Stairways to Heaven?

On my recent vacation to Thailand I wanted to get out of Bangkok for a few days but didn’t want to spend more time in a plane to get there. Since it was the beginning of the trip I preferred beach so I could bake/sweat out my stress. Hua Hin or Pattaya seemed to be the best options.

After lots of good input and advice from the folks on Milepoint, I chose Pattaya, mostly because I had already planned to stay at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, so the complimentary transfer would be particularly convenient.

It barely took an hour to get there, and soon I was ensconced at a check in desk. The reception area is the best part of the resort — delicious breezes and gorgeous views of the ocean and resort below. And a Platinum I got to choose a free 30 minute spa treatment as my welcome amenity as well as a 500 baht discount on additional treatments (which I used for a hot oil head treatment).

After emailing back and forth with the general manager who was really responsive and nice, I decided to book a deluxe garden pavilion to get upgraded to an ocean view pavilion. Unfortunately I was not quite as responsive as he was, and they sold out shortly before I booked. I then decided to go for an ocean view regular room based on Trip Adviser reviews which indicated some of the garden pavilions were blocked by thick foliage.

We were taken in a golf cart with our luggage to the room. Which was a good thing, because even though we were located close to the reception desk it was still pretty hilly. The room was tropically themed and pleasant.

It threw me a little bit though to see the standard Sheraton amenities and materials. I didn’t realize that most of my Sheraton stays in Asia were at the luxury properties which don’t have the standard Sheraton look.

The best part of the room was the amazing view with pleasant seating.

The best part of the resort were the pools. There were 3 to pick from (I love options!). One was shallow and more family themed.

Another was smaller with lots of jets and in-pool seats.

And then the horizon pool (you can’t see the horizon from that picture) where we spent most of our time.

 The only drawback to that one (and all of them really) was the lukewarm water temperature. But pool service was good, they would make up your chair with towels and bring bottles of chilled water.

The “beach” was funny. As I had been warned, the waters in Pattaya were pretty polluted, but I had not anticipated the artificial beach — a strip of sand with festive seating — separated from the murky water by a rock retaining wall.

The two nights we were there we took advantage of the 2 for 1 happy hour special, the first night outside at Infiniti looking out over the ocean, the second night downstairs at Latitude, a very trendy lounge, taking in the ocean view from air conditioned comfort.

Taking a cab to go off property was pretty pricey, so wound up eating dinner at Elements restaurant each night. It was quiet, had an extensive menu with both Asian and western options, and best of all, my platinum status got a 15% discount.

As a platinum I also received free breakfast at Elements, which was quite good. It was pretty crowded even early in the morning, but there was a wide variety of western and Asian options, including a pancake machine.

I did make it to the gym early one morning. It didn’t appear to get much traffic, but had a nice range of machines. My only issue was the water option was little paper cone cups instead of bottles.

My only real complaint with the property is the stairs. There are stairs pretty much everywhere and if you have mobility issues, I think you’re going to find it challenging to visit many of the pools. To get to any of the restaurants involved at least 4 flights along the way. I couldn’t resist having a little fun with this photo…

So would I recommend it? It’s not the most luxurious or amazing resort I’ve been to by any means, but at a little over $100 a night, this property is an amazing value if you’re looking to get out of Bangkok for a few days.

Disclaimer: I know I put too many photos in this post, but I enjoyed reliving the trip by looking at them and went a little nuts. I get absolutely no referral credit if you decide to stay at the hotel, but I wasn’t problem guest either so mentioning my name will neither help nor hurt your stay.

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Heels First’s Travel Advice–Sophisticated Travel, Uncomplicated Advice. The travels and tribulations of two frequent flyers jumping into the world of travel, sharing their travel advice. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.

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