I've got a week booked at the Areca Lodge in January (I stayed there 8 years ago), I have another 9 nights after that that are open. If you were planning on spending more time in Pattaya, would you switch Hotels for a change or scenery? The same price range is fine (75 CAD/60 USD) what would you chose? needs to be guest-friendly, with a reasonably nice pool, a quiet room with a comfy Bed and Walk-in Shower.

 

 

 

Honestly, I'd stay at The Areca, as it's my favorite hotel & location

I would probably stay, I have also stayed at Areca and found it to be in a great location and always a popular choice. If there was something with the room that couldnt get sorted then yeah would be worth a look around but then the small hassle of moving luggage. 

Moving is hassle.  Unless you want a complete change of scenery. I would try Jomtien or naklua then .

you are in perfect location for partying and fucking

I stay around Pratumnak these days. Its a nice quiet place 

I wouldn’t change unless there was a problem with the first hotel.  Hotel stays are not a novelty for me, so as long as I’m comfortable and happy I’m not going through the trouble of moving until it’s time to leave. 

I checked in to the Areca yesterday, love it here.  I personally wouldn't change because moving hotels is a PITA, and Areca is well managed, but always up 2 you if you want a change of scenery.

2 hours ago, Darth Slinky said:

I've got a week booked at the Areca Lodge in January (I stayed there 8 years ago), I have another 9 nights after that that are open. If you were planning on spending more time in Pattaya, would you switch hotels for a change or scenery? The same price range is fine (75 CAD/60 USD) what would you chose? needs to be guest-friendly, with a reasonably nice pool, a quiet room with a comfy Bed and Walk-in Shower.

I think that Areca Loge has the best combination of location, facilities, food, and customer service at an affordable price.  I stayed at 5 different hotels for my first few visits to Pattaya, but nothing really stood out.  When I tried Areca I got hooked.  I’ve now stayed at Areca 20 times for 4 weeks each time, and I’ll be back in 3 weeks for another month. I guess I’m now a “regular.”  555

 

For my trip in early 2024, I'm booked first into Green Park Resort near the Dolphin roundabout in North Pattaya.

Then I'm off to Bangkok for three nights; I'll be going to dental clinic for a checkup and any work that needs to be done. Also do some shopping and visit the Bangkok Museum.

Then an experiment, a condo in Jomtien, booked with Rentals by dancewatchers, for the rest of my holiday until return to Australia.

Edited December 21, 20232 yr by Bonkabit

4 hours ago, Darth Slinky said:

I've got a week booked at the Areca Lodge in January (I stayed there 8 years ago), I have another 9 nights after that that are open. If you were planning on spending more time in Pattaya, would you switch hotels for a change or scenery? The same price range is fine (75 CAD/60 USD) what would you chose? needs to be guest-friendly, with a reasonably nice pool, a quiet room with a comfy Bed and Walk-in Shower.

I wouldn’t just have a change of hotel. After a few days in one place I’d be off to check out parts of the country.

In the past (way back) I would sometimes change hotels, but it was really a hassle to take time time out of your holiday to so if the hotel you're staying at meets all of your requirements. 

Like others have said, my go to hotel for all my trips (4) each years is the Areca Lodge.

I do a driving side trips each trip for about 4 days and I still stay checked in there and travel light when away. 

When I return just go back to the room like I never left and call and have the car picked up.  

If Im staying somewhere I havent stayed before I will book a few nights and then extend if I like it but I wont move somewhere else just for the sake of moving. Its too much hassle repacking, dragging the case around town and setting up in the new place.

There is also the chance the new place might not be as good as the place you left

Apart from some of the staff, who have been there too long and just hate mongering farrangs, I like Areca.

However, for a trip that long I would always change up. I tend not to stay anywhere longer than 5-6 days consecutively.

Maybe it's a personal thing but a change of scenery freshens me up and it gives the holiday a sense of longevity. If I spend too much time in one place time just flashes by and I go home feeling like it was just a blur.

Some milestones and a change of scenery help me feel like I've had a real break. 

For my next 24 day trip I've got the Avani and Areca booked before my Koh Chang trip and then a suite at LK residence booked for my last few days. A lot of of folks will see moving hotels as pointless but for me it's far from it. 

 

My last trip I had booked 6 nights at Intimate and then 5 nights at LK Empress. As both the bookings was with Agoda and with 48 hours free cancellation I ended up cancelling the LK Empress at the last chance and just stayed all time at the same hotel. Just didn't want to spend my time packing and moving just to get another view from the balcony. With 17 days, I don't know, maybe a change would be good in between? You could always keep it open and then decide halfway into your Areca week.

If it ain't broke...

1 hour ago, BlooBell said:

Apart from some of the staff, who have been there too long and just hate mongering farrangs, I like Areca.

However, for a trip that long I would always change up. I tend not to stay anywhere longer than 5-6 days consecutively.

Maybe it's a personal thing but a change of scenery freshens me up and it gives the holiday a sense of longevity. If I spend too much time in one place time just flashes by and I go home feeling like it was just a blur.

Some milestones and a change of scenery help me feel like I've had a real break. 

For my next 24 day trip I've got the Avani and Areca booked before my Koh Chang trip and then a suite at LK residence booked for my last few days. A lot of of folks will see moving hotels as pointless but for me it's far from it. 

 

Yeah this is how I like to roll - break things up into phases otherwise every night and girl blues into one.

I also like to walk so I naturally get to know the area surrounding my hotel well - so it’s nice to explore a new area each time, even if it’s not far I still discover new things and see different patterns of life.

Seems like if you know you like that hotel, then best to stay put.  If it’s your first time at the place, that’s a different story.

When I became an expat, I stayed at Areca for 3 months while I was hunting for a condo to rent.

Due to the location, the facilities, staff, security, and room itself, there was no reason to change hotels.

Though there may be better hotels than Areca, but if you combine all the factors, it is hard to beat Areca due to location more than anything.

Edited December 21, 20232 yr by LASportsNut

I really, really like getting to stroll across the street into Queen and pick up take out 😁

Areca is comfy, but there's only so much paint can do to an old building.  Amethyst is getting a lot of play, and it's new, so why not give it a try. 

On my last trip in February, I stayed for 5 weeks and switched hotels every week. I only pre-booked the first  hotel I stayed at.  Pre-covid I always booked a condo for my entire stay so this time I really enjoyed checking out a few different hotels in Pattaya..  Easy enough to shop and book hotels on your favorite hotel APP while sitting down having a coffee or beer. Only once did I have to wait a couple hours to check in, otherwise I was checked in on arrival around noon

On 21/12/2023 at 16:19, Bonkabit said:

For my trip in early 2024, I'm booked first into Green Park Resort near the Dolphin roundabout in North Pattaya.

Then I'm off to Bangkok for three nights; I'll be going to dental clinic for a checkup and any work that needs to be done. Also do some shopping and visit the Bangkok Museum.

Then an experiment, a condo in Jomtien, booked with Rentals by dancewatchers, for the rest of my holiday until return to Australia.

Stayed at Green Park Resort for the Test n Go for 5 nights in March 2022

Nice hotel just in a shit of a location for my needs 

Ended up moving into a condo in Pratmanak after leaving quarantine set up 

11 hours ago, Tuna Town said:

Stayed at Green Park Resort for the Test n Go for 5 nights in March 2022

Nice hotel just in a shit of a location for my needs 

Ended up moving into a condo in Pratmanak after leaving quarantine set up 

I like the location - quiet but just five minutes' walk to Naklua Road with bars, restaurants and baht bus route. Prefer it to the busier central area.

In Feb '24 I've booked a week there and then trialling a condo in Jomtien.

I like to change hotels. I go to soi 5 to "Season5" then to soi 10 to "The Stay" and then to "August Suites". Sometimes I try new locations and new hotels, it's like a new holiday starts. If you stay in a room too long the cleaning isn't so good too, they clean the rooms more thoroughly before a new guest checks in.

I switched from areca to siam@siam once and it was a nice change because its completely different with the rooftop pool, cool views from the room if you get high floor, softer bed and different part of town. Guest friendly and 18y policy

 Its something i never do, once im settled thats it for the duration of my holiday, too much faffing around packing and unpacking etc, i actually like the familiarity of a room after i've been in it for even just a few days.

By changing rooms you are hoping you get a better room.

But it is really 50/50 chance.

What if it is worse?

Why not just do your homework ahead of time and get the best room available for the entire time?

The key with hotel is location.

So choose a hotel near where you will spend most your time.

The fail safe area is near LK Metro as it is in the middle of everything and short baht bus or motorbike taxi to Soi 6 or Walking Street.