Following on from an earlier topic, these are some impressions of this resort following our visit March / April 2004. Hope this is of interest.
Anantara Resort
Approx. 5mins by Taxi from Town Centre.
A high class resort in Thai style in a ‘garden’ setting fronting onto a sandy beach. Comfortable, air-conditioned rooms, good pool, excellent staff, good food of a high standard - featuring local and international cuisine.
A thoroughly enjoyable stay, greatly enhanced by the friendly, but not too familiar, attitude of the staff who genuinely seem to try to make your stay as comfortable as possible.
Food, drinks, spa, massage etc., are expensive. Despite the quality of the food the resort restaurants are not well patronised in the evening, as most guests seem to eat out. A popular choice seems to be the White Sands hotel which is 2 minutes walk along the beach towards Hua Hin (turn right out of the Anantara) or, of course, Hua Hin town.
Rooms are very clean, of good layout with the usual facilities, including safe, mini-bar, kettle, coffee, drinking water etc. Bathroom and shower facilities are good and a hairdryer is provided.
The resort’s main bar (Sala Siam) is hot and, to me, uncomfortable. Pool (Loy Nam) and seafront bars (Sai Thong) are fine but drinks are expensive (all bars have daily happy hours with 30% off).
Breakfast is buffet style with the choice of Continental, American or Japanese breakfast. Meals in restaurants – Baan Thalia (Italian); Rim Nam (Thai) and Sai Thong (Grill / BBQ) are excellent . Only the Baan Thalia is air-conditioned. Service in all bars and restaurants, and indeed in all areas from reception to housekeeping is, in my opinion excellent. The staff at this hotel are great.
Spa / massage is very expensive but the Spa suite is outstanding. Thai & aromatherapy massage is available lexternally, just 1 minute along the beach towards Hua Hin (1 hour costs 300 Baht for Thai massage or 400 Baht for Oil).
Beach is good and sandy and OK to walk on. It is not one of the great beaches and hotel guests will probably prefer the pool or sun loungers within the hotel gardens adjoining the beach.
Hotel gardens are a very pleasant feature, with trees, shrubs, orchids, flowers, water features, etc.
I would thoroughly recommend this resort and would stay there again. An excellent choice for couples from mid / late 20s onwards although probably not best suited for younger or single people. Be prepared for a rather expensive stay though!
Website: http://www.anantara.com/index3.htm
Peter
Anantara Resort
Cheers Peter,
Good info re the lagoon rooms as they are significantly more than the beach terrace rooms, ie. £45 more a night, which over 8-9 nights hurts. So think I will venture towards the terrace ones. My preference in reviewing the different hotels probably is the Anantara as it seems less 'chainy' and smaller, however I see the Hyatt has some good reviews and could be deemed as a safer option (i.e. trustworthy brand). I just want to ensure that the place I pick is top quality. I am assuming that mid November is okay weather wise?? I think that is the end of the monsoon season, if not then could be looking at alot of rain.
Cheers
Good info re the lagoon rooms as they are significantly more than the beach terrace rooms, ie. £45 more a night, which over 8-9 nights hurts. So think I will venture towards the terrace ones. My preference in reviewing the different hotels probably is the Anantara as it seems less 'chainy' and smaller, however I see the Hyatt has some good reviews and could be deemed as a safer option (i.e. trustworthy brand). I just want to ensure that the place I pick is top quality. I am assuming that mid November is okay weather wise?? I think that is the end of the monsoon season, if not then could be looking at alot of rain.
Cheers