pictures shown of Sawan and 4 stars was the reason to book this horrible hotel. Arriving on a muddy path that is unpassible at night as there are no lanterns. It is far away from the village and does not have a restaurant you need a taxito go out for dinner: the so called bungalow was built 40 yrs ago and nothing has been changes. Doors and windows dont close well. It is a paradise for mosquitos. At night you here mouses and rats in tjhe bathroom.Next morning you can see how thea have eaten the from yr soap and touched yr toothbrush. Never go barefooted. Wereever you go never go there it is a mx 2 stars place
My wife and I stayed in the beachfront villa for a few days in December. I was excited for the stay here and a little hesitant after reading a number of mixed reviews. We were pleasantly surprised however my review is mixed. We stayed in the beachfront villa and it was quite a lovely bungalow on stilts and the whole vibe of the place is pretty cool. The Good: -The folks working at the resort were incredibly warm and friendly. They were helpful as they could be and would drop anything to make sure your stay was comfortable. - The view from the beachfront villa is incredible. The room had a comfortable bed, a fridge, a nice deck overlooking the water, was cleaned daily, a working AC and no real problem with bugs (it is the beach so I was expecting something) - If you want to get dinner at the resort they will whip something up for you or go into town and get whatever you would like. They also make a good breakfast to start your day. - To me Sunset beach was the most peaceful and clean beach on Lipe, snorkeling was great and there were minimal longtail boats that you might get on Sunrise beach. We spent good time at the beachfront bar at Bayview resort which is very close, they had good food, beer and coffee. I will dream about this beach. The Bad: -There is no WIFI so don't expect it. They provide some dongle but you have to pay and the connection stinks. This was advertised. -Our room didn't have a television although it was advertised, we didn't care but just saying. - When we checked in they had no clue who we were, nor did the resort reply to any of my emails before hand. I brought printed copies of all email correspondence along invoices to ensure we were all set. - We paid for the honeymoon package and did not receive it. Would I stay again? Maybe, but not for the money. If ownership got their act together a bit and were more transparent on expectations this place would be a gem. I think I would stay at Bayview if I ever went back which, seemed to have everything we would have needed except for the view.…
Amazing. I travel a lot and the service this place has in unreal. We went during the off season so our receptionist was also our bar tender. He was outstanding and spoke very good English. He went out of his way and set up a BBQ Thai style on the beach and that will always be my favorite memory there. The corals are just 10-15 meters from their beach and are the best to snorkel around the island. There are no pesky long boats parked in front of their beach and the view is also the best on the island. Sunsets every night and a new international friend. I will be going back with out a doubt.
Do not stay here. Rats enter your bungalow at night. Every night. Stray dogs on the beach, and garbage all over the island, even on the dirt road just in front of the resort. Most absurd is that I had to fight for weeks to get an invoice. And actually what they gave me isn't an invoice at all. To be fair: The staff is great. They do their best, and do so many extra things to make you feel welcome. The beach is lovely. And as bungalows go, these are some of the nicest on the island. The "bar" is only staffed sporadically in the late afternoon. There is no restaurant. I will not return, and I will continue to fight to get a proper invoice.
First and foremost, this resort wrongly describes itself as a hotel. It would be more accurate to define it as a guest house, with a total of five villas. For the best: Sawan probably offers one of the best views of Koh Lipe from any villa. And what a view! Perched above Sunset beach, overlooking a calm sea, it is easy to stay there enjoying creation at its best. And of course, you walk down to the beach, which is probably the nicest one on the island. Second browny point: the staff is exceedingly friendly, and tries its best, but severely lacks training. Lastly, the rooms, while a bit worn out, are comfortable. Mosquito nets work, beds are nice, there is hot water (for the bath, not the shower). Now onto the worst: there is no F&B, although the hotel tries. Well, of course, you can order drinks, and they will be served with a huge smile. But the food is not there. The staff observed that one of our children had ordered a burger upon arrival. We were treated by burgers for breakfast in the room the next day. A very nice initiative, but which fell short of its desired effect. The burgers were left untouched, and were waiting for us upon our return late afternoon. One advise: if you want to have breakfast in your room, simply state what you want the day before, and given how friendly the staff is, it will likely be served (keep it simple though...). Pataya beach is a short 10mn walk, and offers many F&B options. Walking street is a further 5mn. If you feel lazy, a tuk tuk will take you there in no time. But you want to have your main meals out, no doubt. You will be offered a wifi box if you want, which does the job. The hotel organised a snorkeling trip for the family, which is a one-hour trip on a long tail boat: absolutely worth it. Remote island, no tourist whatsover, some corals and many fish. Snorkeling in front of the hotel is also possible (and you can borrow snorkeling equipment), but is not very interesting.…
I wanted to share the effort and the amount of work this resorts staff has put in. It was pouring rain and i left my bag which contained my wallet and passportat the bar which is 10minuites drive on the motercycle. I only realized this when i was already back at the resort but the resort manager went out in the pouring rain to retrieve my passport and wallet. I could not say thankyou to this man enough the staff at the resort is amazing
I just got back to the UK from my holiday at sawan resort and felt the need to write a review, I was there for 2 night and it was one of the most relaxing experience of my life. The resort has just been repainted and the staff is really friendly, eventhough their English was not perfect I want to give them credit for trying to understand me and provide me with all my enquiries. Lastly the view from this resort is amazing (see pic attached) did not think something this beautiful exist in this world.
Mr. Hyde: Normally I make my review of a hotel or restaurant shortly after the stay/ visit. Sawan resort is much more difficult to assess. I have to let you know that it is very far from the pictures on the internet. If luxury in terms of nice furniture, nice decorations, good standard of bathrooms, electrical installation and so forth is important to you this is not the right place. Everything is quite worn down and in serious need of maintenance. You won’t find neither spa, restaurants or a well equipped bar. Breakfast is prepared to far away to be hot( eggs, omelet) to be warm when they reach you . Conclusion: From a normal point of view the price is far to high Dr. Jekyll: Being back in Denmark and having had some time to think about Sawan Risort we must conclude that this worn down resort probably is the place we loved the best during our 3 weeks tour aroun southern Thailand . Sawan is small, located in some of the most beautiful nature we have seen anywhere in the world. There is a tranquility and ambiance that very quickly invades your soul ( we are not “zen-people) and makes you forget the short comings in luxury. You have the small beach almost to your self and there is a most charming small restaurant at the beach that offers simple, but extremely tasty food for breakfast and lunch. There are not many mosquitoes and you sleep in total silence In spite of a price that is to high we would probably come back to this resort …
Resort closed!! They take money for reservations and you arrive in a place closed....They send me an e-mail five days before with all the problems for a family on trip without time to book another accomodation.....They call me from the reception to refund my money but when I go was closed maybe from months. Be very vey careful..
When we booked this resort we didn't read the reviews at all, but right after we found out that the resort was in very bad shape. Of course we where worried that we spent a whole lot of money on something that was going to be a huge disappointment. Now we have spent 11 days at Koh Lipe staying at Sawan and my honest opinion is that Sawan could be a gem on the island, but isn't. The personel is great, they are doing everything to make you comfortable, but the resort itself really need a bit of TLC since its a lot of wear and tear. Also its sad to see that after just a few days we where the only ones staying there, although the island itself was quite occupied with guests. So in short, its has all the potential in the world, but isn't quite there yet. Would i go back there, well, not that sure....…
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