The Amber…a Lottellee Winna 2025 Review

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

Intro - This must be my 4th or 5th visit to the Amber, which is part of the @Mind Group of modern 4 star hotels, (plus their new 5 star hotel - The Arbour)…all of these hotels are upmarket, but not not stuffy or overly posh, just classy and minimalist. TBH the main reason that I booked here was because it was where my buddy wanted to stay…this is no criticism of the Amber, it’s just that I think it’s slightly overpriced for what you get.

Location- Hard to beat the location of this hotel. It’s on a small Soi just off soi Buhakow (about 150 metres and opposite Treetown running towards 3rd road). Great location for Treetown, Buhakow and LK Metro, plus Baht Buses running both ways up and down Buhakow. Check-in is quick, easy and efficient.

Reception - you can tell from the get to go that this is an up marketplace. The reception is all glass and marble. It definitely gives you the wow factor.

Rooms - If you are expecting a modern, hip property, then you won’t be disappointed. The room design is funky and fresh - I particularly liked the mood lighting. The room had no closet, just a hanging rail, which I initially thought odd, but on this trip it annoyed me. Not saying it’s a deal breaker but for a ‘neat freak’ like me it’s bloody annoying having your kit spread out on random surfaces. 

There is a large modern safe, a decent size refrigerator and modern flat screen smart television with enough channels for me. 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. I particularly appreciated being given2 room cards, which means you can keep your devices topped up all day as well as the room being cool 24/7. Note the bathroom configuration - sink in room, separate loo and shower rooms…top design. Great power shower with hot water.

The hotel is part of the @Mind group (regularly constructing new 4 star hotels at 3 star room rates). The room I booked this time was ‘pool side’ on a high floor. At 27sqm, was spacious enough for me and had decent accessible balcony with two chairs and a view across the pool).  The bed was large and comfy enough to sleep on (including the pillows). The AC worked well, can’t comment on the TV as I don’t watch it when on holiday.

Extras - Appreciated free stuff like toothbrush, toothpaste and quality body wash.

Wifi - The WiFi signal quality is variable, and no need to log in every day.

Breakfast - The breakfasts in the @Mind group of hotels are usually ok, but TBH there is just so much choice elsewhere…on this trip my mate and I ate at the excellent Copperspoons next door.

Facilities - The hotel has a beautiful swimming pool with sun loungers. There is also a small gym.  The hotel has a speedy elevator, and I never waited more than a minute or so.

Customer Service - As with all the @Mind hotels, customer service is outstanding. The staff were nice and accommodating. Everyone is very friendly and chatty.

Guest Policy - The receptionist is respectful to any guests you might invite back to your ‘loom’…no guest charges (for one visitor), ID cards are supposed to be handed in - however in practice, I never saw any one being asked to do so. My mates also regularly brought two ladies back at night with no extra charge.

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 (no need though).

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

Noise - This hotel is located down a small soi off Buhakow and is set 30 metres back from there. Very quiet indeed. Also no large groups of lads, or pissed up drama merchants screaming all night.

Criticisms (1) I don’t really use swimming pools much, but my mate does. He remarked that although beautiful, the pool is way too small for the number of guests. He was a bit pissed off that he couldn’t get a sunbed and that individuals were up early in the morning, putting towels out to reserve them. (2) this is another hotel with the safe on the floor…when you get to be an old git like me bending down is not quite so easy.

Price - The first time I stayed here I got this at the ‘billy bargain’ price of 1,000 THB (via an Agoda offer). Note this was end of April 2023 - rates thereafter rose to around 1600+. However, for a pool view room, it cost us on this trip 3000 ฿ a night (I think the city view rooms were 2700). Personally, this is more than I want to pay for a hotel of this quality, but I stayed there as it’s where my friend wanted to stay. 

Overall -  this property is one that I rated (with the exception of the criticisms mentioned above) and would consider staying in again. Note that check in is at 2.00pm, but if you ask nicely you might get in before then (I did). This is not 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 4 star and who want to be near (although not on top of ‘the action’). As always, the booking of this hotel is price dependent. I won’t stay there again at ฿3000 a night, but if I could get a standard room at near ฿2000, I would certainly consider it.

Lottellee Winna Rating - 7.5/10

Edited March 8, 2025 by LOTTELLEE WINNA

[momo5]

Agree, this is a nice hotel.  I’m nearly always at the Avani, but I’ve stayed at Amber twice now.  Pool side rooms are nice and quiet.   I’ve found the bed to be incredibly comfortable for a great sleep, right up there with top hotels worldwide.  

One thing I like about the pool is the upper pool is conducive to swimming laps and it’s usually quite empty 7-8am and 7-9pm, which are the times I like to swim laps.  

Never had breakfast there becuase, as noted, there are fantastic options nearby.  The snacks and drinks by the pool have been nice though. 

Some have complained about late room cleanings … my tactic is to wave at the chambermaids as I leave my room and let them know I’ll be back in 2-3 hrs; it’s always been refreshed by the time I got back.  

[Snowbird99]

Just booked Amber for 3 nights arriving Tuesday for about 2000 baht a night. £142 via Booking. Might extend over the coming weekend when price increases by about 50%. 
 

Usually stay at the Amethyst but at they want about £100 a night for a Premier room Presumably a little less for a standard room but no availability. Great hotel, location etc. , but just not worth that much. 

[allwet]

I booked Amber again (3rd time) for this June. Low season prices are reasonable and the pool is never crowded that time of year. The only things you have to watch out for are the room not being serviced until after 3pm and being put in a pool view room in the wing pictured below. The sun hits this wing nearly all day and makes it impossible to enjoy the balcony. I imagine during high season it doesn't matter as much since it's cooler. 

 

[rope-a-dope]

Hmmm...no shirts with you this time? 🤔

I can't take this review as genuine, absent the obligatory rack of shirts in the wardrobe shot 🤘

[zeke]

I stayed in the hotel Amber in February for 14 nights. Paid THB 2200 per night including breakfast for two.

A few weeks before leaving I realized that check out time was 11:00 morning and my flight was 02:00 the next day.

I contacted the hotel and they said to mention this on check in and they would sort out a late check out. On enquiring I was told I could keep the room until 22:00 but would need to pay THB 4400 with obviously no breakfast! I was not too happy about that and it would probably put me off staying there again.

The hotel itself is fine, no noise, good quality room etc. but I wouldn't bother with breakfast as there are far better alternatives locally.

 

[helloitsme123]

Thanks for the review as always @LOTTELLEE WINNA. As someone that is STILL trying to hunt down a hotel for my next trip, Amber was up on my list but have to agree with pretty much what you've said. It looks really nice, sleek and modern but nothing about the room justifies the price to me imo. I don't ever use pools, facilities or breakfast so I don't take those into consideration when looking at price, but strictly speaking about the room, I don't think I'll book the Amber.

They are having a flash sale on at the moment on Agoda, if the price drops further, they might be worth considering.

[Creamhorn]

Thanks for the review. I used your reviews a lot when choosing places last trip and they were very helpful.

I'll come back to this later in the year when I'm booking for next trip: it seems an interesting location especially since I love Copper Spoons for breakfast.

[1992]

I was able to get a booking here for a month in the cheaper city view room for $84aud/night which is about 1700thb. Generally it was priced around 2500/night. 

Took a lot of patience and daily checking to get a good rate.

I really like this hotel but it is starting to price itself out of the market. I suspect on my next trip I'll be staying at Holiday inn express again - it is basically the exact same thing but without a balcony and a fancy lobby, for just over half the price. 

[CBNewbie]

Fantastic review. You have to give us a top ten list of the best hotels in Pattaya sometime. 

[aa17981]

Surprisingly the rates for Adelphi which is next door also seems very high for the upcoming low season .. indeed it’s higher than the city view room at Amber but lower than the pool view room .. and thus am considering the city view room for my May trip .. and thanks a lot for this review @LOTTELLEE WINNA sir 😊😊

[wallywest]

@LOTTELLEE WINNA Thankyou for the excellent review. How would you say this hotel compares to Areca lodge… would you say the two hotels are of a similar standard? 

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

3 hours ago, wallywest said:

@LOTTELLEE WINNA Thankyou for the excellent review. How would you say this hotel compares to Areca lodge… would you say the two hotels are of a similar standard? 

Hi Mate, you pose a great question. The first thing to say is that in one sense Amber and Areca are similar, in as much as the effort is known in the trade as ‘resort hotels’ (ie The pool is on the ground floor and the hotel is built around it… as opposed to rooftop pools, which are much more common nowadays). My own personal opinion is that overall Areca is the better option. 

Rooms - equally good 

Pool - Areca better

Loction - both good but Areca better

[zeke]

I would whole heartedly agree with LW. I stayed in both the Amber and Areca recently and have already booked Areca for September. Areca has better food (breakfast), a better pool and a better location.

Just make sure you get one of the refurbished rooms with a walk-in shower.

[bristol]

22 minutes ago, zeke said:

I would whole heartedly agree with LW. I stayed in both the Amber and Areca recently and have already booked Areca for September. Areca has better food (breakfast), a better pool and a better location.

Just make sure you get one of the refurbished rooms with a walk-in shower.

How about noise at the Areca? I understand that the new open bar complex next door has caused a lot of complaints - and might even be temporarily closed while they address that. 

[wallywest]

@LOTTELLEE WINNA Thankyou for the answer. Yes, I was wondering as they do look similar… and as I’m an Areca fan I’ve considered the Amber as a potential alternative but only if/ when Areca is unavailable. Cheers again and thanks for all your reviews, they do come in handy.

Edited March 9, 2025 by wallywest

[zeke]

44 minutes ago, bristol said:

How about noise at the Areca? I understand that the new open bar complex next door has caused a lot of complaints - and might even be temporarily closed while they address that. 

I has a pool view room and only heard sounds from the balcony. Door shut and all quiet.

Edited March 9, 2025 by zeke

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

1 hour ago, bristol said:

How about noise at the Areca? I understand that the new open bar complex next door has caused a lot of complaints - and might even be temporarily closed while they address that. 

I had a pool view room at Areca last year, didn’t hear anything from the new complex.

[Minstrol]

Stayed there last time and loved it and will be staying again in a few weeks time. Only criticisms for me is they cleaned the room a little late everyday, around 4pm most days. Normally I wouldn't mind but I'd rather have a clean room before inviting another ST over after the one from last night has left.

[LOTTELLEE WINNA]

9 hours ago, Minstrol said:

Stayed there last time and loved it and will be staying again in a few weeks time. Only criticisms for me is they cleaned the room a little late everyday, around 4pm most days. Normally I wouldn't mind but I'd rather have a clean room before inviting another ST over after the one from last night has left.

This was a criticism that I had when I stayed previously. However, on this stay my room was always cleaned pretty early (say 11-12 noon). 

[Snowbird99]

Checked in to Amber a few days ago. 
 

Have pool view room and the room is basically fine. 
 

Some negative points:
 

As previously noted no wardrobe or drawer storage. 

Safe is at ground level , is difficult to access and if you leave the door open is an injury risk as you walk around. 

Quite  a few power sockets in the room. Only on really useable as the others are so worn that the connection is unreliable.

Upon check in, about 22:00, no porter to be seen. Nam taxi driver went to find one. 

Wifi patchy, sometimes failing to connect at all. 
 

Went out at 14:00 and asked reception to ensure room made up before my return at 16:00. Returned at 17:00 to find room not serviced. 
 

Normally stay in Amethyst but with current price don’t think it represents value. 

[Yagami Light]

Thanks LW for another helpful review.

I quite like this hotel. I stayed there for a few times.

However I can echo some of the drawbacks mentioned above.

The worst thing is super slow housekeeping. There were plenty of instances when I left the room around 10-11 AM, then came back after a few hours and it was still not done. Despite hanging the request on the door handle and leaving a 40-50 baht tip every day. 

Another thing is low quality power plugs. Despite the building being not so old I found many of them loose or broken and downright unusable. 

Last thing is recent price hikes. At the current level in my opinion it is a little bit overpriced. There are better valued options elsewhere.  

 

[Rub1nho]

I've stayed in Amber twice now, November last year and in April. I don't exactly recall what I paid in April but it was probably somewhere around 80€ per night. I don't know if that had anything to do with Songkran and it being busier, but in hindsight it does seem a bit steep. Especially since this time I didn't even use the pool and I never use the gym.

I can't exactly point to anything wrong, quite the opposite in fact, but I'm looking at about 80€ per night again for November if I look through Booking.com and I do think I can get pretty much the same quality of accomodations for less than that.

Any recommendations in the Buakhao area?

[allwet]

6 hours ago, Rub1nho said:

I've stayed in Amber twice now, November last year and in April. I don't exactly recall what I paid in April but it was probably somewhere around 80€ per night. I don't know if that had anything to do with Songkran and it being busier, but in hindsight it does seem a bit steep. Especially since this time I didn't even use the pool and I never use the gym.

I can't exactly point to anything wrong, quite the opposite in fact, but I'm looking at about 80€ per night again for November if I look through Booking.com and I do think I can get pretty much the same quality of accomodations for less than that.

Any recommendations in the Buakhao area?

I'm in a similar situation and decided to cancel my Amber reservation in favor of Areca Lodge. The Areca room is 1000 baht cheaper per night, includes breakfast and is larger than the Amber room. I like Amber but I can't justify staying there anymore when it has much higher prices than other hotels in its class. Plus the late afternoon housekeeping service is a bummer when it comes to getting afternoon TF dates. 

[Rub1nho]

13 hours ago, allwet said:

I'm in a similar situation and decided to cancel my Amber reservation in favor of Areca Lodge. The Areca room is 1000 baht cheaper per night, includes breakfast and is larger than the Amber room. I like Amber but I can't justify staying there anymore when it has much higher prices than other hotels in its class. Plus the late afternoon housekeeping service is a bummer when it comes to getting afternoon TF dates. 

I've also looked at Areca but for my dates (first 3 weeks of November) they don't have anything available anymore, or I'd have to switch rooms a couple of times, which I'm not prepared to do.

I've been looking at Whisper, but the location is not as good as Amber. I'd like to stay near Treetown and LK with easy access to the bahtbuses on both Buakhao and Second Road.

We'll see, it's not that I can't afford it so I might end up just staying there again, but I'm having a harder time justifying the price compared to other options as you say.