We have just returned from a fantastic All-Inclusive Thomson holiday at Best Western Bangtao Beach and it has exceeded our expectations in every way, although not without some negatives which I will get out of the way first.

As others have mentioned the Lobby Bar area is a bit lacking in seating, while earlier in the day it is not a problem later at night the seats get filled very quickly, while there is no shortage of sun loungers which is commendable.

The other negative I would mention is that the entertainment only really caters for french guests, both in the day and in the evening (with the exception of the live music – which is very good) which could put some people off.

Now the good – The staff here are wonderful, we had friendly greetings from the moment we arrived to the moment we left, smiles aplenty, and an all around great service all day every day which you find lacking in a lot of European hotels / resorts. Tony (The F&B Manager) was a nice friendly guy who would talk with the guests, help serve and do everything he could to make your visit a great one. Willian on the pool bar was also a standout, along with his trainee Dear, they gave great service and made excellent drinks. Although I have named only a few believe me when I say that all the staff are friendly, hard working and are genuinely passionate about making your stay a great one and not just chasing tips.

All inclusive & Food / Drink – Wow, to start with: This is, hands down, the best place for all inclusive I have ever been to. The choice and quality is second to none. Want a Full English breakfast in the morning, a burger for lunch with a strawberry milkshake followed by a 3 course meal including steak in the evening? Go ahead. You have a buffet breakfast in the morning, and for lunchtime you can dine from your lounge chair the pool bar or the A la carte restaurant, and in the evening you have the choice of either a buffet or from the A la carte restaurant. Both offer excellent food and exception views of Bangtao beach, as both are a few meters from the beach. For drinks the variety is excellent, from hot tea / coffee to cold soft drinks to cocktails, wines beers spirits to fresh fruit juice and shakes and milkshakes, and unlike some places these are not from a vending machine, they make all of your drinks from scratch, by hand with fresh ingredients.

Facilities – Excellent facilities throughout. Free Wi-fi throughout the hotel grounds (Although we couldn’t get it to connect in our room in far away block 5) lots of sun loungers, a yoga pavilion, a gym, spa, massage area (Which I highly recommend trying a Thai massage at least once!) two restaurants, two bars (One of which is a pool bar with a swim up side) 3 pools (The large one with a bar, a family pool and a 50cm pool for small children) and also free beach towels, kayaks and other water sports equipment (Although the water sports equipment was free for all inclusive guests I’m not sure if non All-Inclusive guests would have to pay).

The hotel room was spacious, open and inviting, with lovely wooden panels of the ceiling, a great big bed (Make sure to ask for a mattress topper or two!) a well equipped bathroom, a small wardrobe area with fridge and safe and a small lounge area with two seats and a table and a larger desk and chair for writing leading on to a small balcony with a clothes rail two chairs and a table. Within the room you will find a lot of little odds and ends for you to use – toothbrush and toothpaste, body care products, robes and sandals, team making facilities and don’t forget to look through the drawers where the TV is, that’s where we found the hidden hair dryer!

Area – Great area, with a nice subdued night life – Nok and Joes is a standout for my partner due to the atmosphere and her obsession with wanting to see a ladyboy show (Every Wednesday and Sunday night I believe – Sunday has a BBQ buffet – The rep Karen usually arranges a trip to the show every Sunday I think, well at least she did both weekends we were there!)
As for the beach you will not be disappointed. Lovely and clean (As you will see somebody cleaning the section of beach for the hotel!) and the sea is green and warm and inviting (Although when it reaches shore it can be brown but that is just the sand being scattered – the water is so clean otherwise)
If you stroll up the beach to the left of where you go onto to it from the hotel ground after some rock climbing you will find some lovely small beaches where we saw nobody all day if you were after a bit of privacy.

All in all this was a fantastic trip – beware though – Thomson seem to like to get the flights in early so you arrive at the hotel many hours before check in and the rooms are ready in most cases, but the hotel are wonderful and show you to breakfast and allow you to change clothes and will look after your bags until the room is ready – and will also bring the bags to your room for you, another nice touch.