Kata Palm Resort and Spa

Steve Beale

We thoroughly enjoyed our 5 night stay at Kata Palm. The staff were very nice and polite, the room was good and we enjoyed the proximity to the beach. Breakfast was great. Pool and massage was very nice. Evening restaurant was good and again staff were nice. A few points - in the restaurant at lunchtime, two of the waitresses working together could not speak any English - ok, fine, but it's a hotel that almost exclusively caters to intentional tourists. The management should not let this happen as it was very confusing trying to order. Train them, yes, but have some supporting staff on at the same time to help then learn (it's not their fault). The "Western" dishes in lunchtime restaurant were a bit overpriced (Nuggets and chips for one!) We did see one cockroach in the bathroom but the room service man sprayed the drains promptly and fortunately no return, but we were a little surprised (the bathroom has two drains which it no doubt came from). Our room was right at the back of the hotel, which was an easy 5 minute walk to the breakfast area/front of hotel. Maybe we paid for that but it would be good to make that clear to guests. It felt like a very long way. We would still go back and enjoyed it but hope they can improve on some points.

Emmelin Larina Tvedt Nilsen

Overall, this hotel has some good qualities. The pool area is nice and there are several fun pools to enjoy, which was definitely a highlight of our stay. Unfortunately, the rooms and the food were not up to the standard we expected. I became sick during our stay, and while I can’t say for certain what caused it, the day I got sick I had eaten a piece of melon at breakfast that tasted unpleasant and later had a drink from the pool bar. Given the other hygiene concerns we noticed, it left me feeling uneasy. The biggest issue with the room was the bathroom. It had a very strong sewage smell throughout our stay. We tried pouring water into the drains, but it didn’t solve the problem, and the overall air quality in the room still felt unpleasant. Another concern was hygiene at the pool bar. We noticed the staff rinsing the drink-making equipment with tap water and using it immediately afterward without drying it first, which meant tap water ended up in the drinks. The breakfast was simply not good. The only thing that consistently felt safe to eat was the omelette, as it was freshly cooked right in front of us. Several people in our group, myself included, felt that some of the fruit tasted off. The melon had a strange taste, and some of the vegetables were soft and didn’t seem fresh. After I became sick, I no longer felt comfortable eating at the hotel and chose to eat elsewhere for the rest of my stay. The staff were always friendly and polite, which we really appreciated. However, housekeeping was quite inconsistent. Some days we would receive only one towel instead of two, other days items weren’t replaced at all, and the room service varied a lot from day to day. Overall, while the pools and friendly staff made for some enjoyable moments, the issues with cleanliness, food quality, and room maintenance mean I wouldn’t choose to stay here again, and I would advise not to stay here until they fix these things.

Kerli Leikin

Do not book this hotel! Dirty rooms, suspected food poisoning and they denied our Trip.com booking. Avoid this hotel at all costs. This was the worst hotel experience our family has ever had. We booked 3 rooms for 7 nights through Agoda 6 months in advance because we were travelling as a family during the extremely busy Songkran Festival in April. When we arrived in the afternoon, the receptionist told us they couldn’t find our booking. They showed us a paper claiming they no longer accepted Trip.com or Agoda bookings. This made no sense because, while standing at reception, we checked Agoda and the hotel was still actively selling rooms for the same dates. The explanation simply didn’t match what we could see ourselves. The reception staff were incredibly rude, dismissive and completely unwilling to help. We even spoke to the owner by phone, but received no assistance whatsoever. Instead of honouring our reservation, they tried to get us to book the same rooms directly with the hotel at a much higher price. With Songkran being the busiest time of the year, almost every hotel nearby was fully booked. We were left with no real choice. After hours of stress and uncertainty, we ended up booking the same hotel through Booking.com, again at a significantly higher price, just so our family would have somewhere to stay. Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there. The rooms were dirty, smelled strongly of mould and the bed sheets had visible stains. Breakfast was also very disappointing. Although breakfast was included, staff refused to provide fruits. After eating there, several members of our family became ill with what we believe was food poisoning, be careful! After reading other reviews, it appears that other guests have experienced very similar issues with Agoda bookings, which is deeply concerning. This entire experience was incredibly stressful, frustrating and completely unacceptable. Poor customer service, poor cleanliness and an apparent refusal to honour bookings made through Trip.com. I would never stay here again!! Save yourself the stress and disappointment. If you don’t want your holiday ruined, avoid this hotel and book somewhere else.

Andrea C

Hotel is situated in the busy rural area, however the greenery around the pool enhances the experience. It is though a budget friendly hotel, with lots of restaurants around and a close spot to visit Big budha. The bed was quite hard and the rooms are very dark. I wouldn't recommend the hotel or the area to enjoy the "holiday vibes". After the rain, noone cleaned the floors in the restaurant, where we had the breakfast. Kata beach nearby is very busy, unable to swim at this season, July/August, however its perfect for surfing.

nam nam

Extremely disappointing and unacceptable customer service We had a confirmed reservation through Agoda and arrived at the hotel expecting to check in as planned. Unfortunately, the hotel was unable to accommodate our confirmed reservation. The staff member told us that the hotel was no longer working with Agoda and simply told us to contact Agoda ourselves to request a refund. We were also told that the hotel still had rooms available, but we would have to make a new reservation directly with the hotel at a higher price than the rate we had already paid through Agoda. What made the situation even more upsetting was the attitude of the staff, particularly staff the more who came to speak with us. Instead of showing understanding or making a genuine effort to help, his manner was dismissive, condescending and unhelpful, which made us feel as though the situation was entirely our responsibility to resolve. I asked a simple and reasonable question: If the hotel was no longer working with Agoda, why was the hotel still listed and accepting reservations on Agoda? Instead of receiving a clear explanation, we were told that this might be some kind of “trick” by Agoda and that Agoda might have already taken the customer’s money. We were also told that several other guests had reportedly experienced similar problems. I then contacted Agoda myself and explained the entire situation. Agoda tried to contact the hotel and find a solution so that we could stay according to our confirmed reservation. However, the hotel still insisted that we accept a refund and make a completely new reservation. I then asked the staff directly: “So whose responsibility is this the hotel’s or Agoda’s?” The response was simply: “Maybe both.” Honestly, this was extremely disappointing. We had made a legitimate reservation, received a confirmation, and travelled to the hotel based on that confirmation. We also made the effort to contact Agoda ourselves to try to resolve the situation. Yet we were ultimately left caught between the hotel and Agoda, with no clear solution or meaningful assistance from the hotel. Whatever the issue between the hotel and Agoda may have been, customers should not be left to deal with the consequences of it. We had to find alternative accommodation at the last minute, which caused unnecessary stress and disrupted our travel plans. The biggest disappointment was not simply the booking issue, but the lack of empathy, accountability and professionalism shown by the staff, especially the way the situation was communicated to us. I am sharing this review based on my personal experience and the conversations I personally had with the hotel staff. I strongly recommend thinking twice before booking this hotel if you are relying on a confirmed reservation. Very disappointing experience and, unfortunately, not the level of customer service we expected.