My husband and I had 10 nights at the Manathai hotel and it was a delightful experience.i was apprehensive having read some bad reviews but have concluded that the writers were wingers and made no allowance for some
Thais who did not speak perfect English. Our room was a bit on the small side and we did need more hanging space, but how much time do you spend in a room? The staff were always willing to help, had a fantastic sense of humour and always pleasant. Breakfast more than adequate and the restaurant very good. We liked the very quiet and private atmosphere, Surin beach lovely and many cheap, clean ,good eating spots We had a lot of fun and are hoping to return again . Helen Melb Australia

Just got back from a 3-night stay at the Manathai. Like the previous post, after having read some negative reviews here on TA, I was feeling some trepidation prior to our trip. However, I am happy to report that the Manathai exceeded our expectations and was actually our favorite of 3 hotels that we stayed at while on our Thailand vacation.

There were lots of little details and amenities that made our experience at the Manathai so enjoyable. Upon our arrival, we were informed that our room had been upgraded to a superior suite (very unexpected since we had secured a bargain rate through asiarooms.com). Free internet usage with 4 computers available, dvd's/books for borrowing and even games to take with you to the pool. Last, but not least, was the very friendly and helpful staff. Although some of them spoke a limited amount of English, they still made every effort to accommodate us. From letting me borrow the cell phone at the front desk to book a spa on our first day to always serving us breakfast with a smile, the hotel employees were extremely courteous and ever-willing to help.

The hotel itself I would rate as a 4-star deluxe. The decor is beautiful, beds very comfortable and our room was spacious. The bathroom was huge, although the shower leaked a little due to a gap between the glass enclosure and the wall (pretty, but not really functional!). There is a footpath across the street from the hotel that leads directly to Surin Beach (just a couple minutes' walk away). The beach is beautiful and much less crowded than Patong. Perfect for those who like a quieter atmosphere. There is a plethora of beach restaurants in Surin which ensures lots of good, cheap eats! We particularly liked Mam Seafood, which is a short distance away from the Manathai Beach Club. For a fancy dinner, we went to Silks (also great) which offers free shuttle service from the hotel.

For the location and the price, I thought the Manathai was fantastic and I highly recommend it!

After reading all the reviews about this hotel on Tripadvisor, I had extremely low expectations of both the Manathai Hotel and Surin Beach. However the Manathai was one of the best hotels I stayed in in my 3 weeks throughout Thailand.

We were welcomed into the hotel with a cold towel, a welcome drink, and friendly staff. The lobby of this hotel is absolutely stunning, along with the architecture of the entire establishment. After a quick check in we were upgraded to a duplex suite, which had a lounge downstairs and a beautiful bedroom and stunning bathroom upstairs, along with flat screened tv's and nice furniture.

This hotel had 2 great pools, and they were a good size and always clean. It was a pleasure to laze around the pool and admire the beautiful architecture and landscape gardening of the hotel. While we were there they were doing some work on the hotel which looked fantastic, and they only did it in the afternoon to minimize disruption to guests.

In contrast to other reviews, we found the service of this hotel to be a very high standard. All of the staff members were extremely friendly and greeted you whenever you walked past. One particular staff member would ask as everyday what we were doing, and when we returned asked how our day went. There English wasn't excellent, but they made up for it with friendliness.

The complimentary internet service was great, and dvd's were also available for borrowing free of charge. Breakfast was good with a large selection, although it is better to go earlier when it is not so busy. The beach club was a nice feature on the beautiful surin beach, but the western man running it was a horrible sarcastic man.

Overall, our stay at the Manathai was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone.

I recently stayed at the Manathai for one night with my partner and another couple (January 2008). We booked two deluxe rooms via the internet however after a 15 minute wait at reception we were shown two much better rooms with our own private pools.
The rooms were great they included a flat screen television and DVD player, large comfortable bed and massive bathroom with bath. Though the rooms are close together we never heard any noise from next door or above. There was a turn down service provided and the buffet breakfast was good. The only negative about the room was that there was a window next to the shower which was only partly covered. Meaning that from other buildings at certain angles people would be able to look into our bathroom.
We did not use the hotel's swimming pools (there are two) due to having our own but they looked lovely. Though we only stayed one night we could not fault the service provided.
We ate dinner at a seafood restaurant on the beach which is only a few minutes walk from the hotel. Surin beach was lovely and quiet very different to the hectic Patong beach.