Kata Beach Studio Phuket — Hotel in Karon

Pros: Location is perfect for Kata - restaurants, massage, money exchange, Family Mart - everything is very close. Hotel is also close to Kata Beach, but if you need another beach like Karon or Kata Noi it's better to rent bike or car.

There is a bike rental right in the hotel with no passport deposit and no "scratch problems". Hovewer it's more expensive than in other rentals.

Staff was nice and helpful.

There is also cool rooftop with pool and place to have a rest, nice views.

WiFi worked fine

Cons: Rooms facing the street are VERY loud. When we arrived we got a room facing the street. It was extremely loud because of heavy traffic and locals' love to superloud bikes, tuk tuks playing loud music to attract passengers. We were not able to sleep until 1 AM and at 6 PM we had to wake up because of sound. We asked to change the room facing opposite side next morning but the hotel refused to do so saying they have no free rooms, hovewer later I saw that people checked out from one room that we needed. After second sleepless night we decided to check out and asked to get our money back. The hotel staff refused to return the rest of our money (we payed directly in hotel by cash) so we got in the booking-hotel slavery: from one side the hotel is really not as it is described, and from other side we have to stay here just because they refuse to get our money back. After some discussion and calling to boss, they changed a room for us facing opposite side and it was much more quiet.

Hotel needs cleanliness and maintenance. Rooms are were dirty, full of dust. Chandelier... oh god how dirty it was inside, including dust and dead insects' bodies (please see photos). Dust on the TV, dust on the table, dust on cloth blinds. All furniture smells mold inside if you open it. All furniture needs renovation or maintenance. Towels need to be changed to new ones. The mixer in bathroom is not fixed, it moves when you open or close it. There is no sheet to cover at night, only blanket (+24C at night). I do understand that renovation requires money, but there are absolutely no excuses for not keeping it clean.

There is a nice rooftop with pool on it, but there is no privacy because of the staff representative sitting there (I think she was responsible for a bar). Sometimes she played with her smartphone, but 90% of the time she's literally watching at you. Also instead of having relaxing music near the pool, playlist includes RAP, RnB, etc. As I understood that was dictated by personal choice of that girl. Since the bar is not very popular, it would be much better just to place a telephone there, so people can call reception and order...

I was a bit skeptical about staying in this budget hotel, having seen words like "tired" "worn" and "bugs in lighting fixtures" in previous reviews. Than again, most reviews are quite dated, from the pre-COVID era. Since than the studios got overhauled, because in May '23 I found the rooms clean and well-kept, with new furniture and built-in LED lights. The lift is shiny, quiet and fast, the rooftop pool is enjoyable and the micro - lotus - lake is charming. The Burmese family taking care of the hotel are very friendly and helpful. Crystal brand drinking water came in glass bottles daily. The kitchen on the balcony is a nice addition, although I only managed to do some eggs with bacon once. FoodPanda smartphone App works great and has English interface - great for ordering both food and groceries to your doorstep.

There are still quite a few restaurants within 5 min walking in both directions. Istanbul I enjoyed most, Highway Curry Indian and French Natalie's are also worth recommending. Kataview Guesthouse down the road did an excellent job with my laundry, packed it so tight in a plastic bag, that I found extra space in my suitcase on the flight back.

Unfortunately, the Family Mart next door and the restaurant downstairs you see in the pictures no longer function, let's hope they will return with the tourists.

One evening there was a problem with the water pumps and I ended up without tap water on the 5th floor. The hosts opened another studio on the second floor for me, which I used for toilet and shower only. The next morning the problem was fixed.

My only remark would be about the towels. Spotlessly clean, but a little worn, might need...

I regret choosing this hotel for our first 2 days stay at Kata Beach. Dirty bed sheets, broken tap supply, dirty commode. The stove never worked as it was rusted. Towels are smelling chlorine and were yellow. Road side rooms are so noisy you can't sleep at night. We request for the room on other side and we're told they are fully booked. Whereas, I already saw empty rooms. Staff was rude and not at all professional. Down stairs restaurant charged 50 bhat for delivering food to room on 3rd floor. Forget about paying with credit card because they charge 5% bank charge. I understand Phuket is touristy city but this kind of greed is unimaginable. There are plenty of hotels available for less than half the price. I won't recommend this hotel for 50$/night. All photos on agoda are photo shopped. Be careful with what you chose, in Phuket... you don't really get what...