The Sunset Village Beach Resort Pattaya

Sunset Villa Resort (Pattaya) traps

We stayed at this resort in December for two days. Although Sunset Village is a secluded property with sandy beach, away from noisy Pattaya, the management style of this resort spoils the fun of staying there. Starting with the breakfast, when the buffet is available (some days you only get a la carte) it is rather poor/limited with left-overs from the previous day. There are sighs all over the property demanding that guests refrain from doing do certain things (often taken as insults). The beach towels are old and dirty. We could not take a shower/at the bungalow because the water temperature could not be regulated (it was either too cold or too hot, and the technician that was sent never fixed the problem).

The hotel misrepresents its location and services on Asiarooms.com. The resort's location is not in the city of Pattaya or even close to the area of Jomtien beach, as shown on the web, but in the city of Sattahip, some 17 kilometers from Jomtien/Pattaya. The hotel's web page advertises "free" shuttle to Pattaya, but this service is no longer free. You must pay 100THB/person/one-way when the shuttle is available, and 250THB/person/way when you any other time, costing you up to 1000THB for a party of two per day.

The hotel overcharges for just about everything. It webpage lists 3500THB for transfer fare from the airport when taxis at the airport are begging you to use them at 1/3 of this price. But more interesting is the way the hotel and its staff will try to rip you off when you ask for a taxi back to the airport. They will charge 2500THB to the airport when the taxis charge as little as 800THB (often less). The hotel's reception staff will NOT help you get your own taxi, and if you ask for a phone book to find a number for taxi, they will tell you the hotel does not have one. If they figure that you are determined to find your own transport, the staff at the reception desk will tell you that they could try to "help" you find a cheaper transfer because they have a contract with a taxi without the hotel manager's knowledge. They ask you to pay them up front 1600THB in cash before they call a taxi, and later go to the taxi waiting for you at the end of the parking lot (because they do not want the manager to know). Actually, they call a radio taxi, pay less than half of the 1600THB, and pocket the difference. So if the hotel does not rip you off its employees will try to do so.

If you decide to stay there, I suggest you get a phone number of taxi (radio taxi) and arrange transfers to/from airport and Pattaya on your own in advance. At the south end of the resort, you can find a small shop that sells drinks at 1/5 of the hotel's mini-bar prices.
I also noticed several other reviews by previous guests that confirm my observations.

Unique Quality: Sunset Village is a secluded property with sandy beach, away from noisy Pattaya.