Having spent the whole of March staying at the Metro Apartments, I thought of doing an independent review of the hotel on my return to Australia, but then selfish interests got the better of me as I was hoping to return in June for a three month stay and didn't want to enhance it's already good reputation, thus lessening my chance of getting a booking !!!
So a couple of weeks ago I made a successful booking and then last Friday everything turned to shit and I've had to cancel my trip and my booking - It's not only in Thailand that things don't go according to plan
Dennis the owner, has been most gracious in allowing me to cancel the booking and therefore some other lucky board member now has the opportunity of staying at what, IMHO, is one of the best guesthouses in Pattaya and represents exceptional value for money.
The booking was from mid June to mid September, so for anyone interested, get in quickly and send Dennis an e-mail at info@metro-apartments-pattaya.com as I'm sure this vacancy wont last long.
THE REVIEW
As a long time Pattaya monger, previously I have always stayed in 1k to 2k hotels from soi 8 to soi 13, but after checking out the LK Metro area on my last trip I decided to give the soi a go and to be completely honest, I was very pleased with the decision. I had read a couple of very positive reviews about Metro Apartments and was fortunate to secure a booking.
The establishment is a four story building, with reception and bar on street level and three floors of accommodation. The bar and reception area is now air-conditioned (done towards the end of my stay) and with 3 free pool tables, TV's everywhere and all the sports channels you could wish for, it's a great place to spend many an hour playing pool and catching up with friends. Dennis also has a great bunch of ladies working in the bar, who are more than happy to play pool with you if you're on your own, but watch out, some of them are pretty bloody good
Accommodation wise, all rooms are air-conditioned and have ceiling fans as well. There are 3 superior rooms and 9 standard rooms, which are all well maintained, cleaned daily, towels changed daily and bed linen every second day. They are well furnished, have a mini bar, large fridge, an in-room safe, DVD player, cable TV, cups and saucers, electric jug and plenty of storage space. The bathroom is the basic Thai style with a wall mounted hot water heater and shower, but they are big enough to ensure the toilet doesn't get wet when you use the shower.
Free broadband WiFi internet is also available throughout the building and there is a terminal in the bar downstairs for guest use. The mini bar prices are very reasonable and they have an excellent laundry service. You just put your laundry in the net bag provided and the housemaid takes it when she cleans the room. The next evening your laundry is available at reception for collection and the prices are not much more than taking it to the laundry yourself - really brilliant service. Electricity to the room is turned on by inserting your key card into the slot provided, however for those wanting to charge electronic items when absent from the room, there is now a separate power point which is isolated from the key card slot - The fridge also runs from this circuit, so your beer will always be cold
On the first floor there is also a good selection of DVD's and paperbacks, which are available free of charge for guests to use.I found the staff genuinely friendly and Dennis, the owner very approachable. Any minor problems were addressed immediately and although he doesn't live on the premises, he certainly spends a lot of time there - must be something to do with his liking for a drink
But then again, show me an Irishman who doesn't The establishment doesn't serve food but within 20 yards in any direction there were enough food establishments to satisfy most guests tastes and I found the Drunken Duck next door to be good quality and fair value - In fact my TGF for the last few weeks also commented on how good the Thai meals were. The bar and reception officially close at 2:00 am but on numerous occasions when staggering home around 3:00 am the place was still open. However, when closed you have a key to the side door to let yourself in, so 24 hour access isn't a problem, unless you forget your key and then you'll have to wait until the place opens around 9 am. The establishment is extremely girl friendly and ID's are not required, however reception will take a copy for you if they are open. The only rule with ladies is that you are responsible for their behavior whilst on the premises and if they are leaving before the bar and reception is open you should escort them downstairs and ensure the door is closed behind them. However, something to keep in mind is that access to the accommodation is at the back of the bar, so when you are bringing a guest home and the bar is open, just remember every lady in the bar will see you
.As with any accommodation establishment, there were a few things some might class as negatives, although I must be honest, none of them caused me any hassles and after discussing them with Dennis he said he was also aware of them and where possible they were on the improvement planning schedule. I might add that mentioning these things is by no means a criticism of the establishment, but more as a guide to board members, as if they would annoy you, look somewhere else instead of making a booking and then complaining. Specifically they were:
1: Like many places in Pattaya, water pressure is not the greatest in the shower, but I found it sufficient to have a reasonable shower and none of my companions complained.
2: The curtains, whilst adequate are by no means blackout ones and the room does tend to lighten as the sun comes up, however for me this was no great drama as I tend to wake up early, or I'm knackered from the night before and sleep like a log.
3: The mattresses are firm and the older style inner spring type. For me this wasn't a problem as I have a hard one at home, but if you like a nice soft bed then this probably wouldn't be the place for you.
4: Finally, and probably the most important thing, anybody with a walking type disability or very unfit may find the stairs an inconvenience, as there is no lift. Once again, I didn't find this a problem and as I was on the the top floor (3rd) the three sets of stairs certainly kept me fit, although I must say there were a few nights when I crawled up them in a drunken haze and wished there was a lift
As far as the location is concerned, I found it to be really convenient. Transport wise it’s still easy to get around. Baht busses will take you to walking street via soi bukhow without the traffic chaos of beach road and it’s only a short walk down soi Diana to 2nd Road. Facility wise everything you could possibly want from currency exchanges, 7/11 and pharmacies to eating places, laundries and travel agents is genuinely just a stones throw away.
The soi is not a busy traffic thoroughfare and you can casually walk through it without having to watch your back all the time for speeding vehicles or side step the hordes of holiday makers. Most of the business in the soi have rooms for rent, many providing free wireless internet and restaurants are plentiful. Noise wise I didn’t encountered any problems late at night or early morning and sleeping was not a problem, even though I had a room that fronts the soi.
I’ve had a drink in a number of bars and have to say the ladies are great. Whilst I concede you don’t see many 9 & 10’s there is an ample supply of 6 to 8’s, with all tastes being catered for. I must say however, the one exception is the Hell club ladies who I watched every day from my balcony across the road – They are HOT!
In conclusion, all I can say is that at 500bt a night (for a one month stay), IMHO Metro Apartments is without a doubt the best value accommodation establishment in Pattaya, particularly when you consider all the extras you get for no additional charge. I concede it may not be everybody's cup of tea, particularly if you want a swimming pool, however the solid occupancy rates and consistently good reviews really do speak for themselves.
Finally, I might also add that all the ladies I took back to the room commented on how nice it was - More details and current rates are available on their web site at www.metro-apartments-pattaya.com
