Sanae Beach Club – Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand

Posted on Aug 4, 2016 in Accommodation

What a contradiction! First the positives… we were looking for a comfortable stopover while travelling up the coast and the accommodation at Sanae did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded our expectations. Reception was warm and welcoming. The bungalows are very well designed and appointed.

Large bedrooms, comfortable beds, fantastic air conditioning (not pointed at the bed!) plus fans (yes!), large televisions and lots of desk space. Decent sized bathroom, beautifully decorated with ample shelving, hair dryer (with a diffuser!) and a shaving mirror PLUS an outdoor shower with massive rain shower head and a towel rack (often neglected). We had two rooms so the connecting door was helpful and the lovely deck outside the bungalows (with ample seating and another fan) became one big, relaxing area just by rolling up the bamboo screen. And they’re clean!

Everything else about Sanae was a huge disappointment. The restaurant, pool and beach area are very neglected. Pool/beach chairs are packed in close together, cushions on chairs are mouldy and nothing seems to be maintained. At most other beachside resorts we visit, staff also care for the beach area in front – this doesn’t appear to be the case here as the beachfront was also littered with debris and rubbish. In fact, the staff don’t appear to be interested in maintaining the property or taking care of customers. After trying to get the attention of staff for a long time, we had to get up and ask for a drink menu. Even after that, you would think the staff would assume we might order something but nobody came near us so we had to get up again to order. They were too busy playing darts amongst themselves. The owner was sitting at the bar the entire time and he didn’t seem too interested either. It was the same story at dinner. Service was slow, we ordered two pizzas to share and they both came out cold – there was only one other group in the restaurant and the kitchen is only metres away so I can only guess they were sitting for quite a while before they made it to our table. Breakfast was similar. Everything feels dirty and uncared for and the flies are the proof – they are all over the food. So much so that one of us had to be chasing them away while the others ate. We’ve been in Thailand for a long time and we didn’t have a fly problem on the stop before or the stop after so it definitely relates to cleanliness.

We loved the rooms but I don’t think I could go back to Sanae if I had to eat there again and with nothing else in the area, that would make it a difficult stop.

Visited August 2016