Pattaya Hotel: Your thoughts/suggestions

[CHAOTOU]

Frequent vistor to Bangkok. Last time stayed at the Pinnacle which was fine. Would stay there again.

Going to Pattaya for the first time. A friend suggested this hotel. Anyone have any experiece with this property, thoughts, or other suggetions.

Lek Hotel
284/5 Soi 13 Pattaya Road | Cholburi, Pattaya 20260, Thailand

Thanks for your help.

They have a very popular 100 baht all u can eat breakfast buffet.

Never stayed there, most of the guests will be str8 if that matters.

Better off at the Flamingo.

If you want a mix of st8 and us more enlightened Farangs then the flamingo is the place. I stayed there for three weeks and the staff were wonderful and helpful.If you needed to be in the thick of it then the cafe royale or the ambiance both good hotels.
I have only had one really bad hotel and that was the woodlands resort which was more like a concentration camp than a hotel. The staff were cold and the rooms of low quailty I moved out after three days but that was along time ago.

[Jetsam]

I stayed only 2 nights at the Lek hotel and that was more than enough , the rooms were really worn out (some years ago, may be improved) with unfriendly staf , I didn't really feel comfortable there, so I moved across the street to the Apex hotel, ok not really great improvement roomwise but what can you expect for 450 baht , but it felt much more comfortable there :) ,
Some mentioned the Flamingo hotel, and you can't go wrong with that , great location too, very short walk to sunee and short walk to Boyztown.

[Dick]

Lek Hotel is very good value. Don't be put off by negative comments. Try it.
We stayed there in December first time. Choice of 3 standards of room. Opted for the middle one. Room very good. Overlooked the pool. Room safe. Everything worked. Nice bed. Easy booking but advance payment.
The main thing about Lek Hotel is the breakfast. Buffet style all you can eat. Breakfast still available when you get up (before 11am if I recall). So many strays wander in and out just for the breakfast, no one is bothered about you or your friend merrily eating away same as them. Others like us eating there too. My Thai guy and I had eaten there on previous visits... no problem or intimidation from str8ghts... this is what prompted us to book a room on the last occasion. Your Thai friend will like it... plenty of choice at the buffet, and plenty of it... I don't know where he puts it all. The coffee is pretty good too, just help yourself to refills. The breakfast is extra over and above the room rate - you pay in the restaurant, so if you miss it or decide to go elsewhere, no loss. No problem with the maid service. Reception courteous but business like. Mostly str8ghts at the pool. Bonus, you're only a 5 minutes walk away from Boyztown.

Alterntatively if you want good accommodation budget priced as a 1st timer to Pattaya, especially if you want to explore the Sunee area, go to Montys. It's probably more centrally placed for exploration anyway. Monty will not only look after you and point you in the right direction, but he's a really nice bloke too. You'll also get to meet like minded expats. The rooms are very good and extrememly good value, and his place is in a good location, which you'll appreciate after just a few days of exploration.

That's my take on it. Hope it's helpful. And by the way, I've previously stayed at Cafe Royal, Ambiance, and Howards, and of those, I would only ever return (as I have done) to Cafe Royal. Lek and Montys on my re-visit list too.

I agree with Dick. I've stayed at Lek on my last 3 trips and have always been more than satisfied. Stayed there last month and had a nice room overlooking the pool. Hotel nice and clean and mattress comfortable. Both the breakfast and dinner buffets very good. No problem whatsoever bringing bf back to room. I also stayed at Flamingo this last trip for a few days since Lek was booked. No complaints with Flamingo, but if I would recommend Lek over it.

[Up2U]

"No complaints with Flamingo, but if I would recommend Lek over it." ....other than price, why? I really like the Flamingo location for restaurants and gay nightlife. I've got no interest in a pool.

[Dick]

From the favourable comments made about Flamingo, I've put it on my 'to do' list and I'll give it a try to see what it's like and how it compares with others I've stayed at. That's part of the fun of exploration, trying something new. I may like it, I may prefer it to others or conversely I may find that whilst good, other hotels offer better value/location/facilities etc for me. But the point I am making, is that I won't know until I try for myself.

When someone on the board asks a genuine question about a place, if like me, then they're probably interested in comparisons. I find it very useful when someone says I've been to A and I've been to B, but given the choice I prefer A. That's the sort of opinion I'm after. It helps to steer me in the right direction away from lemons. I realise that when making comparisons a lot comes down to the little things and one's own personal preferences or foibles, and it's sometimes difficult to put into words the impression a place might leave with us. None the less, I'll take a look at the Flamingo out of curiosity to see if it appeals, in order to form my own opinion.

For me, I prefer Lek over Flamingo because A) quality of rooms are slightly better; B) more noise at Flamingo. If you stay at Flamingo, don't get a room facing the road. Was woke up several times by barking dogs in the middle of the night; C) For me, since I prefer Boyztown over Sunee, Lek is more convinient. After leaving Boyztown at 2am, I can hop on a baht bus and be at my hotel in less than 2 minutes. Flamingo is a good 15 minute walk from Boyztown and if you're walking down the alley toward Flamingo after 2am, it's extremely dark and I always feel a bit unsafe. D) While the quality of food at Flamingo is good, I prefer waking up, going downstairs and eating the buffet at Lek. E) Lastly, I enjoy cruising in Royal Garden during the late afternoon after a day at the beach. Royal Garden only a 5 minute walk from Lek.

Though I never stayed at Monty's, I stayed under the prior ownership and the rooms are great. The bigger rooms are worth the small extra charge. Nice floors and an in room combo safe.

Under the old ownership there was a unstocked refrig. On a different site a poll showed 95% of the voters prefering an unstocked refrig to a rip off mini-bar. Have no idea what Monty does with refrig.

Flamingo has a great owner, excellent staff, and a very nice bar and restaurant. I don't like the rooms that much though, nothing wrong with them but I prefer Monty's looms. safe at Flamingo has a key, not combo, so you have to hide the key.

I see, on their site rooms are @ 750-std., 1200-std\new bldg., 1,800 deluxe.
I looked at std rooms--quite spartan (Like a better YMCA) and you need walk to Beach road for a song tau if going South: BoyzTown, Jomtien unless you want to walk or are willing to brave a moto'cy taxi...which I know, 100's do--But not this ho.
@ 750THB or less: IMHO, rooms at Bondi (about 800 low season), Honey Lodge (Rooms a bit beat but clean & may be best location in town.), Howard's, Mike (I think.), Monty's, Serene, & other places I've seen are as good or better--And more convienient.
@1200\1,800THB...I wouldn't even consider it: many better (i.e. Ambiance, Caf├й Royal, Flamingo, Royal Place, Welcome Plaza.) and\or more convienient places in that price range.

Flamigo: Don't understand why, D & D, you "walk down alley"?...Two blocks to South Rd\Song tau. (But hold your arm out, pointing straight in front of you (North) so you don't get on one turning south. If really worried about dogs*, get a small spray-bottle & bottle of amonia. May also work on pushy mamasans. And naked funky chicken- dancers.

*BTW: is that white poodle still around?...Or did the moto'cy boys finally manage to run it down? God knows, they try! (Losing Merit?...Or gaining? I wonder.)

Okay, I seem to write a little bit whenever the topic of rooms comes up and I always seem to favour wherever I have just stayed or am staying, but can I just throw in a 'highly recommended' for Two Faces at Jomtien.

I have a room which is large, airy, light and well decorated with soft peach ragging on the walls, dark wood fittings, a dinner table with four chairs, a whicker lounge set with coffee table, fridge, kettle, safe, air con, fan, colour tv with 50 channels and a lovely queen size four poster bed. Access to the room is through the bar or through private entrance on the first floor (in Britain the first floor is the 2nd floor anywhere else in the world) with two locked doors plus your room door to get through for added security. All for 650 baht and lovely friendly staff to boot.

I have stayed at Bondi in Jomtien and now Two Faces. Whilst I had no problems with and indeed like Bondi a lot, the price and the added little extras at two Faces make it a much more appealing option.