Second leg of a relaxing break having stayed a week at the rest detail in hua hin. Upon arrival we were greeted with drinks and cold towel. We were then told we had been upgraded. Service was very good and always with a smile.
Upon arrival in the caurasina suite we were instantly disappointed. The room was ok but rather dark and dingy, especially the bathroom which also smelt musty. The back of the villa had an outside area with a outside jacuzzi. This sounded nice but when we saw it it was not! It looked dirty and with closer inspection we noticed the water had tadpoles in it! Given my wife was 3 months pregnant I went straight to reception to complain and seriously considered phoning our kuoni rep to demand a transfer. After speaking to Sally (who was excellent and got poached from a rival hotel) she immediately got the jacuzzi drained scabbed and cleaned. Despite this we were not keen to use as the area was very closed and dark, the complete opposite of our private jacuzzi at the rest detail in hua hin. Khoa lak is full of wildlife and the frogs came out every evening to use the jacuzzi so it was completely impractical.
We stayed in the caurasina for 3 nights and they eventually got us in a rendezvous villa, number 5. What a difference! More open, nice outside shower and more natural light.
The food and service at the wanaburee was excellent, with the team friendly and attentive. Nick was a great host and the team were always smiling. Prices were very reasonable and included service charge and tax. Khoa lak is a short taxi (100bht) from the hotel or a 15 min walk. There is wifi zone at reception which was free, it would have been nice if they had it on the beachfront, I think they are planning to do this.
The 2 pools were disappointing but the beach was beautiful so this isn't a problem. Massages were good value at 300 baht and it was beautiful having a cocktail watching the sunset. There is also a nice bar/cafe next to the hotel on the beach which has a massage area again for just 300 baht.
Whilst there I would recommend the sea kayak trip exploring the caves near James bond island, great day out.
In summary, hotel accomo was about 3 and a half star, food 4 star and service 5 star. Enjoyed our stay there but the first 3 days in the caurasina suite did tarnish it slightly.
