New Star Beach Resort

Honest Review of the Beachfront Hotel

Our stay at this hotel left us with mixed feelings. While there were some redeeming qualities, several aspects significantly marred our overall experience.

Food & Beverage
• Happy Hour:
The hotel offers a happy hour from 14:00 to 15:00 with a 2-for-1 deal on drinks. This promotion is a great perk and definitely worth taking advantage of.
• Restaurant Experience:
We only dined at the hotel’s restaurant once, and it was disappointing.
• The Thai pizza was burnt, and if you’re craving pizza, there’s a superb Italian restaurant almost directly across the street.
• The Pad Thai was inedible due to raw prawns. Although we complained, the issue was either misunderstood or deliberately ignored.
• The Mango smoothie was, by far, the worst we’ve had in Thailand—with far too much syrup and hardly any real mango flavor.
Overall, we do not recommend dining at the hotel’s restaurant.

Service & Policies
• Beach Towel Policy:
The hotel has a peculiar rule regarding beach towels.
• Guests are required to leave their towels in a basket outside the villa, where an employee exchanges them between 19:00 and 20:00.
• However, if you hand in your towels the day before check-out, don’t expect to receive new ones. I had to borrow towels from reception because of this rule.
• While the rationale is that towels frequently go missing, the policy gives the impression that the hotel distrusts its guests, suspecting them of theft. Additionally, you’re not allowed to leave your towel in the Beach Villa; you must return it to reception.
• Taxi Request Incident:
After a confrontation over the towel policy, I asked the hotel for a taxi to the airport.
• I was promptly told that no taxis were available and that they could only call one from the street.
• I decided to call a taxi on my own, but unbeknownst to me, the receptionist also arranged one. When I discovered this, she became very bossy and unpleasant, which only added to the negative experience.

Breakfast & Amenities
• Breakfast:
Breakfast is served at a high standard, featuring a large selection of food and a beautiful view of the beach. However, there is one major drawback:
• Smoking is allowed outdoors. You must choose between dining in the air-conditioned room or enduring cigarette smoke while enjoying your breakfast.
• Buggy Service:
The hotel offers a flexible buggy service that arrives quickly if you decide to venture off-resort for a meal or excursion—a definite plus.

Accommodation & Facilities
• Beach Villa:
We stayed in a Beach Villa, which was clean and well-equipped with two air conditioning units. The villa’s location right on a wide, sandy beach was a major highlight.
• The sea was moderately rough with waves; I personally enjoyed it, though my wife did not.
• A minor hygiene issue was noted: the trash bins in the villa were missing bags, which is problematic since used toilet paper (which shouldn’t be flushed) ends up there.
• On the terrace, there was a container of water for washing feet after the beach, but no ladle was provided.

Final Thoughts

It is a shame that the overall impression of the hotel is tarnished by issues such as poor food quality, the odd towel policy, and unprofessional behavior from certain staff members (particularly at reception). While the breakfast and buggy service are strong points and most of the employees are friendly, these positives are outweighed by the negatives.

Who should consider this hotel?
• Smokers might enjoy the outdoor breakfast and relaxed vibe.
• Families with children may want to look elsewhere due to the overall atmosphere and policies.

In summary, the hotel has potential but is currently let down by inconsistent service and management practices that leave a sour taste despite some attractive features.