890 to Bt1,490
More Information: Z Sleep Hotel