kimberlyb

Planning our first trip to Thailand in April (2 adults in mid-30s). We'd like to stay in Kata during our Phuket leg. (not big nightlife people and prefer smaller, more intimate towns -plus we've been told Kata beach is more beautiful and tends to be less crowded)

We are scuba divers and will be diving a few days (John Gray's Hong by Starlight another day).

Narrowed it down to Katathani, Kata Beach Hotel and Mom Tri's Boathouse. Leaning towards the Katathani based on the feedback on this board. However, both the Katathani and Kata Beach have received some negative reviews on Tripadvisor.com.

1) Anyone been to these hotels recently?
2) What are the pros/cons of staying in Kata vs. Kata Noi? (We don't mind having a 10-15 min walk to Kata if it's worth it)
3) Are any of these more luxurious?
4) What kind of vibe do they have? (quiet, family, luxury, hip, etc.)

Looking to stay on (or very close to) the beach. Want a clean hotel, good service, views (esp. for sunsets) and a few amenities. Looking at rooms in the $200-250 range. Please advise.
Thanks!

ZoeB

We stayed at the Kata Beach Resort for a week last year and enjoyed it, but it wasn't our favorite hotel in Thailanld. We'd previously stayed at an Amari hotel and found it to be more luxurious than the Kata Beach Resort.

The pros are the location. Kata beach is a great beach. It is small enough to walk the whole length and it is a very nice, clean beach. Kata Beach Resort is on one end near Mom Tri's Boathouse and a few other little restaurants/bars. We ate one night at Mom Tri's and the food was great, but I didn't get to look at the rest of the resort.

One of the cons, I thought, was that Kata Beach Resort was too big. There were a lot of rooms and it wasn't very intimate. I think they occasionally have large groups and maybe even conferences there. When we were there the hotel was filled with the people in the Regatta.

The pool area is beautiful and the breakfast was great.

Next time we go back to Thailand we are going to bypass Phuket altogether and head straight to Phi Phi Island. We are also scuba divers and the dives off of this island are phenomenal. I would highly recommend the Phi Phi Island Village.

http://www.ppisland.com/index.htm

kimberlyb

Thanks ZoeB. I appreciate your feedback. It's now between Mom Tri's and Katathani.

While Katathani is larger, it is located in Kata Noi. From what I understand Kata Noi is even smaller/quieter than Kata.

They are both different, so deciding which one is difficult.

Thanks for the Phi Phi resort link. It looks great. I'll save it for a future trip.

What dive op did you use? We are only there a few days and can't do a liveaboard this trip.

ZoeB

We didn't actually dive when we were in Phuket. We saved our dives for Phi Phi Island and just used the dive shop right at the resort. I thought the dive shop there was great. I think we went 4 days in a row and each day we went to a different location that was never more than a 1/2 hour speed boat ride away.

shanek

The Boathouse is smaller and more intimate with a "romantic" feel and better service. The KataThani has more facilities and attracts more famalies. The Boathouse is more convieniently located for a choice of shops and restaraunts but it is only a 15 minute walk from the Kata Thani. WE have stayed at the Kata Beach Resort twice as it suits our budget for a family of 4, but would choose the Boathouse if I was in your shoes.

kimberlyb

Thanks Shane. We are leaning towards Mom Tri's since we really like more intimate hotels. The only concern I have is that everyone says negative things about the rooms (small, worn). This might be worth it since we will be right on the beach and hopefully a nice ocean view.

Did you have problems with mosquitoes in your room?

shanek

We stayed at the Kata Beach Resort and the rooms at the Boathouse are much nicer. They are not brand new but I would not describe them as old or tired. We only looked inside one of the rooms as we met a couple who were staying there. They loved the place. Both of our trips to Kata have been in October and we have not had any problems with inscects at all at this time of year.