Duang Jai Hotel, Ao Nang

Independent Review

Introduction

For travellers like us who don't like crowds or formality, but who like to be pampered in a stylish hotel, the peaceful ambience of the Duang Jai is a good choice. The grounds of the hotel are small but extremely tastefully presented, with lovely shrubbery and greenery perfectly balancing the pastel shades and shaded walkways of the resort shared areas.

With only 21 rooms and a large pool, this is a resort in which you can be fairly sure of obtaining a sun-lounger next to the large pool, at any time of day. With such a low density of guests compared to the space and facilities available, this is a resort in which the traveller can completely unwind.

In marked contrast to many other Ao Nang hotels, which are only good as a place to sleep, the Duang Jai is a lovely little hideaway where the traveler can recharge his or her batteries, while doing very little. The resort is located on a very quiet lane close to Ao Nang, which means that, whilst it doesn’t take long to walk to the beach or town, the guests is not advised to walk home late at night – catch a tuk tuk instead. Click here for a map.

There are no particularly great views to be had at this resort, but it has a reputation for friendliness, efficiency and cleanliness which many of the bigger resorts would do well to acquire. This is not a bad choice for children, especially if 2 connecting ground-floor rooms are available, but not a particularly great one either, as the beach is distant and there isn’t much space for them to run around. 

Stop-press : A www.tripadvisor.com contributor recently warned:

“We were told to leave our room key at the reception area. To our horror, when we came back around 11.40pm  there were no staff at reception  and our key was in the box where we had left it! This meant that anyone who had passed by could have taken our key and opened our room door! Thankfully, we did not lose anything”.

 

Facilities

Restaurant

The food here gets mixed reviews from travellers. On balance, it seem that the breakfast is OK except for the bread served here, which is the factory-made white or wholegrain stuff. If you want a loaf of quality bakery bread delivered to you on arrival, plus an unbeatable price, contact us. The restaurant is better at Thai food than Western, so for lunch the guest is advised to stick to a club sandwich or Thai food. Most guests eat dinner out, as there are so many excellent restaurants nearby – see restaurant map for details.

Spa

The massage is only double the price of the shops 10 minutes walk away in town, which is much more reasonable than many hotels in Ao Nang.

Accommodation

The tasteful finish exhibited throughout the resort extends to the spacious rooms, whose pastel décor will rest even the most tired of eyes. For a better view and an airier feel, the upstairs rooms are recommended. As well an unusually tastefull décor the rooms offer a better-than-most selection of satellite TV channels. There is free wifi throughout the resort.

From some of these upper-floor rooms the pool-view is pleasant if unprepossessing, from others it is screened by trees. None of the rooms at this resort offer really great views, but for as good a view as possible, contact us and we’ll pop around and see which is the best room available for your requested dates – our office is only 2 minutes’ bike-ride away, so it’s no trouble to offer you this service.

Prices

The above rates are net per room per night and inclusive of all taxes, charges and breakfast for 2 people.

In addition, we offer the following free benefits:

	Airport transfers at only THB 500 for a taxi or THB 1,000 for a minivan.
	If you book your transfer to the airport with us, we will take you to the Tiger Cave Temple, for free, en route. If adults want to climb to the top and need child-minding help while they do so, contact us.
	We’ll personally inspect the available rooms at the resort for the dates you require, then report back to you with details of the available rooms that best meet your requirements.
	We’ll give you a free quality bakery loaf of bread on arrival.
	You will be able to take advantage of unlimited travel advice before arrival – we know southern Thailand intimately and so can organize all your accommodation, travel, sports and activities. This personalized and customized service comes at no extra cost to you – we get our commissions from hotels and activity/transport providers, not from you.

To book this resort, contact us.

Hotel website: www.duangjairesort.com.

Click here for other destinations.

Andaman Sky, Co., Ltd, 23/8 Moo 2, Ao Nang, Thailand