A Mixed Bag at the Grand Jomtien Palace Hotel in Pattaya

I recently returned from a trip to Thailand, where we stayed at the Grand Jomtien Palace hotel in Pattaya's Jomtien area. Our experience was a mix of emotions and positives, although the hotel wasn't perfect. In fact, our previous hotel in Pattaya, the Long Beach Garden, was our favorite. We had some good and bad points, but overall, we preferred it more.

Long Beach Garden

Hotel Grand Jomtien Palace in Pattaya: Location and Renovation on Jomtien The Grand Jomtien Palace is situated in the heart of Jomtien, which was exactly what I was looking for. The location was a major plus for the hotel.

Getting to the hotel from U-Tapao Airport is relatively easy, as it's closer to the airport, and it takes about 40 minutes to get there. However, we flew into Bangkok because our tour operators thought June was off-season in Pattaya (it's actually a great time to visit, especially for the Chinese crowd – there are millions of them there!). While Moscow was getting flooded in June, we only had two rainy nights and one rainy day in two weeks in Pattaya. From Bangkok, it took us two hours to get to the hotel.

One of the conveniences of the hotel's location is that there are 7-eleven and Tops stores right next to it. It's a short walk to the Night Market Jomtien, and there are plenty of cafes, pharmacies, massage places, and food stalls nearby.

View from the window The location is great, with the beach just across the road. However, there's a major caveat - Jomtien is under renovation for the next two years, and right now, in June 2024, it's right in front of the hotel. The noise isn't too bad, but you'll need to walk around to the right or left to get to the beach, as it's not closed off. Plus, Jomtien has become a one-way street with traffic flowing from the center. To get to the city center on a tuk-tuk, you'll need to exit onto the second street of Jomtien.

Jomtien renovation

Grand Jomtien Palace Hotel: Pros and ConsThe hotel has three stars, and if you're being realistic, it's a pretty good option for three stars. It's not a new hotel, but it's not ancient either. And it's got a great location in Thailand. The property consists of a main high-rise building, a three-story shingle wing, and two-story and one-story villas.

The Distant Pool in the Villa Complex

One of the standout features for me is the three pools on the property. The two lower pools are quite large and beautiful, surrounded by my favorite frangipani flowers. There's a bar in the pool with water loungers. The first pool has music playing, and you can even get a massage there - prices are the same as everywhere else, and they do a great job. The second pool is located near the chalet wing and villas, far from the road, so it's nice and quiet. The Grand Jomtien Palace Pool

I was really impressed with the rooftop pool on the fourth floor - it's a lot cooler than the others. Rooftop pool on the fourth floor The spa area is a real highlight, with prices ranging from 200 to 400 baht for a massage. Spa The lobby is beautifully designed, with a fresh and pleasant aroma. Check-in is at 2 PM, and check-out is at 12 PM. You'll need to leave a 1,000 baht deposit when you arrive, which will be returned to you when you leave, provided you've paid by credit card. We stored our luggage in a locker on the reception floor, which is super convenient. The lockers are key-operated and only work from 8am to 11pm. I've found that's a pretty standard schedule.

There's a kids' room available. There's a bar with a coffee shop on site.

The hotel has two lifts, but I found they're a bit inadequate, especially when they're bringing in large groups of Chinese tourists. Apparently, they get transported in batches of 3-4 buses every two days, which can be a real challenge for the hotel's infrastructure. The Shale Wing has its own reception area, but it's pretty deserted.

Things I Didn't Like: The plumbing leaked, but they fixed it within 15 minutes of my request.The room numbers near the door where I could hear my neighbors.The ridiculously loud air conditioning units.The super loud exhaust fan from one side of the building.The terrible kettles.The shower without a shower curtain, so water was all over the floor.No separate shampoo and conditioner, just a gel-shampoo combo.Room Number in the Main Building of the Grand Jomtien Palace

We stayed in a Superior room in the main building. It was a standard spacious room with a balcony. Everything we needed was there, except for a safe, which was at the reception. We had one king-size bed and one additional full-size bed. The bedding was clean and in good condition, the mattresses were comfortable, and there were plenty of pillows.

Superior Grand Dhevatara Palace Room Number The kettle's a bit of a letdown – it's something you'd typically find on the reception desk, and it doesn't quite live up to expectations. On the other hand, the hair dryer's a real showstopper. It's tiny, but packs a punch.

The shower in the bathroom's a bit of a weird setup – there are no shower screens, and water's just flowing everywhere. But somehow, it all seems to end up in the drain. Still, a shower screen would've been a nice touch. The toiletries were pretty basic – just a 2-in-1 shampoo gel, soap, shower caps, and cotton buds. But hey, you get what you pay for, right? We had a bit of a hiccup with the shower and toilet on our first day, but a quick call to reception and they had it sorted out within 15 minutes. And the best part? They changed the towels every day, in just the right amount! It's a small touch, but it's something that's often missing in even the fanciest hotels. The balcony was a decent size, but it only had two chairs. No towel rack, which is a bummer – I always bring a clothesline and some clips with me. The clips are a must-have, trust me, the wind can get pretty strong out there. View from the Grand Jomtien Palace Looking out from our balcony is just stunning. We've got a view of the pool and a temple, and on the other side, we can see the island of Koh Lan.

Our room was on the fifth floor, and we had a side view of the sea. There's another category of rooms with a direct sea view.

Overall, our room was spacious, but it wasn't exactly new, and it was a bit noisy. The view, however, was gorgeous. The only thing that really mattered was who our neighbors were, since the rooms are connected by a door.

We had pool towels available.

Food at the Grand Jomtien Palace

I'd give the food four out of five stars, and the fruits five stars plus. Breakfast is served in the restaurant from 6:00 to 10:00. If you get there early, you'll find it's packed with Chinese tourists, but after 8:30, it's usually pretty quiet.

Grand Jomtien Palace FoodThe food at Grand Jomtien Palace changes, but not drastically. Every day, you'll find a mix of dishes like bacon, sausages, omelets, pasta, croissants, cereal, and rice. They also switch up the Asian dishes - I've had vegan pad thai, fish, chicken, and pork with veggies, soups, and porridge.

And let's not forget the amazing fruits available at the hotel - watermelon, pineapple, rambutan, jackfruit, and more. The selection is always fresh and delicious.

Fresh Fruits at Grand Jomtien PalaceOne thing that's always been on my mind is the consistency of the breakfast spread. I'd say we got prawns about once every two weeks, sometimes pancakes, but mostly toast. The coffee was a highlight for me, but I have to say the drinks didn't feel particularly natural. Occasionally, we'd get blue tea. Overall, we were well-fed and had plenty of fruits to go around. I'd rate the hotel itself as a solid three stars. However, the grounds are a whole different story - I'd give them a four-star plus. The pools were a huge hit with us. They come in different depths and are quite large, surrounded by beautiful flowers.

Places I'd Recommend in Pattaya:Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

The Sanctuary of Truth

Columbia Pictures Aquaverse

Big Buddha and Viewpoint