During a previous visit, in 2011, we met a couple who were staying there and thought the place was really nice. While we waited to share a cab from their hotel at one point, we had a quick squiz and it was very clean and the pool areas were lovely.
We decided to stay our first week in Karon this year (2012) as our friends there were getting married and the bar they own and run is only a short stroll from the Ocean Resort.
The entry foyer was spotless, and the reception crew were courteous and efficient. It was odd, however, that there was an Occidental working the reception. Very rare. Anyway, the lovely Thai girl with teeth braces was particularly helpful as she offered to contact the airport to see how our baggage claim was progressing – Virgin Australia had failed to put our suitcase on the plane– and her consulting with the lost baggage counter at the airport was a great time-saver and we showed our appreciation appropiately.
We opted for a Ocean View Deluxe room, which was on the 3rd Floor, and the views were nice out over one of the three pool are to Karon Beach.
The room was spacious, clean and had all the appropriate bits and pieces expected from a 3.5 – 4-star hotel.
It had a flat-panel TV with cable and the standard complimentary two bottles of water per day, coffee and tea-making facilities and an in-house safe.
The bed was ENORMOUS. If there is such things as an Emperor bed, this would be a Despotic Overlord bed. Even my wife couldn’t annexe so much of the bed that I had more than double of my normal ½ foot of sleeping room! It was nice and firm and was made up each day.
Another bonus was the supply of razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste and so on which were in the quite nice bathroom. As we had no toiletries with us – thanks Virgin - it was another weight off our shoulders after 18 hours’ travel. The only negative about the bathroom was the shower. It is over a quite high-walled standard bath so if you have short legs you’d have to climb into the bath like climbing over a fence. Carolyn and I didn’t have that problem as we are 6’1” and 5’9”tall. Children may have difficulty. A safety tip: use one of the hand-towels on the floor of the bath when you shower as, when you try to step out you can slip.
Room service was quick, decent sized, supremely tasty and appropriately priced. From memory, the service stopped at 22:00 during our stay.
People have mentioned the stairs and you can’t write a review on this place without mentioning them. There are lots of them. There are also elevators. Admittedly, we didn’t go to the other parts of the hotel or use the minimart so we don’t know how many elevators there are or where they are situated apart from the one we used. We had two lots of stairs to climb: one to the first pool area, then another (which also had a ramp for suitcases etc) to the lift which went up to the fourth (top) floor. If you are infirm or recovering from a knee or lower-leg injury, this place is not for you.
Having said that, the Best Western Ocean Resort n Karon Beach is all we needed. Somewhere that was clean, had a comfortable bed, and with pleasant staff and surrounds. It’s not the cheapest hotel in the area and that has some benefits: it has a slighter older clientele which leads to less noise from party goers returning at 0300 from a large one.
All in all, it advertises what it delivers: 3.5 – 4 stars.
If you are on your first trip to a country, and are reluctant to try “local” hotels, a best bet is to stay in a chain hotel. In this case, the Best Western delivers the basics without great pomp and will generally be a good choice for the seasoned or rookie traveller not looking for too many frills.

We spent two weeks here on a special deal from a German tour operator. We were picked up from the airport which worked very well and brought to the hotel, which is set on a well-maintained compound with 3 nice pools.
We had booked a 'superior' room which had ocean view and a huge bed; the only thing that took away from that view was the ugly 'lagoon' before it (see picture). The complimentary water bottles and the coffee and tea in the room were a nice touch.
The rooms were nice, airconditioned, and the TV had lots of international channels; however, at times, they could have been more thorougly cleaned (under the bed, for instance).
Breakfast was O.K., the selection was alright but didn't change at all in the two weeks we were there, which made it boring after a while. The quality of the fruit was not great, unfortunately.
Overall, we were satisfied with the hotel; In our opinion, with a few small changes, this hotel could receive a better star rating than it has at the moment.

I stayed here December 14th-19th, 2012. Staff was great. The room were average for a beach resort. I had a king size bed but it was really two twins pushed together. Only slept on one side anyway. Be should to ask for extra towel because when taking a shower, the water spreads more then it should. 2 complimentary waters per day. In-room safes and refrigerator. Found 3-4 channels that were English speaking. My room was across from the 2 pools (3 pool on a higher floor). Great views, better views if your room was higher. The breakfast buffet had plenty of options and delicious including eggs any way you want. Free Wi-Fi. There are three computers in the lobby. One is free for guest for 15 minutes, the other two there is a small fee. Short walk to the beach. Kata beach was a little further but in walking distance. 7-Eleven next to the hotel. NOT a hotel for handicap people or cannot tolerate steps.