Railay Bay Resort and Spa — Hotel in Krabi Province

A poorly managed paradise.

Overview: The hotel is huge, set pretty much from east to west of Railay beach. There are two pools that anyone can use and a ‘private’ beach. Railay itself is stunning with the basic shops and restaurants to enjoy a nice stay. Monkeys run freely throughout the resort so it’s likely you will meet them. Sadly other creatures do too, and the sorts you don’t want in your room!

Room: The room was nice, I believe it was a deluxe room, very spacious, a comfy bed, nice bathroom, etc. One of the biggest issues with the room is the key slot that operates the power to everything in the room except the fridge, therefore if you go out for a day expect a stuffy and hot room to return to. Out of all the hotels we stayed in within Thailand - this hotel was the only one that stops the AC, so that’s poor in my opinion. It’s not a difficult fix, the other issue is we’d then have to run it flat out on turbo when ever in the room opposed to maintaining a reasonably temperature. The second issue which again the only experience we had of this in Thailand, was cockroaches in our bathroom. They could crawl through the back wall and enter in the bathroom - you are required to call reception who send someone with a bug killer spray but we learned it didn’t really do anything so I tried to minimise the time in the bathroom. Yes it’s a tropical climate so they should be expected but not in the hotel rooms. One of our hotels had an open air bathroom and we didn’t see a single cockroach. Wi-fi has been a massive positive, second best in Thailand and seeing the monkeys climb around our balcony was nice.

Breakfast/Restaurant: On the first morning we went down to breakfast, we haven’t returned since, the selection is fairly poor, coffee is awful (but most places are in Thailand), the food wasn’t good, so we have not been back, in fact we spent a couple of days in the room feeling a little ill but I doubt it was food poisoning more our trip catching up with us. We received a voucher for the restaurant but after reading reviews and looking at the prices we felt we were better off going into the village opposed to paying over the odds for poor food. I even witnessed a person being sent away for not being a guest...? That’s a poor business decision, why would you do that, there’s so many spare tables because people have read the reviews and seen the prices.

The hotel grounds: Here’s where the hotel wins, Railay is stunning, the setting is perfect and the main pool and private beach have a great view of the sunset which is highly recommend. The grounds seem well kept and maintained! But due to the resort size there is a serious lack of sun beds throughout the day and there’s ample space for more. The complex can be confusing to navigate, I can’t really understand why there are so many walls stopping guests moving around the resort more easily but that’s not the end of the world and allows you to explore.

Staff: The staff were wonderful, time and time again staff and the locals of Thailand have been a credit to their country - such a wonderful nation of people, much more pleasant than the English can be to each other and tourists. So thank you!

Summary: Poor management is holding the resort back. I would highly suggest the owner works to get a better management team more in line with their guests and the standards they expect. I know nothing of the managers but my experience of hotel management in Thailand has been if they have a westerner general manager and predominantly westerner guests it seems there is a higher standards. Probably because that’s the quality one would expect.

TL;DR there’s a glimmer of hope for this hotel, but until some changes are made it’s probably better day tripping to Railay and staying...

This was a great 4-star hotel... for 1992! Here is my constructive feedback:

Overall, the grounds are kept clean and the airport transfer was brilliant. Other than that I felt upsold in terms of room and service.

Rooms Now, if you are to book this place, depending on which you pick, you could be walking a fair few minutes before to get to your room... I can't advise on where is best, I booked the deluxe room and in terms of location, it wasn't bad, just the second row away from the pool. It seems that the pool villas were right at the front. Unfortunately, my mate was a good 5 minutes walk away. The rooms themselves... outdated and so so dark. I can see how this would have been lovely a couple decades ago, but I had to basically use my bedside lamp as a torch. The water pressure was weak, so it meant no baths and no waterfall shower, but I could live with that. My TV however had a melted screen (lol). They must have accidentally used the wrong cleaning product which left me having to watch tele at a weird angle. There's a DVD player though if that's your vibe 😂 - they could have just installed a strip light or something above the bed to help, but yeah, pretty bummed about my room considering that I was cool with them not having to find me a new room as mine wasn't ready. Wish I said 'sure' instead...

Pool & restaurant So the view was TO DIE FOR and the resort is smack bang in the middle of the sunset... however you can also enjoy this same view anywhere else on the bay. The pool was murky and had no poolside service, which I'm cool about ordering myself, but there is zero maintenance or cleaning from the service staff who are too busy watching videos on their phones all day. I also find it weird that you can order certain things from one bar and other things (like water) you have to order from the restaurant (which is three meters away) with payment on separate bills. I really don't comprehend the efficiency in this? The food was delicious, but I had a better time in the village just a short walk away from the resort (highly recommend you explore that and it goes all the way around the island. Much better food and drink offerings). Brekkie was meh for a 'four-star' hotel, there's just something not so premium about boiled frankfurters. Omelette was yum though. Now Railay Bay claims to be anti-plastic - this resort is plastic fantastic. You're required to wear plastic gloves for covid safety (Thailand is a little overdramatic when it comes to covid protection, plastic gloves for everything and changing your mask every day is what they recommended) but by 10 am all the gloves (and plenty of masks) were strewn all over the beach with no clear up by the staff.

Sorry for the OTT review, just wanted to share. In all honesty, I can't actually complain as the rates during my stay were ridiculously cheap (£60 p/n), however saying that, if I had to compare to next door, i.e. The Sand Sea resort, I think that one is better value for money. Sand sea report was great seven years ago, better now and the rooms are bright and clean, the pool is glistening, and for a fraction of the price of Railay bay resort and spa (the Spa was shut by the way - not a single update on that on their site/booking site - My poor mates booked this place for their honeymoon, they ended up cutting it...

A disappointing experience at Railay Bay Resort & Spa (1/5)

My girlfriend and I booked a three-night stay in March 2025, opting for a room with a hot tub, expecting a touch of luxury. Unfortunately, our experience fell far short of expectations, particularly given the €275 per night price tag.

Customer Service – Lacking proactive support

Upon arrival, we quickly noticed that the room was not in the condition we expected. There were clear cleanliness issues, including unclean windows, scuff marks, and an overall lack of upkeep. Mildly concerning was the presence of animal droppings on the wall.

When we raised these concerns at reception, the staff member listened and took photos of our images but repeatedly advised us to "contact your agency" (in our case, Booking.com). While she did express some empathy with a brief apology and promised to speak with management, no follow-up occurred. We were not offered a room change or an upgrade, nor did we receive any further communication regarding our complaint.

The next morning, we decided to check out two days early. A different receptionist was unaware of our previous conversation and seemed surprised by our experience. We were simply handed a comment form to fill out.

Separately, Booking.com informed us that the hotel claimed they had offered us an upgraded room, which we declined—this was not the case.

Room Quality – Outdated and not as advertised

While the room functioned as expected (air conditioning worked, and the bed was comfortable), it did not match the quality portrayed in the Booking.com photos. It felt outdated, worn, and in need of refurbishment. For the price, we expected a much higher standard.

Cleanliness – Below expectations

This was our biggest issue. The room did not feel clean upon arrival, with visible dirt, marks on the walls, and an unclean bathroom. The outdoor area, including the hot tub, was not well-maintained. I have attached photos for reference—whether this level of cleanliness is acceptable for €275 per night is for potential guests to decide.

Location – Stunning, but comes with caveats

Railay Beach itself is breathtaking, and the resort is conveniently located just minutes from the shore. However, be aware that from 11 AM to 5 PM, the beach becomes extremely crowded with day-trippers, which may affect the experience.

Final thoughts

I understand that hotel prices are often inflated in such sought-after locations, and that staff may have off days. However, basic expectations of cleanliness, maintenance, and responsive customer service were not met during our stay. Given the price point, we expected better.

Would I return? Unfortunately, no. If you're considering staying here, I’d strongly recommend checking recent guest photos and reviews...