DeBua Hotel - (Updated) Lottellee Winna Review

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

Intro - This was the second time this year I’ve stayed in the DeBua….so it’s got to have something going for it. I live in Udon Thani and I’m lucky enough to holiday in Pattaya one week in every six. I’m currently on holiday with a mate who wants to be centrally based (my personal preference being Pratumnak or Jomtien). Now let me say from the get go that if you like this area and money is no object, then you would not stay in the DeBua - instead, you would stay across the street at the top of the range Amethyst hotel. However, the DeBua currently offers outstanding value and to be fair, is pretty decent. 

Location- If you want to be close to the action, then it’s hard to beat the location of this hotel . It’s right on soi Buhakow (about 150 meters south of LK). Great location for Treetown, Buhakow and LK Metro, plus Baht Buses running both ways up and down Buhakow.

Check-in - quick, easy and efficient, and you should note that you will be asked to leave 1,000 THB deposit when checking in, this is returned without hassle at checkout. I definitely give the DeBua a big thumbs up for allowing us to check in early, many hotels (eg Amber) have a strict policy of making you wait till 2 pm.

Rooms - Are of a decent size (30sqm), and are of a modern and minimalist format…the room design is funky and fresh. One big issue for me is that once again I find myself in a modern hotel room that has no closet, just a hanging rail. At least unlike some others, it does at least have some cubby holes where you can put your kit out of sight. For a ‘neat freak’ like me it’s bloody annoying having your kit spread out on random surfaces. There is a desk and chair, along with an L-shaped sofa. Rooms have decent size balconies with table and chairs.

There is a large ultra modern electronic safe, a glass fronted small size refrigerator and modern flat screen smart television. There also was enough power outlets to charge my devices. The rooms are opened by electronic cards and the key needs to be placed into the holder in your room to power the electricity.

The bathroom configuration was good, none of the fashionable sink in room nonsense. Toilet, shower and baisin all in the bathroom.  I really appreciated the black-and-white marble effect…nice design feature. The shower was one of the best I’ve ever had any hotel. A minor criticism was that a long shower can push water out of the cubicle onto bathroom floor.

The room I booked this time was on the first floor, was spacious enough for me and had decent accessible balcony with two chairs and a not very scenic view. The bed was large and very comfy enough to sleep on (including the pillows). The AC worked well.

I was in the cheapest of the rooms (all they had available) and my mate got the class above. Both were similar in size and layout…I think the only difference was in a slightly superior quality of furniture.

Extras - Appreciated free stuff like toothbrush and toothpaste.

Wifi - The WiFi signal is the best I’ve come across in the city, and no need to log in every day.

Breakfast - The breakfasts… well there aren’t any… no food at all…go figure 🫤

Facilities - The hotel has a beautiful rooftop swimming pool with sun loungers. Note there is no gym.  The hotel has a single elevator and my mate reported never wanting more than a minute or so…I didn’t wait at al - see room tip below.

Room Tip: The higher the floor the better the view…but for me in central Pattaya apart from Beach Road, there is no decent view. So I chose the first floor (or second floor as they call it in Thailand)…handy for the stairs, no need to use the lift and it’s quiet.

Customer Service - the staff are absolutely outstanding. Nothing is too much trouble for them. Everyone is very friendly and chatty. For example, I happened to catch on a door handle my favourite trousers and it made a slight tear. I asked reception lady if there was someone who could fix this, she said no, but that she would do it if I went to 7/11 and got a small sewing kit. Within 10 minutes, she had the job done…she was delighted with the 300THB tip…yes I know LDOP 😀

 Guest Policy - The receptionist is respectful to any guests you might invite back to your ‘loom’…no guest charges (for one visitor), ID cards must be handed in (a good thing in my view). Security is good and I felt safe and comfortable the entire time. If you do wish to bring guests to your room bypassing security, this might be done via the underground carpark and basement lift (not recommended though).

Cleanliness - The place is immaculate - clean as a whistle, the staff are fine in terms of giving you extra towels etc...as always guys consider leaving a daily tip on top of the bed, for the hard working cleaner.

Noise - This hotel is located right on soi Buhakow, so I guess it’s down to the room you have. As DeBua is right opposite the bars on Soi Boomerang, there is a little bit of noise from nearby bars. I found no large groups of lads, or pissed up drama merchants screaming all night.

Quirky Stuff - there’s a lot of signage telling you stuff that you shouldn’t do or warning you what the cost will be if you break anything…personally I think it’s a bit over the top…it feels a little bit like too many rules; however, not everybody, I guess will treat a hotel with the respect that I do, and maybe they’ve had some bad experiences in the past.

Price - I got this at a walk-in price of 1,350 THB (remarkable value as we are now technically in high season).

Overall -  In many respects this property is one that I rated and will possibly stay again. One unusual aspect was that the place had a little bit of an unfinished feel to it. This is particularly true of the entrance which is empty, and cavernous - my guess is that they’re going to put a bar area in here, and to the left of the entrance there is another big empty room, which I’m guessing will be a restaurant. DeBua appears not to be one of those hotels that do tour groups, so no large groups of Indian lads, nor coach loads of Chinese. US, Aussie, European and Korean guests seemed to dominate.  

IMHO this is a good hotel for those who enjoy 3/4 star and who want to be near ‘the action’. As always, the booking of this hotel is price dependent. If you can get it at the price I did (1350THB) then my advice is to go for it.

Lottellee Winna Score: (partly influenced by the very competitive price) 8.5/10

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by LOTTELLEE WINNA

[vimto66]

At least theres storage space under the hanging rails, i could live with that, are those storage cudboards above the Hanging rail LW.

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

2 minutes ago, vimto66 said:

At least theres storage space under the hanging rails, i could live with that, are those storage cudboards above the Hanging rail LW.

The fuse-box is housed in there, and it looks a bit dusty. So although there is some space I don’t think it’s really designed for storage.

[wickedd]

2. stay here and found the lack of noise insulation from hallway a pain. 

Doors make loud BANG closing and then you get the piipiippiip when they are not closed properly...its about luck too how good your neighbours behave. 

But listening 15mins at that fucking piiippiip at 04am, then finally I went outside of room to close the door by myself if nobody else, then was met by this old geezer who prob didnt even hear it himself...lol.  

Noise insulation from outside not great either. 

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

2 hours ago, wickedd said:

2. stay here and found the lack of noise insulation from hallway a pain. 

Doors make loud BANG closing and then you get the piipiippiip when they are not closed properly...its about luck too how good your neighbours behave. 

But listening 15mins at that fucking piiippiip at 04am, then finally I went outside of room to close the door by myself if nobody else, then was met by this old geezer who prob didnt even hear it himself...lol.  

Noise insulation from outside not great either. 

Agree 100%. Personally, speaking, I sleep through anything, however, my mate does not, and his feedback is very similar to your own. The lack of carpeting in the hallways, plus this issue with some sort of alarm going off when doors are not fully closed can if you are unlucky with your neighbours cause noise problems.

In my personal experience however I was very lucky, nothing keep me awake.

As I say posted on my OP, the nearby Amethyst is a superior hotel, and one with less noise problems… but you can’t get it for a similar amount (1350THB) that you can get the DeBua.

Edited November 13, 2023 by LOTTELLEE WINNA

[vimto66]

5 hours ago, wickedd said:

2. stay here and found the lack of noise insulation from hallway a pain. 

Doors make loud BANG closing and then you get the piipiippiip when they are not closed properly...its about luck too how good your neighbours behave. 

But listening 15mins at that fucking piiippiip at 04am, then finally I went outside of room to close the door by myself if nobody else, then was met by this old geezer who prob didnt even hear it himself...lol.  

Noise insulation from outside not great either. 

Whilst on the subject its people slamming their bloody doors that gets me, is it so difficult to just close them in a normal manner, noisy twats.

Said before hotels should put notices up in all rooms referring to this.

Edited November 13, 2023 by vimto66

[GARYZX6R]

Cheers for the up to date report. Be staying there next week for the first time. Will bring earplugs just incase 😀

[earnie]

My mate said he used the hotel pool allthough he wasn't staying at the hotel, cost him 150 baht a day, do you know if this is still possible.

[janobobo]

10 hours ago, earnie said:

My mate said he used the hotel pool allthough he wasn't staying at the hotel, cost him 150 baht a day, do you know if this is still possible.

Hi, I'm currently staying here. It's still possible. Cheers! 

[ball magnet]

On 12/11/2023 at 20:57, LOTTELLEE WINNA said:

Intro - This was the second time this year I’ve stayed in the DeBua….so it’s got to have something going for it. I live in Udon Thani and I’m lucky enough to holiday in Pattaya one week in every six. I’m currently on holiday with a mate who wants to be centrally based (my personal preference being Pratumnak or Jomtien). Now let me say from the get go that if you like this area and money is no object, then you would not stay in the DeBua - instead, you would stay across the street at the top of the range Amethyst hotel. However, the DeBua currently offers outstanding value and to be fair, is pretty decent. 

Location- If you want to be close to the action, then it’s hard to beat the location of this hotel . It’s right on soi Buhakow (about 150 meters south of LK). Great location for Treetown, Buhakow and LK Metro, plus Baht Buses running both ways up and down Buhakow.

Check-in - quick, easy and efficient, and you should note that you will be asked to leave 1,000 THB deposit when checking in, this is returned without hassle at checkout. I definitely give the DeBua a big thumbs up for allowing us to check in early, many hotels (eg Amber) have a strict policy of making you wait till 2 pm.

Rooms - Are of a decent size (30sqm), and are of a modern and minimalist format…the room design is funky and fresh. One big issue for me is that once again I find myself in a modern hotel room that has no closet, just a hanging rail. At least unlike some others, it does at least have some cubby holes where you can put your kit out of sight. For a ‘neat freak’ like me it’s bloody annoying having your kit spread out on random surfaces. There is a desk and chair, along with an L-shaped sofa. Rooms have decent size balconies with table and chairs.

There is a large ultra modern electronic safe, a glass fronted small size refrigerator and modern flat screen smart television. There also was enough power outlets to charge my devices. The rooms are opened by electronic cards and the key needs to be placed into the holder in your room to power the electricity.

The bathroom configuration was good, none of the fashionable sink in room nonsense. Toilet, shower and baisin all in the bathroom.  I really appreciated the black-and-white marble effect…nice design feature. The shower was one of the best I’ve ever had any hotel. A minor criticism was that a long shower can push water out of the cubicle onto bathroom floor.

The room I booked this time was on the first floor, was spacious enough for me and had decent accessible balcony with two chairs and a not very scenic view. The bed was large and very comfy enough to sleep on (including the pillows). The AC worked well.

I was in the cheapest of the rooms (all they had available) and my mate got the class above. Both were similar in size and layout…I think the only difference was in a slightly superior quality of furniture.

Extras - Appreciated free stuff like toothbrush and toothpaste.

Wifi - The WiFi signal is the best I’ve come across in the city, and no need to log in every day.

Breakfast - The breakfasts… well there aren’t any… no food at all…go figure 🫤

Facilities - The hotel has a beautiful rooftop swimming pool with sun loungers. Note there is no gym.  The hotel has a single elevator and my mate reported never wanting more than a minute or so…I didn’t wait at al - see room tip below.

Room Tip: The higher the floor the better the view…but for me in central Pattaya apart from Beach Road, there is no decent view. So I chose the first floor (or second floor as they call it in Thailand)…handy for the stairs, no need to use the lift and it’s quiet.

Customer Service - the staff are absolutely outstanding. Nothing is too much trouble for them. Everyone is very friendly and chatty. For example, I happened to catch on a door handle my favourite trousers and it made a slight tear. I asked reception lady if there was someone who could fix this, she said no, but that she would do it if I went to 7/11 and got a small sewing kit. Within 10 minutes, she had the job done…she was delighted with the 300THB tip…yes I know LDOP 😀

 Guest Policy - The receptionist is respectful to any guests you might invite back to your ‘loom’…no guest charges (for one visitor), ID cards must be handed in (a good thing in my view). Security is good and I felt safe and comfortable the entire time. If you do wish to bring guests to your room bypassing security, this might be done via the underground carpark and basement lift (not recommended though).

Cleanliness - The place is immaculate - clean as a whistle, the staff are fine in terms of giving you extra towels etc...as always guys consider leaving a daily tip on top of the bed, for the hard working cleaner.

Noise - This hotel is located right on soi Buhakow, so I guess it’s down to the room you have. As DeBua is right opposite the bars on Soi Boomerang, there is a little bit of noise from nearby bars. I found no large groups of lads, or pissed up drama merchants screaming all night.

Quirky Stuff - there’s a lot of signage telling you stuff that you shouldn’t do or warning you what the cost will be if you break anything…personally I think it’s a bit over the top…it feels a little bit like too many rules; however, not everybody, I guess will treat a hotel with the respect that I do, and maybe they’ve had some bad experiences in the past.

Price - I got this at a walk-in price of 1,350 THB (remarkable value as we are now technically in high season).

Overall -  In many respects this property is one that I rated and will possibly stay again. One unusual aspect was that the place had a little bit of an unfinished feel to it. This is particularly true of the entrance which is empty, and cavernous - my guess is that they’re going to put a bar area in here, and to the left of the entrance there is another big empty room, which I’m guessing will be a restaurant. DeBua appears not to be one of those hotels that do tour groups, so no large groups of Indian lads, nor coach loads of Chinese. US, Aussie, European and Korean guests seemed to dominate.  

IMHO this is a good hotel for those who enjoy 3/4 star and who want to be near ‘the action’. As always, the booking of this hotel is price dependent. If you can get it at the price I did (1350THB) then my advice is to go for it.

Lottellee Winna Score: (partly influenced by the very competitive price) 8.5/10

 

Thanks for the excellent review. Does anyone know how to book without going through Agoda etc? They don't appear to have a website. Cheers 

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

3 hours ago, ball magnet said:

Thanks for the excellent review. Does anyone know how to book without going through Agoda etc? They don't appear to have a website. Cheers 

Sorry mate, I can’t help you with this one. On the two occasions I’ve stayed, first time I booked through Agoda and second it was a walk up booking. Like you, I’ve try to check out their website… but they don’t seem to have one.

[briguy]

They do have a Facebook page, which included this email address: [email protected]. There are also two phone numbers listed as well as a QR code.

[harrycd]

I've just realised I've tried 4 of the hotels you reviewed, 

Amethyst has been my fav but its booked out due to bumping up my trip a few months :( 

Will try Debua this time. 

[Phantombd]

Does anyone know about the junior suite in Debua hotel? I can't find any photos or description about it anywhere. I enquired them about prices for April and looks like junior suite is only 200 THB higher than superior room (another one that i can't find any photos of). Appreciate if anyone can provide any info.

[rioman]

46 minutes ago, Phantombd said:

Does anyone know about the junior suite in Debua hotel? I can't find any photos or description about it anywhere. I enquired them about prices for April and looks like junior suite is only 200 THB higher than superior room (another one that i can't find any photos of). Appreciate if anyone can provide any info.

I stayed in this jus over year ago when hotel was pretty much just opened.  I liked the room.  It was quite a different design, but actually quite suited my Pattaya lifestyle.  Pretty good sized tub just off foot of bed end and shower right beside it, but than bathroom just inside door.   Suite was quite large - I think 40ish sq M.   It was on 4th floor, did not have a safe(used one at front desk), and just had a clothing rack with hangers(this bothers some people, but not me).   Halls are wide and marble so can get a bit of noise if/when people slamming doors?  There is only one elevator so I prefer now to  stay on 2nd floor.  Rooftop pool is very nice.  Internet has been great in every room I have had there..  

Compared to the Amethyst that gets mentioned here and about exact vintage I find very good value at Debua.  

[Phantombd]

33 minutes ago, rioman said:

I stayed in this jus over year ago when hotel was pretty much just opened.  I liked the room.  It was quite a different design, but actually quite suited my Pattaya lifestyle.  Pretty good sized tub just off foot of bed end and shower right beside it, but than bathroom just inside door.   Suite was quite large - I think 40ish sq M.   It was on 4th floor, did not have a safe(used one at front desk), and just had a clothing rack with hangers(this bothers some people, but not me).   Halls are wide and marble so can get a bit of noise if/when people slamming doors?  There is only one elevator so I prefer now to  stay on 2nd floor.  Rooftop pool is very nice.  Internet has been great in every room I have had there..  

Compared to the Amethyst that gets mentioned here and about exact vintage I find very good value at Debua.  

Thanks for the info mate. Debua is my first choice now. I stayed in Nature view earlier - just beside the Debua. I liked that hotel but one big problem was no inroom safe and its quite necessity for me. So I will give Debua a try in my next trip

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

7 hours ago, rioman said:

 

Compared to the Amethyst that gets mentioned here and about exact vintage I find very good value at Debua.  

No doubt that the Amethyst is a superior hotel to DeBua…just no contest - BUT…in terms of best value the prize goes to DeBua (eg I’m looking to book 2nd week in May and DeBua is 1500 a night v Amethyst at 2,200).

Totally agree with your room tip. Usually in hotels I stay on the highest floor possible… less noise and better views. However the DeBua single lift can be a real pain - second floor means you don’t need to use it.

Edited March 20 by LOTTELLEE WINNA

[Zstcur]

does it have a bathtub ?
 

I am going to book soon for my trip next month..This one looks good

[rioman]

17 hours ago, Zstcur said:

does it have a bathtub ?
 

I am going to book soon for my trip next month..This one looks good

junior suite at debua I stayed in has a nice tub, but have stayed in regular rooms and they do not.

[Zstcur]

Just saw one of the comments..it doesn’t have a locker in the room

 

I think that is a deal breaker for me. ☹️

[weldermike]

7 hours ago, Zstcur said:

Just saw one of the comments..it doesn’t have a locker in the room

 

I think that is a deal breaker for me. ☹️

The pictures show a locker/ safe.

[Phantombd]

3 hours ago, weldermike said:

The pictures show a locker/ safe.

They have in room safe. 

[rioman]

4 hours ago, Phantombd said:

They have in room safe. 

Unless they have put one in since, the junior suite I had on the 4th floor when it was first opened did not have an in room safe.  Other rooms(non-suite) that I have stayed in since have them.  I think if I remember right they mount these things right on floor in a shelf such that you get down on your knees to get into it - 555.  

[Phantombd]

10 hours ago, rioman said:

Unless they have put one in since, the junior suite I had on the 4th floor when it was first opened did not have an in room safe.  Other rooms(non-suite) that I have stayed in since have them.  I think if I remember right they mount these things right on floor in a shelf such that you get down on your knees to get into it - 555.  

Ok, I haven't stayed in this hotel yet so I don't have any proof. But I have checked in reviews from some other people in Youtube and also in Agoda with mention and photos of inroom safe. But maybe best idea is to send them an email (it's in their facebook page and ask them directly. Cheers! I stayed in Nature View before which is just beside Debua. They didn't have any inroom safe and that was a problem for sure.

[Magic040]

Thinking about DeBua if i can't get a good price for Amethyst next year February.
Does DeBua have Soi Boomerang facing rooms with balcony under 2k per night?