Can't wait to return! - Justine Thomas. Date of travel: Dec 2005
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| Value for money: | * * * * * |
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The Andaman Beach Resort Hotel was booked by the somewhat bothersome group I was stuck with, and being grumpy with them, I didn't think I'd enjoy myself all that much. But the accommodation was fantastic and the staff helpful, and in the end, the whole experience cheered me up so much, I forgot to be irritated with my fellow travellers and ditched them to explore the place with my partner. The rooms are just like a lot of the hotels on the island - a collection of pretty bungalows - and all surround the swimming pool, which has a few deck chairs to chill out on, and a really nice, relaxed atmosphere. There was an Internet cafe there too, but if you've just come from Bangkok, you may be surprised at the increased prices. Naturally, nobody cared though, because it was still reasonably priced and we didn't want to spend any unnecessary time on the Internet anyway. My partner was really unlucky and caught a cold before he left home, but the environment was perfect to help him recover. The hotel was also right across from a really nice massage centre, and also the 24-hour convenience stores. Because Phi Phi is saturated in bars now, the stay could have been pretty tiresome with all the drunken louts running around, but for one, there were fewer drunken types about when I went, and also the hotel is a little bit away from the bars and restaurants (though still within about 2 minutes' walking distance) so you don't have to face the hordes every time you step out of your door. You can walk right onto the beach as well in front of the hotel, and the school is right there too, which adds a really nice vibe to everything, because Thai people and Thai children are so wonderful to be around. Book before you go, because the place does fill up. The breakfast was fine, but you don't really need it because the restaurants are close by and serve wonderful meals for incredibly cheap. Also, the heat makes the flies hang around you and your food, which is rather offputting when eating a partially outdoor buffet. Opt for the restaurants - they're great :)
