Hotel Tide Phuket — Hotel in Ratsada

Important Note: This is not a 5-star hotel as advertised on Booking.com—it’s 3 stars at best!||The main issue: We were forced to use the sunbeds and pool of the neighboring Foto Hotel, which is unacceptable. Below, I’ll explain why this happened and why it’s a major problem.||Honest Thoughts:||View: Exceptional—if you’re lucky enough to get a sunbed (more on this below).||Rooms: Decorative and spacious, which was a positive.||Breakfast: Average, nothing special.||Beach Access: Close to the beach, which is convenient.||Location: Not great; the nearest 7/11 is a 18-minute walk.||Cleanliness: Poor—especially the pool.||Lobby: Tiny and overcrowded.||Food: Great! Couldn’t fault it!||Staff: Friendly but not the most helpful.||Sunbeds: Virtually nonexistent—this is the biggest issue (details below).||The Sunbed Problem:||We initially chose The Tide Hotel over the Foto Hotel because we didn’t like Foto’s interior design or the pool—it didn’t seem as nice.||When we arrived at The Tide around midday (we were only staying one night), we found there were just 15 sunbeds for the entire hotel. Considering the hotel accommodates hundreds of guests and has plenty of space for additional sunbeds (please see photo) There’s even a second sad looking pool area that’s completely unused—bare as a bone—with not a single sunbed around it!||Most of the sunbeds by the main pool were occupied by guests from the Foto Hotel! We could tell because they all carried Foto Hotel-branded beach bags. The staff didn’t provide any explanation about hotel facilities upon check-in (something you’d expect from a so-called 5-star hotel), so we were confused and frustrated.||When we finally asked if there were more sunbeds, we were told we could use the Foto Hotel’s pool instead. We checked it out and, unsurprisingly, it was empty—no view, no sunlight, and generally unappealing. (Please see photo) Meanwhile, The Tide’s main pool, with it’s lovely view, was overrun by Foto Hotel guests. It’s completely unfair to pay for The Tide and end up using Foto’s facilities.||Final Thoughts:||If the sunbed issue didn’t exist, this hotel might have been decent for the price. But the lack of facilities, poor cleanliness, and misleading 5-star rating make it hard to recommend. Ironically, you’d probably be better off booking the Foto Hotel since you’ll likely end up using their facilities anyway—at a potentially...

A Terrible Experience: Avoid at All Costs!

I stayed at this hotel from January 2nd to January 14th, and it will undoubtedly be the first and last time. I am extremely disappointed with the quality of service, the welcome, and the cleanliness of the place. This establishment severely lacks professionalism and hospitality. • Cleanliness: In 12 days, the floor in my room was never cleaned, despite numerous requests. The bed sheets were changed only once, and that was after insisting multiple times, which is unacceptable for such a long stay. Several times, we didn’t have towels in the room, and we had to call the reception two or three times to have our requests fulfilled. • Poor organization: The hotel provides only one key per room. If one person wants to leave while the other is showering, it’s a problem since the key is needed to activate the water. Our request for a second key was denied without explanation. One night, we forgot our key in the room. Upon returning, we had to wait over 20 minutes at the reception, which was completely unattended. Worse, we had to go to the neighboring hotel to get help. When the receptionist finally arrived, he seemed annoyed, clearly woken up from a nap. • Shady shuttle service: A few days before our departure, we booked an airport shuttle for 1,000 baht. On the morning of our departure, the hotel informed us that the price had been increased to 1,200 baht, which is completely dishonest. Despite our explanations and proof of the initial booking, the receptionist refused to honor the agreed price and claimed the taxi was no longer available. We ultimately had to book another taxi ourselves at the last minute and almost missed our flight. • Abusive charges: My cousin, who was staying at the same hotel, also encountered issues. Her 4-year-old son accidentally wet the bed twice, and the hotel deducted 500 baht per incident from her deposit. This is totally unacceptable, especially since sheet cleaning should be included in the room price.

In summary, this hotel is an absolute disaster. Between the lack of cleanliness, the rude and disorganized staff, the poor services, and the questionable practices, I strongly advise against this establishment. An experience I wouldn’t...

I stayed at this hotel from January 2nd to January 14th, and it will undoubtedly be the first and last time. I am extremely disappointed with the quality of service, the welcome, and the cleanliness of the place. This establishment severely lacks professionalism and hospitality.| • Cleanliness: In 12 days, the floor in my room was never cleaned, despite numerous requests. The bed sheets were changed only once, and that was after insisting multiple times, which is unacceptable for such a long stay. Several times, we didn’t have towels in the room, and we had to call the reception two or three times to have our requests fulfilled.| • Poor organization: The hotel provides only one key per room. If one person wants to leave while the other is showering, it’s a problem since the key is needed to activate the water. Our request for a second key was denied without explanation. One night, we forgot our key in the room. Upon returning, we had to wait over 20 minutes at the reception, which was completely unattended. Worse, we had to go to the neighboring hotel to get help. When the receptionist finally arrived, he seemed annoyed, clearly woken up from a nap.| • Shady shuttle service: A few days before our departure, we booked an airport shuttle for 1,000 baht. On the morning of our departure, the hotel informed us that the price had been increased to 1,200 baht, which is completely dishonest. Despite our explanations and proof of the initial booking, the receptionist refused to honor the agreed price and claimed the taxi was no longer available. We ultimately had to book another taxi ourselves at the last minute and almost missed our flight.| • Abusive charges: My cousin, who was staying at the same hotel, also encountered issues. Her 4-year-old son accidentally wet the bed twice, and the hotel deducted 500 baht per incident from her deposit. This is totally unacceptable, especially since sheet cleaning should be included in the room price.||In summary, this hotel is an absolute disaster. Between the lack of cleanliness, the rude and disorganized staff, the poor services, and the questionable practices, I strongly advise against this establishment. An experience I wouldn’t...