Mom Tri's Villa Royale — Hotel in Karon

Overall, this hotel doesn't quite live up to the standards of a true five-star experience. At best, it could be considered an excellent 3.5-star establishment.

The staff, while not necessarily rude, but lacked friendliness. Many of them didn't even greet guests when passing by.

The facilities are showing signs of age. While some aspects of an old-style design can be charming, there were certain issues that were not acceptable. For example, the water in the shower and bathtub would break down, although it was fixed relatively quickly. Overall, the hotel felt like it had aged poorly since its establishment in 1983.

The main swimming pool is impractical for proper swimming due to the abundance of stones. Additionally, during the first two days, it seemed as though the staff didn't clean it properly (or maybe not enough time during the day), as it was full of leaves and consequently deterred guests from swimming.

The floors were cleaned, but again not frequently enough. Leaves were still present everywhere. While this might be acceptable for a 3.5-star hotel, it is not acceptable for a modern five-star establishment in 2023. However, the overall outdoor architecture was quite unique and beautiful, but again unfortunately not maintained well enough.

The breakfast was soso, not particularly great. It was notably lacking a noodle cooking station, which is commonly found in most other hotels in Phuket.

The service during breakfast was lamentable! The staff had difficulty understanding English and appeared unavailable. It often required repeated attempts to get their attention. This highlights poor training and a management approach that does not align with modern five-star practices.

When ordering a coconut at the restaurant, the taste was ok, but it took a long time to receive a spoon as the waiter was again arely present. However, the live piano music was nice.

The gym, however, deserves praise. It offers impressive facilities, especially the Smith machine with heavy weights, which is not commonly found in all gyms. The other weight machines are also excellent. However unlike all other 5 star hotel I saw in Thailand, the gym doesn't offer water. The guest needs to bring their own room bottle.

It's disappointing that the room service uses plastic bottles instead of more environmentally friendly glass bottles that can be refilled, which is more common in five-star establishments nowadays.

The room cleaning service, however, did a good job, and the personalized touch of placing flowers and small fish decoration made of leaves on the bed each evening was enjoyable.

The bathroom was satisfactory but felt somewhat cheap. The shower head was of low quality, although functional. The soap however was good.

Additionally, it's important to note that there was a private beach (but the hotel didn't offer private longhair on the beach, at least not the 08 June and 09 June 2023) area that appears to be shared among several hotels. However, the section of the beach nearest to Mom Tri's Villa had a concerning amount of litter, particularly plastic bottles. This detracted from the overall experience, as a pristine beach environment is an expected feature for a high-end establishment.

In terms of the room, there was an issue with excessive humidity. Despite having the air conditioner on, the room still felt uncomfortably HUMID!! This affected the too much the overall comfort and quality of the stay, as a well-regulated room environment is essential for a pleasant experience!!

In conclusion, while this hotel has some positive aspects such as the gym and room cleaning, it falls short in terms of staff friendliness, facility maintenance, breakfast quality, service, attention to modern five-star standards, beach cleanliness, and room humidity control. These shortcomings prevent it from truly embodying the level of excellence one would expect from a five-star establishment in 2023.

Text generated by ChatGPT based on my bullets, peered reviewed by myself.

Overall rating...

Mom Tri’s is such an amazing place. I don’t know where to start as everything from start to finish was so amazing.

My husband and i spent 10 fabulous nights there in March and we can’t wait to go back. In fact we have already booked to go back for Christmas.

What makes this place so special for starters is the staff. They are so friendly, helpful and kind. Every single member of staff goes out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. They are not just there doing their job’s, they take the time to talk to you and get to know your preferences. From the front desk, to the restaurant and even housekeeping, they are so friendly and happy to see you.

We wanted an ocean view and we were not disappointed. The balcony overlooking the bay is a fabulous place to sit and relax, watch the people on the beach and then the surfers at sunset. Opening the balcony doors at sunrise and listening to the waves was one of our favorite times of the day.

The rooms are beautiful and very large. The bathrooms could do with an upgrade but you kind of forgive that because everything else is so wonderful.

The location for us was just great, set to one side of Kata Noi which is a cute little town a few minutes stroll down the road. The hotel is on the cliff side so there are lots of steps up and down to the beach and the , but we just considered it a small workout to work off some of the calories from the magnificent food in the restaurant.

And so to the bar and restaurant, wow, the view is out of this world. We loved going to the bar for sundowners, listening to the waves and the piano player, and enjoying some gin and tonics. And then a few steps to the restaurant where we have never tasted such great food in Thailand. The chef is incredible and the wine list is also very good. We can’t wait to go back and try more from the menu. Again the staff contribute to making your time in the restaurant incredible.

There really are only positive things to say about the...

Authentic old style Thai charm in need of TLC.

We stayed 5 nights in suite no 4 in the old wing which is decorated in Thai style with dark wood, tall ceilings and ocean view. The suite has a small garden, a massive porch area with table and chairs where you can enjoy a private dinner and two large lounge chairs.

I loved our room, felt like we were staying in a very authentic Thai villa, like a friend's house really. So charming.. However, the bathroom and shower cubicle needs some updating, they are no longer in keeping with a 5 star hotel rating.

The location on Kata Noi is the best. This is why the restaurant gets many visitors who are not staying in the hotel - it's a superb view to die for.

A few issues that are easily addressed hence why I mention them:

The ongoing stream.of people coming from the beach to take pictures - found them intrusive, some were using the pool and it was very clear they were there just for the pics. I think the guard should do a better job at keeping people out. For example the guard at Kathatani is so strict we could not even cross the road to access the beach since it was a private beach. Mom Tris should learn from this.

Beach equipment is really poor. We wanted to borrow some snorkeling gear. They did not have fins and the masks were so old and disgusting we could not use them. For a few 100 $ the hotel can get some new gear, it's really a let down for a 5 star hotel.

Salt water pool has no outdoor shower. Why would there be a shower next to the fresh water pool where is not needed and not near the salt one where logic dictates that's when you would want to rinse off the salt water?

Overall I have enjoyed my stay, the charm of the property, the amazing location and I would stay here again.

Just don't bank on this being a 5 star property,...