Andaman Beach Suites Hotel

Thanks to its incredible height, the Andaman can be spotted at a distance as a 22-story white building that looks like it was plucked out of Miami’s South Beach. A slate-gray entrance gives a fashionable first impression. Inside, the lobby doesn’t hang together quite as neatly, with its gray seating and red pillows clashing with the front desk's fuchsia backdrop. Elevators here lead up to the guest rooms above or the pool and restaurant. Some guests are also escorted to a neighboring building that holds the entry-level Superior City View Rooms with their own separate rooftop pool.The Andaman is an older hotel for the area, opened in 1993. That counts both for and against it. On the plus side, it was built before legal regulations capped off Patong's building to five or six stories, meaning the views here are some of the most stunning to be had while still in the center of town. On the minus side, some hallways and public spaces show their age. A few exterior hallways in the main building have the rooms' air-conditioning units spewing out hot-air exhaust onto passing guests, and other spaces like the fitness room and the games room feel overdue for a refresh. That said, the Andaman pushes to stay competitive in a booming hotel market, and it frequently renovates, with the main pool and rooms spruced up in 2016, and the fitness center due for a refresh next.The hotel’s newest addition is its second building, opened in 2010, which is shorter, due to regulations, but offers similar rooms and amenities for a cheaper prices -- albeit without the killer views. This building is newer and fresher, but guests still need to cross back to the main building to use the features there, such as the restaurant and beauty salon.Guests tend to be a mix of travelers depending on the room category. Younger budget travelers and backpackers are often drawn to the Superior City View rooms for their value, while Family Suites bring in travelers with kids. Still, on the whole guests tend to be on the younger side, eager to dive into Patong’s beach and nightlife scene.

Andaman is on the northern end of Patong, which some consider the quieter end. It’s a short five-minute walk to the bustling beach. (The hotel has a private pathway directly to the sand.) The surrounding streets are stuffed with restaurants, shops, and bars, along with conveniences like mini markets and pharmacies, making it easy to grab a bite or a bottle of sunscreen. The nightlife hub of Bangla street, with its raucous club scene and up-all-night bars, is a 12-minute walk away. Jungceylon Shopping Mall, a sizable shopping complex selling fashionable clothes, sneakers, electronics, and beauty products among other things, is also a 16-minute walk away. Other major attractions such as the Big Buddha statue and Wat Chalong temple are 46 and 35 minutes by car, respectively. The city’s airport is a 51-minute drive away.

Guest rooms at the Andaman are split between two buildings. One building, a more recent addition in 2010, holds the Superior City View Rooms. These are the smallest accommodations, but they represent a good value, with stylish light-wood veneer furniture, white-tile floors, and white platform beds with crisp sheets. They also include all the amenities of Sea View Rooms: flat-screen TVs with international channels, free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, electric kettles with tea/coffee, free bottled water, lightly stocked minibars, safes, pool towels, and bathrobes and slippers (a luxe touch for this budget category). Balconies here are smaller and furnished with plastic table-and-chair sets and they face the neighboring buildings. Bathrooms are shrunken in size as well, but still large enough to hold walk-in showers; they’re stocked with toiletries and hairdryers. It’s worth noting that guests must cross back into the main building to access all the hotel’s features, save for a small rooftop pool that's exclusive for the guests here.All other room categories are housed in the main building, and all of these offer up magnificent beach views that get better the higher the floor. Superior Sea View and Deluxe Sea View Rooms are identical, differing only in that the latter has a balcony and the former only offers floor-to-ceiling windows. But both have outstanding views, particularly when the sun is setting over the beach below. And both share the same clean-lined decor with creamy white tile floors, white walls, and dark wood furnishings balanced out by sea-blue textiles. Rooms are large enough to accommodate little loveseats with coffee tables and writing desks. Bathrooms either have walk-in showers or shower stalls with separate soaking tubs. But both have picture windows from the bathroom so sunlight and sea views can permeate into these spaces, too. (Blinds can be closed for privacy.)Super Deluxe Sea View Rooms are almost double the space of entry-level rooms adding small dining room tables and sleeper sofas. Bathrooms are also larger with full walk-in showers together with soaking tubs. And amenities get an upgrade, too, as these rooms have home theaters with sound systems, plus microwaves and kitchenette-style countertops with sinks.Family Suites double the size again; each has two full bedrooms with its own bathroom, plus a full-sized dining room table and living room area. But it’s worth noting that the balconies in these units only have partial sea views. Adjoining rooms are also available, and the hotel can add additional beds to rooms in the main building, another helpful feature for families. While there's plenty to like here throughout the room categories, we did spot some shortcomings on our visit. Our room on a higher floor struggled to get hot water, and a few of the rooms we visited were musty from old ventilation systems. Plus during one particularly bad rainstorm, the building was creaking and rocking a touch, and rainwater leaked into our room from the balcony doors.

Renovated in 2016, the Andaman’s main pool is the highlight of the property. It’s bordered by gilded street lamps and includes a few waterfall features with spraying fish and a dolphin-shaped waterslide for kids, and a kiddy pool is off to one side. Loungers are scattered throughout the sundeck, and to one side a multicolored fountain topped with a swordfish sculpture serves as a focal point. (This area can also be booked for private parties.) There’s no poolside bar, but the third floor lobby has a bar just inside from the pool that can serve up drinks to swimmers and sunbathers. A smaller second pool is located in the rooftop of the hotel’s second building, but this is reserved for guests in Superior City View Rooms. Those who prefer taking a dip in the ocean can use the hotel’s private path to access the sand.The dining room is located just off the pool on the third floor. It serves all meals, and breakfast is included in all rates -- except for Superior City View ones. The lobby has a few snacks and cold drinks for sale, allowing guests to stock their own minibars. Room service is also available.Blanketed in tired blue carpeting, the fitness room could use a revamp, but it does have all the expected machines including treadmills, bikes, steppers, and various weight-lifting machines. Guests can also break a sweat in the hotel’s two tennis courts, one covered by a rooftop. The hotel will rent out tennis gear for a small fee. While there’s no full spa, there is a massage area by the pool. The third floor lobby also holds a single massage treatment room (although it’s behind a glass door, so it’s not entirely private). A petite beauty salon also sits next to this, and both offer the usual nail treatments and Thai massages. A small sauna room is available, too.A kids’ room on site offers more diversions than most, with a slide and a ball pit, along with the usual toys and games -- but it’s unsupervised. (Babysitting can be requested for an additional fee and cribs and cots are available at no extra charge.) For adult fun and games, the hotel has a games room, with coin-operated pool and foosball tables. The third floor lounge area also has a lending library. The hotel has a meeting room with full AV equipment, along with a few computer terminals in the lobby for guests’ use. Wi-Fi is also free throughout the property. A taxi stand and a tour desk are also on site, and the latter offers a 10 percent discount to guests for any tour packages. Shuttle service can be booked in advance for a fee, including airport transfers.