Overall, it was an amazing stay. We started our vacation here and liked it so much that we decided to extend our vacation and come back after our stay at our second hotel!
The hotel definitely has its charm, nice pools and stunning views. Just don’t expect too much from this 4-star hotel, as it is dated and many facilities and interiors require renovation.
The breakfast selection was quite limited, especially for European tastes and children. Most options were Asian-style dishes, with no alternatives apart from omelets and fruit. The beach restaurant was rather pricey, so we usually ate at another restaurant further down the beach, which was delicious and better value for money.
What made our stay wonderful was our 2-bedroom beachfront pool villa, the calm sea, and, of course, the people. We also celebrated our wedding anniversary with a private beachfront dinner, which was an incredible and delicious experience.
1. The villa
The huge villa gave our family of four two bedrooms, a private pool big enough to swim in, and beautiful, tranquil Tubkaek beach right at our doorstep. It was exactly what I was looking for! It was very well equipped, especially the kitchen, with a large refrigerator, microwave, and plenty of tableware. The beds were quite firm, but the pillows were comfortable enough for me. The towels, however, were noticeably old and worn and could definitely use replacing.
A new hotel was being built on the neighboring property. Although our villa was at the edge of the resort on that side, the construction didn’t bother us or disturb the tranquility.
The location is very peaceful and secluded, but there was no infrastructure nearby - 7-11, currency exchange, laundry services, etc. - you will need a taxi or car to get around.
2. The people and service
The staff were great. I’d especially like to highlight the Reservations Manager, Tohn (Pornpimon Inchan), who was very helpful and patient with all my advance inquiries (I had quite a few 😅) and did everything possible to make things happen.
Laan was another great employee: incredibly friendly and helpful, always going above and beyond. We felt very welcomed by him throughout both stays and he helped us with everything we needed or asked for. He was also our personal assistant at the private dinner and made those special moments even better with his thoughtful, proactive attitude and kind smile.
A few things, however, could be improved. Communication in English was sometimes challenging, as quite a few staff members, including some at reception, had rather limited English.
The Wi-Fi in our villa was poor. I was told new equipment needed to be installed and was offered another villa, but moving wasn’t an option for us. When we returned 11 days later, the Wi-Fi had not improved, so I used mobile internet instead.
Housekeeping was flawless during our first stay. During our second, however, our villa wasn’t serviced one day after we put up the “Please make up my room” sign. We eventually asked for fresh towels and water, but initially received towels for two instead of four. I expected more attention to detail in the hotel’s most expensive villa.
The villa also showed its age in places. I liked having separate air-conditioning units in each room, but they were quite noisy, all the doors were rather squeaky, some appliances were dated, and there were a couple of leaks.
I reported some of these issues at check-out and asked maintenance to check and fix the villa before our return. However, 11 days later nothing had been fixed, although they knew we were returning to the same villa and it had been empty for at least one day.
Without these relatively minor maintenance issues, the villa would have been pretty much perfect for us.
That said, none of this changed how much we enjoyed our stay. The villa, incredible beachfront setting, and, above all, some truly wonderful people made our time at Anyavee Tubkaek Beach Resort very special — special enough for us to come back.
