Dara Hotel

For this price, it's really good value for money. Central Department Store is just a few minutes' walk away, and the room was quite clean. The only downside is that it's super noisy because it's close to the road. Motorbikes at 1 AM sounded like thunder! I originally booked for 4 nights, but it was too loud to sleep, so we left for the last two nights and moved to Kata Beach. When we checked out, the front desk asked why we weren't staying, and when we told them it was too noisy, they even apologized. If you don't mind the noise, it's a good place to stay, and it has all the necessary facilities.

We were out at sea for three days, so we extended our stay by an extra day. As I mentioned last time, the hotel service is just okay. Luckily, I went to speak with them a day in advance to make sure we wouldn't have to switch rooms and that our key cards would be extended. If I had just headed out to sea in the morning and returned at night, I have no idea what might have happened.

The hotel's location is quite convenient for transport, and the breakfast is pretty good. There's a swimming pool, and it seems to attract a lot of foreign guests. However, you need to be very careful if you choose this hotel. It's right next to a main road and an underpass. At night, when motorcycles go through the underpass, the noise is absolutely deafening. The underpass seems to amplify the sound. The hotel even provides earplugs by default, but they don't block out the sound of those motorcycles. I'm just glad I only had to stay one night as a stopover.