AVANI Pattaya Resort & Spa

I have stayed in this hotel many times and have always found everything to be spot on. The check-in is quick and easy. The staff is professional, many having been there for years. The grounds are nice and everything is always clean. I have top status with the chain with which this hotel was previously associated, so I have always been upgraded to a Junior Suite, even after the rebranding. The room is on the ground level facing the pool. There are lush trees in front which provides enough privacy. There is a covered front patio with a table, chairs and a sofa which, because of the greenery, is private. The room itself is not huge but well appointed, and there is fresh fruit, flowers and towel-animals waiting for me when I get there. The bathroom is spa-like, with a soaking tub, large stand-in shower and his and hers dressing areas. The soaking tub overlooks a small private courtyard which cannot be accessed but is a nice touch. The food is great, the service is great, but it is the location which is spectacular. This hotel is a peaceful oasis in the middle of everything that makes Pattaya unique adult fun, You can cross the street and walk on the oceanfront, passing prostitutes and dregs from around the world. A few steps and you can be on Walking Street or Boystown. The hotel is attached to a shopping mall and there is a bigger mall a block down the street, BTW with a nicer Starbucks. A guard at the entrance keeps the activity from the street from coming into the hotel. Bringing someone back to your room is no problem, period, in fact... Like many Thai hotels, if you are bringing a guest who is not checked in to your room, the guest will leave an ID at the front desk. Locals know this and are fine with this. When the guest leaves, he/she stops by the desk, The clerk will call the room to make sure everything is okay before handing the ID back. One time I was waiting in the lobby for a five in the morning limo to the airport. Dozens of men and women stopped by the desk to either go to a guest room or retrieve and ID. Nobody at the hotel batted an eyelash. BTW, there were more males than females coming or going to meet guests. I have seen many men with obviously paid local women in the restaurant and gay couples of all kinds throughout the hotel and never seen anyone who seemed to care. I have been there will my boyfriend from the states and with locals I just met and always felt comfortable.

The property is well-appointed. The rooms were luxurious and the staff catered to our every need. The food at the AVANI club was amazing. We really didn't need dinner after hanging out there for the free cocktails and appetizers. The grounds are stunning. Definitely an oasis like feeling in this hotel. I would have stayed longer if possible. BoyzTown is literally right down the block. LOVED IT!

I checked in New Year's Eve, about 11 p.m. They did not gouge me. They pointed out all the faults that someone might complain about: The available rooms were garden view, not sea view; the rooms were smoking rooms, they had double-connecting doors. I didn't care. It was after 11 and I had just spent five hours looking for a vacancy. To my surprise, everything, well, almost everything, was wonderful. The crew was really friendly and reassuring. The grounds are beautiful and tranquil. I came to love that tranquility even though that is the last quality I want during a Pattaya trip. The room was dated but so comfortable and well-maintained. I could not tell that it was a smoking room; there was no odor. The teak flooring felt luxurious. My friend and I had several meals in the seating area; we also hung out there with our iPads. We felt at home. We had nightcaps on the balcony; it felt magical. The bed was super-comfortable. The pool was big enough I actually got tired doing laps. It was nice to be able to wander onto the grounds from the beach side at 5 in the morning without the security guard bugging my boyfriend for his ID. Although that first morning we did get a good looking over. The three mornings after that, we got a salute and a polite smile.

Very central joined to Royal Garden Shopping Centre (great for Starbucks addicts). The service is friendly and a gay couple doesn't get any second looks from anyone (may be different if you are kissing your partner - but then they would disapprove of str8 people doing that anyway). The sea view rooms are pretty good. Breakfast buffet is comprehensive and of a good quality. Service is well meaning but sporadic at times. A taxi to Jomtien takes a little longer if you use the hotel entrance and should cost THB200 max (bargain with them). If you want to take the Baht bus to Jomtien walk 5 mins south and take it from there.