The Thai town of Patong has been known for many years as the most popular resort in Phuket. Thousands of tourists are attracted by the local exotic nature, mild marine climate, sandy beaches, developed infrastructure and great opportunities for entertainment and shopping. You can swim in the sea and sunbathe on the city beaches in Patong all year round, with the only difference being that high waves at sea or heavy short-term showers can interfere with the rest in the rainy season, from December to February.
An additional advantage of the resort is a large selection of hotels of any level of comfort at affordable prices. One of the hotels with quite affordable prices, Raha Gold Residence Patong 3 *, is located next to the famous Jungceylon shopping and entertainment center. You may notice that the reviews about the budget hotel left on the Russian-language forums for tourists are rather contradictory. What did the former guests enjoy at Raha Gold Residence 3 * (Phuket)? What are the disadvantages most often noted by tourists who rested in this hotel?
About hotel
Hotel Raha Gold Residence 3 * was built in 2013, in the central part of Patong. This is an eight-story building offering 60 small rooms, including non-smoking apartments. The hotel is part of the hotel chain along with the respectable Raha Grand Hotel, whose buildings are 40 meters from Raha Gold.
The hotel is in demand among tourists due to its convenient location. In addition to the Jungceylon center, within walking distance from the hotel there is a large round-the-clock city market, a water park, the most famous show on the island - Simon cabaret and the main place for nightlife, Bangla Road. Phuket International Airport is 25 km away.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure of the Raha Gold Residence 3 * hotel includes:
- Reception
- Restaurant (Oriental / Chinese cuisine, Ć la carte).
- Restaurant "buffet".
- Snack bar.
- Business center.
- Outlets (products, souvenirs) - on the territory of the hotel.
- Elevator.
- Laundry / dry cleaning with ironing service.
- Beauty / SPA / massage parlor.
- Gym.
- Rooftop pool.
- Outdoor terrace.
The reception has a 24-hour reception with concierge services, quick check-in and check-out. For the convenience of guests there is an ATM, a left-luggage office, an exchange office.
Wi-Fi is free in the territory of the hotel, there is a free parking lot for transport and a car rental point.
The main inconvenience of the hotel infrastructure can be considered that some of the amenities offered, including the pool, bar and restaurant, are not located in the building itself, but nearby, in the Raha Grand Hotel.
Beaches and beach vacations
The hotel is located on the third coastline, just a 10-minute walk from the sea coast. Most accessible for guests Raha Gold Residence 3 * (Phuket) Patong Beach. This popular, clean white sand beach is equipped with sun loungers and parasols. In the daytime, on Patong Beach, you can not only swim and sunbathe, but also find various types of active water activities: attractions, diving, sea fishing and much more. The beach is always crowded, there are bars, many traders of food, drinks and inexpensive souvenirs. In the evening, the entire beach area turns into a place for a disco: beach equipment is removed, loud music plays until the morning.
In addition to Patong Beach, the city has several more beaches, quite well equipped and relatively clean. In general, the area occupied by the beaches has a length of more than 3 km. What impressions about a beach vacation are most often shared by guests of the Raha Gold Residence (Patong) 3 *? Reviews often note such features:
- Beautiful scenery, clear sea water and white sand. Good entry to the sea. Very picturesque sunsets, especially in the northern part of the city.
- Variety and flexible prices for water activities.
- Rental equipment is quite cheap, about 100 rubles. The staff of the rental centers is very attentive, umbrellas are constantly regulated to create the most comfortable conditions for vacationers.
- Fun and safe discos.
Resentment among tourists most often causes the road from the hotel to the beach: it is littered all the way, complaints about an unpleasant smell and a large number of insects are frequent. As for the beach itself, among the shortcomings is the importunity of local merchants, a small amount of plankton in sea water, and pollution of the territory during a large influx of vacationers.
Rooms
Check-in time: 14.00, check-out - noon. Apartments for living in Raha Gold Residence (Patong) 3 * are conditionally divided into the following categories:
- āStandardā, designed to accommodate two guests (19 mĀ², double or 2 twin beds, shower).
- Superior Double - 29 mĀ², double or 2 twin beds, some rooms have a balcony, shower or bath. There are several connected apartments of this type.
- Deluxe, three-person room, 29 mĀ², double or 2 twin beds, bathroom. Some apartments have a balcony.
All rooms are equipped with air conditioning, a TV (plasma), hairdryer, kettle (coffee machine), bathroom, safe (included in the price). Daily maid service is provided, guests are provided with hygiene products, drinking water.
The rooms are suitable for people with disabilities. Additionally, when ordering a room, you can choose from the hotel fund:
- Honeymoon Room.
- Non-smoking room.
What you need to pay attention to when booking: Standard rooms are cheaper than others, but due to the unusual layout of the building they do not have windows. The conditions there are quite acceptable, but guests who feel uncomfortable are advised to rent an apartment with window.
Equipment and general condition of the rooms: guest opinions
The comfort level in Raha Gold rooms is most often mentioned in reviews by those guests who did not like the hotel. As a rule, first of all, tourists are discouraged by the layout of rooms without windows. What, according to former hotel guests, does not correspond to the three-star level? And what can attract Raha Gold Residence (Patong) 3 * new guests? Reviews of tourists are quite unanimous: you should not count on a spacious room or "five-star" comfort in an inexpensive hotel, primarily intended for tourists who came to sunbathe all day and have fun at night. What are the advantages of staying at this hotel tourists call?
- Nice furniture and comfortable beds in the rooms.
- Daily cleaning, linen, towels.
- Large modern flat-screen TV.
- Fresh repair. Modest, but rather cozy interior.
But comments on the hotel rooms are enough:
- Lack of sound insulation. A huge minus, given the proximity of the busiest street of the city with a large number of night discos and the roadway near the hotel.
- Appliances and equipment in the rooms are not new and often break down. Disconnecting Wi-Fi or a Russian-language channel, non-working sockets, a kettle, a towel dryer - all these problems are often mentioned by former guests. It is worth noting that malfunctions are repaired at the request of the guest at the reception.
- The safe in the room does not provide reliable storage. Itās just a drawer, not attached to the wall or floor, with an easily openable lock.
- Despite the fact that the room has a kettle, dishes for tea drinking in the room may not bring. Tourists have to buy mugs, spoons and tea itself at the mall.
- Close bathroom.
Paid services
- Transfer (bus or minibus to / from the airport).
- Breakfast (optionally included in the room price when booking).
- Extra bed (at 2016 prices: children under 12 years old - 500 baht / day, older than this age - 700 baht / day).
- Room service.
- Babysitter (nanny).
- Massage.
- Laundry and ironing.
Nutrition
The hotel provides the opportunity to immediately pay for breakfast for the entire stay. However, tourists who are accustomed to the "buffet", a set of breakfast dishes may seem too modest. There are few reviews on the quality of food in the restaurants of the hotel complex, but the assessment of the hotelās cuisine is positive: the dishes look delicious, the food is of high quality. The Chinese restaurant on the ground floor has a large number of exotic dishes, although it bothers guests with the sharp smells of food that are spread throughout the building.
According to reviews, the presence of a children's and diet menus ordered by the guest is the main plus of the Raha Gold Residence 3 * restaurant (Thailand). Patong (Phuket) is a place where you can fully get acquainted with exotic Thai cuisine. Experienced tourists often recommend that they completely refuse to eat at the hotel, so as not to overpay, but to start exploring the local cuisine in numerous local cafes and restaurants. In addition, for breakfast or in-room snacks, groceries can be purchased at the nearest market or at the Big C supermarket in the mall.
About staff
Hotel staff, Thais and their foreign counterparts are often praised for their smile and friendly attitude towards guests. High-quality cleaning of rooms, diligence is noted. Of the shortcomings in the work of the staff, the insufficient problems are quickly addressed.
In addition to Thai, hotel staff can communicate with guests in English, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi, Urdu. Russian-speaking staff at the hotel can be found at the reception during the day.
Conditions for relaxing with children
In addition to paid childcare and childcare services, Raha Gold Residence 3 * provides additional hotel services that are usual for hotels and are designed to ensure the comfort of guests traveling with children. In the rooms for children you can put one extra bed, including a cot. The restaurant provides a free chair, a special menu is available. The hotel's pool has a section for babies.
Playground and special animation is not provided.
Entertainment and shopping opportunities
About leisure for guests of Raha Gold Residence 3 * reviews of tourists practically do not mention. According to official information, animators work in the hotel staff, and there is karaoke on the premises. In addition, guests can use the services of a hotel massage parlor and spa, visit the nearest water park. Definitely, the tourists agree on one thing: there are many entertainments in Patong itself. From the Raha Gold Residence 3 * hotel you can quickly, on foot or by rented transport, visit any part of the resort: visit the Thai boxing stadiums Patong and Bangla, take a cable jump from a height of 50 m to the Bungy Jump, visit the ancient Buddhist temple of Suwan Khiri. In the vicinity of the city there is a large shooting range with firearms and there is the opportunity to take a ride on an elephant.
When it comes to city entertainment, especially Patong's vibrant nightlife, the first thing worth mentioning is Bangla Road, the resortās main street, which starts right from the main entrance to Patong Beach. On a rather short street, only about 500 m, there is a huge number of nightclubs, discos, bars and other entertainment venues, including an erotic one. In addition, Bangla Road, unlike the rest of the city, has 24-hour shops and cafes. Separately, it is worth mentioning the Simon cabaret with an evening enchanting trance show.
Fans of shopping at reasonable prices can find for themselves a lot of interesting things in the Jungceylon shopping center. In addition to the large supermarket Big C, an analogue of Russian stores Auchan, the building has cafes, gift shops and inexpensive Asian goods, as well as branded retail outlets of well-known brands, for example, Swarovski, Espada, Nixon, Mango, Pierre Cardin and more. A unique evening fountain show can be seen daily at Jungceylon.