Railay Phutawan Resort

There was a pretty bad smell from our bathroom. I did mention it to staff and they said they would get housekeeping to look into it, but i dont think they did as it only got worse. I think it was due to a drainage issue as water would build up. But the smell of sewage was really offputting. We avoided using the bathroom as much as we could. I booked the best room, so hoped we wouldn't have issues. There was a photoshoot going on one day we were there. No one was using the pool etc while they were filming, a bit annoying. It also felt like everything was catered towards getting good pics rather than keeping the current guests happy, for example keeping us out of the shot of dinner photos. It sometimes just felt a bit disorganised, we would arrive down to breakfast when it was due to start and they were still setting up, with lots of guests arriving. For the price, it's what you would expect.

Our stay encountered a few hurdles. Despite providing allergy information, breakfast choices were limited, and the hotel's response was less than accommodating, suggesting we bring our gluten-free bread and lactose-free milk, which seemed unexpected given the hotel's reputation. We handled the situation pragmatically and adjusted our preparations accordingly. Then, two days before our arrival, we were informed of ongoing and permanent construction across from our reserved room. Since we were traveling already, we were not checking emails and read this message only on the day of our trip to the Resort. While the hotel offered a free cancellation, securing an alternative at such short notice was near impossible. We were about to board the plane. We replied and asked for their assistance upon arrival to book an alternative hotel. Once there, the local staff didn't know about this communication nor were they able to help. We reluctantly agreed to stay for one night and sought assistance from the local manager. The process of securing an alternative accommodation involved a day of email exchanges and awaiting approvals from the General Manager on the mainland. While we waited, the construction was indeed permanent and loud, confirming our choice to leave. It is worth noting that the motor sounds from the longtail boats - even though we were quite far away from the shore - are echoed into the mountains quite loudly, adding to the noise level. Ultimately, we moved to another hotel, incurring additional costs due to limited availability. We would have appreciated to have at least a discount for the inconvenience, but the hotel manager did not suggest it. Ultimately, we managed to negotiate a waiver for credit card charges for the Plan B hotel. It was overall a frustrating experience. P.S. It's worth noting they asked us to not write this review in exchange for a credit card charge waiveran approach that raises questions about customer-friendliness.