Railay Viewpoint Resort — Hotel in Krabi Province

Unless your looking for hostile staff, disgusting food and a pool filled with flies then this "resort" isnt for you.

From the second we arrived on the dock our experience of this hotel was like a scene from holidays from hell. We emailed the hotel numerous times prior to our arrival to try and arrange help from the beach with our bags but no one bothered to get back to us. When we arrived we called the hotel and the manager told us he didnt know where the boats came in?!? He then rudely told us he didnt offer a luggage assistance service.

When we arrived at the hotel after struggling down the jetty and down the road with our luggage we were met with a less than friendly welcome. The staff, especially the manager was rude to us and told us we couldnt check in until later in the day. When we showed them that we had requested an early check in with our original booking all of a sudden our room was ready. Which seemed odd as two minutes prior it wasnt.

The rooms were very very basic - imagine a prison cell and you wont be far off. There were no lamps and as the shower was just attached to the wall in the middle of the bathroom with no screen or curtain, when you used the shower the room floods. Next time you want to use the toilet or sink you will be getting wet feet. It smelt clean and the aircon worked and that is probably the only two good things I have to mention. The cleaners did a basic job, made the bed  swept the floor. The hotel runs a weird system that if you want your room cleaning you have to go write your name on a list at reception in the morning. You also have to go down to recepetion and ask everytime you need a new toilet roll, so make sure you dont get caught short.

We popped to the pool and stayed the whole of 15 minutes before we were so repulsed we felt we had to leave. The pool probably hasnt seen a cleaner since the hotel was built. Think mosiquito bath! There were about 5 sunbeds half of which were broken. You would get better comfort lying on a bed of glass.

Breakfast was revolting. I didn't eat anything from the buffet on the 3 nights we stayed and after the first day I even took down my own juice and milk! There were flies, ALOT of flies, over all the food. The plates, cutlery and cups etc were all dirty. The coffee tasted like petrol and they didnt have any hot water (which i needed as becuuase the coffee was horrendous I was using my own tea bags). Even the local stray cats turned there nose up at the food. The furniture in the dining area was dusty and needed a good clean (see picture's).

If you value the safety of your possesions then choose somewhere else to stay. The hotel charges you if you lock yourself out of your room and encourages you to leave your room key in a bowl on the front desk so anyone can come along and help themselves to your room key during the day/night when you're not there. If that fails they keep the master bunch of keys on a giant bunch next to it!

The night before we left we asked the young man on reception how much to take 3 bags to west beach on the trolley and he told us 200baht. Funny that suddenly they did now have a luggage assistance service. The next day we went down and the manager insited we pay 300baht. I realise the price difference isnt huge but that wasnt the point and when we highlighted we had been quoted less the day before he behaved like the rudest man I ever came across and not someone that should be working in hospitality. He threw our money back in my face and told us to walk. I wouldnt stay here again personally if someone...

This is a review I wrote for “Friend Seeker” which is Railay Viewpoint Resorts budget option, but as the staff and amenities are the same this post deserves a spot here as well:

Not worth the price.

This hostel isn’t the cheapest option out there, so I expected at least decent facilities and service—but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.

Cleanliness and Facilities: The private room was clean when we checked in, which was appreciated. However, the common areas were dirty, poorly maintained, and felt neglected. Broken water fixtures and rusting furniture around the grounds gave the place an overall run-down appearance.

The pool was uninviting—dirty water, old rusting chairs, and just one umbrella for six chairs. The gym was even worse. Most of the equipment was broken or worn out to the point of being unsafe.

Bugs and Bathroom Issues: While geckos are expected in this part of the world, cockroaches shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, we saw more than one during our stay.

The bathroom in our room had a constant smell of sewage, and the showerhead wouldn’t stay attached once the water was turned on. These issues made using the facilities uncomfortable.

Service Problems: Most of the staff were polite, but one staff member left a lasting negative impression.

On one occasion, I arrived 30 minutes before the buffet opened and politely asked for a coffee, only to be told no—and then had the coffee pot taken out of my hand. My friend had a similar experience after the buffet ended. She asked if she could still have a coffee and instead had her cup taken away. It was disappointing, especially considering we paid extra for the breakfast buffet.

Rooms and Comfort: The dorm room was clean at check-in, but it was far too small for six beds. It felt overcrowded, and there was no storage space, which made it hard to stay organized. It was clear the space was originally designed for fewer beds.

Food: The food in the buffet was actually good—probably the best part of the stay—but good food alone doesn’t make up for everything else.

Overall Value: For the price, this hostel was a letdown. It’s clear that they want to squeeze out every buck they can. For $30 a night, compared to $17 options in Railay, you’d expect a little better. Maybe guests staying in the dorms are considered lower tier than those staying in the establishment’s bungalows—because that’s certainly how we felt.

I understand that standards can vary, but this place feels like it’s been neglected for a long time. It’s not awful, but it’s definitely not worth the price they’re charging. With better maintenance, improved service, and more attention to detail, it could be a decent place to stay—but right now, it’s not there.

I’d recommend...

Today I came to Railay it’s in Krabi province. I have only day time from 17:00 to next day 11am. As I arrived at the island 17:00. I booked a room with no AC just fan from Agoda here in Railay Viewpoint Resort. I got check in around 17:20 pm but they asked me before check in if I want to upgrade AC pay 200 Baht more. I refused for it. Because just for a night I didn’t want to spend extra money. I paid deposit 500 and they asked me to follow staff to check in room. I followed. They opened the room I kept my luggage and wanted to rush to the beach which was 10 mins far and sunset time was very close like it was about 18:00. So I just changed and when I am about to step out the staff is back to my room door and asked me that they did mistake of giving me a AC room. I said okay now I am in rush I will comeback after sunset and you can give me the Non AC room but no they started arguing even it was their mistake. I don’t want to waste the valuable few hours I have to experience on the island so I said okay you cut 200 baht from deposit and we will manage the rest when I am back. Still they talking bad about me on my back which was quite audible. When I try to ask the name of staff they don’t even tell the name of her. But she was quite a healthy girl in yellow tshirt started arguing even after is was not my fault. Very bad experience because they not respect or value the guest. I would not recommend you to stay here after my experience with the staff. End of today the person name Bombe got a new room for me. He provided me a bigger room. I appreciate that listen to me and provided an upgrade before listening to me. But still I still want to share the review I experienced...