Can't decide Amethyst or Areca

[steviemac121]

I thought i had the first part of my next trip sorted in a deluxe room in the Amethyst when after checking with the hotel its a very small balcony in these rooms.Quick search later and I got a Deluxe plus Pool view King room in the Areca for the same price.Location is brilliant in bother these hotels so it's down to the rooms.

1.How small is the balcony as I like chilling with a drink and a book on balcony before going out.

2.These rooms in Areca how bad is the wifi as from reading reviews it seems to where in the hotel you are depends on the WiFi quality and I do stream a lot on holiday if I can't sleep.

I know these seem trivial but as I only get 1 trip a year now I'm married am trying to just tick all the boxes.

Has anyone stayed in these particular rooms and if so could you let me know what you think of these rooms...

[Thomaz73]

There are tons of threads, including thorough reviews, on these. Check this very forum section and/or a few searches. 

[steviemac121]

I've been reading the threads which actually gave me the info about the rooms I'm looking at which is why my questions were more room related rather than hotel.I have no idea which building the pool view rooms are in the areca or how small a small balcony is in the Amethyst.Was hoping for info from people who had stayed in these particular rooms.

[Joeleg]

I found TrivialQuestions.com useful for such details. The other useful site is Don’tAsk.com

[Greg_B]

I'm going to throw another hotel in to consider...

The Dynasty Inn (off Second Road) has a Grand Deluxe room of around 1600 Baht a night

It is nice and it's not far from Soi Metro

https://dynastyinnpattaya.com/

[Mr magoo]

2 hours ago, steviemac121 said:

I thought i had the first part of my next trip sorted in a deluxe room in the Amethyst when after checking with the hotel its a very small balcony in these rooms.

 

I had a one night 'taster' stay in a deluxe room at the Amethyst last year.

The rooms are modern and really very nice, I think I paid around the 2k price, which included a very nice buffet breakfast.

But the one big drawback about the room, is the pitifully small balcony, and to add further misery, the view is of the side of an opposite building two metres from you.

However, if you're looking for some outdoor space to relax in, their rooftop pool is fantastic, with lots of sun loungers and cabanas.

I can't offer any insight into the Areca, having never stayed there, but if you can find a good online deal  for the Amethyst, I'd grab it.....

I think it offers tremendous value for money.

Mr magoo.

 

[mark joseph123]

both good hotels amethyst a bit better inside but areca is a bit of a better location 

[steviemac121]

47 minutes ago, Mr magoo said:

I had a one night 'taster' stay in a deluxe room at the Amethyst last year.

The rooms are modern and really very nice, I think I paid around the 2k price, which included a very nice buffet breakfast.

But the one big drawback about the room, is the pitifully small balcony, and to add further misery, the view is of the side of an opposite building two metres from you.

However, if you're looking for some outdoor space to relax in, their rooftop pool is fantastic, with lots of sun loungers and cabanas.

I can't offer any insight into the Areca, having never stayed there, but if you can find a good online deal  for the Amethyst, I'd grab it.....

I think it offers tremendous value for money.

Mr magoo.

 

Thanks I stayed in the Acqua before and hated the small balcony there.So it's looking more like the areca at the minute even though people on previous reports seem split between whether the WiFi is good average or awful.

[jdubz99]

The balcony at the Amethyst was just enough to dry my shoes off on during Songkran (I had a standard king room). The view wasn't much either.

That said, the quality of the hotel is leagues better than Areca... being new helps but they're really beyond compare. Areca is a solid 3-3.5 star experience by western standards and Amethyst is a firm 4.5 IMO. The rooftop pool is also amazing, the only drawback is the idiotic choice of tiles that are ridiculously slippery when walking on with bare feet... pretty dumb for a pool area but aside from that it's an amazing place to unwind and relax. Great bar and food options poolside as well.

To add to that the internet at the Amethyst was super fast, my two experiences at Areca have not been great in that regard... slow speeds that occasionally disconnected. Hop onto tripadvisor and search each property for wifi to see for yourself.

Edited February 12 by jdubz99

[ruudebwoy77]

I had a Premier Room at the Amethyst. The balcony was a decent size, useful if you're a smoker. Try and avoid rooms at the front, they are quite noisy.

[wallywest]

Have booked the same room at areca myself (deluxe plus pool view king). I haven’t stayed there either but these are pics from the 3D virtual room tour on Agoda and I believe they’re fairly accurate. Not a massive balcony but big enough to sit and read or drink on (for me anyway). Hope these are useful…sorry not the best pics but hopefully good enough to get an idea.

 

 

 

Edited February 13 by wallywest

[cozmo]

Consider Avani. Has a nicer feel I reckon.

[PGSTC776]

14 hours ago, steviemac121 said:

I thought i had the first part of my next trip sorted in a deluxe room in the Amethyst when after checking with the hotel its a very small balcony in these rooms.Quick search later and I got a Deluxe plus Pool view King room in the Areca for the same price.Location is brilliant in bother these hotels so it's down to the rooms.

1.How small is the balcony as I like chilling with a drink and a book on balcony before going out.

2.These rooms in Areca how bad is the wifi as from reading reviews it seems to where in the hotel you are depends on the WiFi quality and I do stream a lot on holiday if I can't sleep.

I know these seem trivial but as I only get 1 trip a year now I'm married am trying to just tick all the boxes.

Has anyone stayed in these particular rooms and if so could you let me know what you think of these rooms...

1.  You can't actually go out and sit on the balcony in a deluxe room in Amethyst.  You can open the sliding glass door, and stand on it.  If that is a deal breaker for you choose Areca as the room you've selected has a good size area to sit and chat with someone. 

2.  As has been documented here substantially the wifi at Areca is poor, and spotty.  Using cellular tethering is a relatively easy option if that doesn't work for you.  If high stable high speed wifi outside of tethering is a must for you, choose Amethyst (though from what I understand the wifi at Amethyst isn't exactly fast, just stable). 

I don't agree with the notion Amethyst and Areca are equal location wise; the two hotels are close for sure, but actually walking from the front to various places (central, tree town, LK) means Amethyst is 5 minutes further away from everything.  Not a big deal, but Areca has the better location.  

What Amethyst has going for it is the modern design, and the fact it's new.  You get a larger, better furnished room (an actual desk, and a lounge chair) with the Areca choice.

You probably can't go wrong with either. 

[Bobson VaGene]

One thing that people havent mentioned is the construction works along Soi 15.

Until the road works are no longer an issue, I wouldn't pick Amethyst unless it was considerably cheaper than other picks.

While both have great locations, Areca is the more centrally located of the 2.

[Thomaz73]

1 hour ago, Bobson VaGene said:

One thing that people havent mentioned is the construction works along Soi 15

Probably because they finished a long time ago

[steviemac121]

Thanks all for the help a balcony that u can't sit on is a no no for me.Cant understand why a new  4 star hotel would build deluxe rooms with a balcony that size.At the minute areca is definitely favourite but have both of them saved with free cancellation and I'll keep looking. Tethering is an option but if I remember right only get so much data at a decent speed then it is choked back to dial up days 😁😁

[ruudebwoy77]

7 minutes ago, steviemac121 said:

Thanks all for the help a balcony that u can't sit on is a no no for me.Cant understand why a new  4 star hotel would build deluxe rooms with a balcony that size.At the minute areca is definitely favourite but have both of them saved with free cancellation and I'll keep looking. Tethering is an option but if I remember right only get so much data at a decent speed then it is choked back to dial up days 😁😁

You can get a big balcony with chairs and table, if you book a Premier Room with Balcony at the Amethyst.

[Thomaz73]

2 hours ago, steviemac121 said:

Cant understand why a new  4 star hotel would build deluxe rooms with a balcony that size.

Par for the Thai course. They absolutely suck at balconies. Seems they're often there to accommodate the AC thingy. It's one of my main complaints about this country. 

[vivid2]

The Super Deluxe rooms at Areca are in the Evergreen building, and they have really good sized balconies.  But their main advantage is that the air conditioner is NOT on the balcony…they’re placed outside of the building on the opposite side from the balcony.  Which means you can’t hear it from your room, and it doesn’t blow hot air at you on your balcony. 

[LeoTex]

7 hours ago, Bobson VaGene said:

One thing that people havent mentioned is the construction works along Soi 15.

Until the road works are no longer an issue, I wouldn't pick Amethyst unless it was considerably cheaper than other picks.

While both have great locations, Areca is the more centrally located of the 2.

What road works?

I was there (Areca) in September and again in January and didn't notice any road works on Soi 15 behind the Evergreen Building. 

[PGSTC776]

1 hour ago, vivid2 said:

The Super Deluxe rooms at Areca are in the Evergreen building, and they have really good sized balconies.  But their main advantage is that the air conditioner is NOT on the balcony…they’re placed outside of the building on the opposite side from the balcony.  Which means you can’t hear it from your room, and it doesn’t blow hot air at you on your balcony. 

These are the older rooms that are not updated and should be avoided.  Areca/Corona wings are updated, and their balconies are a good size (though yes the ac is out there). 

[YopYop]

On 12/02/2024 at 17:10, steviemac121 said:

I thought i had the first part of my next trip sorted in a deluxe room in the Amethyst when after checking with the hotel its a very small balcony in these rooms.Quick search later and I got a Deluxe plus Pool view King room in the Areca for the same price.Location is brilliant in bother these hotels so it's down to the rooms.

1.How small is the balcony as I like chilling with a drink and a book on balcony before going out.

2.These rooms in Areca how bad is the wifi as from reading reviews it seems to where in the hotel you are depends on the WiFi quality and I do stream a lot on holiday if I can't sleep.

I know these seem trivial but as I only get 1 trip a year now I'm married am trying to just tick all the boxes.

Has anyone stayed in these particular rooms and if so could you let me know what you think of these rooms...

One of my friend was staying at Areca, Deluxe plus Pool view King room, the room is really ok, modernized compared to the rest of the hotel. Indeed the location is very central.

I stay personaly at Amethyst, I liked this hotel. I try the junior executive so not the room you are targeted.

The location is good as well and the staff was really nice. I had a largest balcony but not a very nice view at all. WIFI was really good but I use anyway mostly my smartphone connection free of charge in Thailand.

[Bobson VaGene]

10 hours ago, LeoTex said:

What road works?

I was there (Areca) in September and again in January and didn't notice any road works on Soi 15 behind the Evergreen Building. 

Not near Areca near Amethyst. 

When walking around Boomerang last year in August to check out GC's, could still see construction works going on.

[LeoTex]

1 hour ago, Bobson VaGene said:

Not near Areca near Amethyst. 

When walking around Boomerang last year in August to check out GC's, could still see construction works going on.

No construction on Soi 15 near Amethyst in late September and again in early January

[Bobson VaGene]

2 hours ago, LeoTex said:

No construction on Soi 15 near Amethyst in late September and again in early January

Good to know, thanks.