Stayed here in a beach hut for 500 bhat a night during the full moon party in March 2012. Hut was basic but diddnt spend time in it as the beach was so amazing! Service was brilliant, very friendly, food was cheap. On the day of the full moon party they set up a taxi bus/ boat depending on tide, can get that there and back at set times and was very cheap. takes about 40 mins to get there but the drive isnt too bad. very quiet and relaxing atmosphere, would deffinatly go back again.

We found central cottage by a random google site and had a great stay. We were looking for cheap basic beach huts which is what we got but it had everything we needed! Mossie net, comfy bed, wifi and it was clean! The staff were lovely! Thanks very much for everything!

We booked one night just to find out if this was somewhere we could stay for a few weeks. We were shocked to find that around 10pm, loud music starts up at the neighboring bars. So the 2nd night we moved to bungalow #1 for the same price as our garden bungalow and no late night music the 2nd night. Guess it just depends on the night of the week and how many people show up and start drinking. The late night music became a minor inconvenience after we switched bungalows. Not because the new location provided better acoustics, but rather it had a top notch view of the ocean for the same price! So we booked a month to receive a fabulous discount (500b/night normally and 300b/night for one month). I would highly suggest if you are staying here on a budget to specifically book Bungalow #1 or #2, if the first isn't available.

The customer service is definitely not here like it is in other resorts. It seems as thought the staff are generally unhappy. Could be a result of their working/living conditions or the fact that the big boss is a bit of a grump himself, making everyone quite miserable. The fact is, it is probably not their fault, but rather the big boss' inability to understand that happy workers means happy guests and better reviews. When the staff is off work, you can see that they are happy go lucky when they're out there kicking the ball around or splashing in the pool playing with the kids.

If you're worried about your stuff getting "lost" then I would suggest bringing your own padlock. We just put our own lock on the door and we haven't had any problems. We have a trash can in front of our bungalow and have to remind staff to empty it every couple days, something you might also have to do if you're here for a while.

Also, the restaurant has great prices for a beachfront eatery and almost all services (taxi, laundry, elephant trekking, etc) can be handled right here at Central. Elephant trekking includes pick up and drop off!

Bring earplugs if you're not into joining the bar scene!

Don't forget to enjoy the fabulous pool.... it's great during the day and at night!

Let's face it, when you are out in the backpacker country, don't expect 5 star hotels.
Central Cottage offers fairly clean bungalows at OK price located in the midst of a fabulous tranquil beach. Perfect for families or when you got tired of the party noise.
Oh, and don't be scared of the taxi trip over the island. It is by far not as bad as some reviews say. We did it with our 4 and 6 year olds in an open taxi and were just fine.
Pool area is well maintained and fresh, beach is swept clean every morning. Outside our beach hut, we had a decent fresh water shower.
Just one "warning" if you have small kids. The "orange juice" in the breakfast is probably loaded with preservatives, too strong for kids stomachs. Both ours threw up after drinking it and we heard of others experiencing same thing. Buy a fresh squeezed instead. Except for that, breakfast was pretty good, including bacon & eggs, pancakes, corn flakes, toast and fruit.