How We Review Hotels and Destinations in Thailand

Is the room comfortable? Is the pool still pleasant when you want to spend a few hours there? Can you walk out of the hotel and find restaurants and cafés? Is the breakfast actually good? And does the hotel suit the kind of holiday travellers are looking for?

We look at destinations, beaches and different areas of Thailand in exactly the same way.

Our aim at Thailand, Actually is not to present every place as perfect, but to help you understand what it's really like, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and above all - whether it's right for you.

That's why it matters to us to explain how we put together the articles and reviews on this site, what our recommendations are based on, and how we keep personal experience separate from information gathered from other sources.

1. When we stay at a hotel - the review is based on a real stay

Our personal hotel reviews are based on the stay itself. Every hotel marked "We stayed here" is one we slept at ourselves - a real night, not a tour. Hotels we saw inside but didn't sleep at are marked "Visited, didn't stay".

When we stay at a hotel, we judge it through our day-to-day experience as guests, not just through what you can see in the photos.

We cover the room we slept in, how comfortable the bed was, the shower, the upkeep, the cleanliness, the service, the breakfast, the pool and the public areas we used. We also check gluten-free food - one of us eats that way.

But checking the surroundings matters to us just as much.

A hotel can be beautiful, with wonderful rooms and an amazing pool, and still be in a location that makes life very hard for anyone who wants to get around on foot.

On the other hand, a relatively simple hotel can offer a great experience thanks to a comfortable room, good service and an excellent location.

We try to describe things as we experienced them, including the small details that sometimes matter more than any star rating.

For example, at The Tarna Align Resort on Koh Tao we found one of the most comfortable beds we slept in anywhere in Thailand and the pool we enjoyed most on the whole trip. But at the same hotel the breakfast was very disappointing and the location was a problem for us.

Both things are equally true.

We don't think you need to hide a hotel's drawbacks in order to recommend it, or ignore its strengths just because some things disappointed us.

A good review should reflect the whole experience, even when it's complicated.

We distinguish between the room we stayed in and other rooms at the hotel

One of the things we've realised on our travels is that the same hotel can have rooms that are very different from one another.

Sometimes there are significant differences in size, design, view, upkeep and even comfort.

If we stayed in a particular room, we describe that room.

We don't assume every room in the hotel is the same, and we don't present our experience as if we had personally checked every room category.

If we saw other rooms, we may mention the differences we noticed and say what we saw.

This distinction matters especially when you read a hotel review before booking, because the difference between a great holiday and a disappointing one isn't always the hotel itself. Sometimes it's simply the room category you chose.

2. When we visit a hotel without staying - we only write about what we actually saw

On our travels we also like to drop into hotels we're not staying at.

Sometimes we go for a drink at the bar, eat at the restaurant, take a look at the pool or simply visit the public areas that are open to visitors.

Visits like these can tell you quite a lot about a hotel's character.

You can get a feel for the architecture, the design, the atmosphere, how busy it is, the service in the places we tried and the location in relation to the beach and the surroundings.

At some hotels you feel a calm, intimate atmosphere the moment you walk in, while at others the public areas are crowded and lively.

But visiting the public areas is not the same as staying at the hotel.

If we didn't sleep in a room, we can't speak from personal experience about how comfortable the bed is, how well you sleep, how noisy it is at night or how clean the rooms are.

Even if the lobby is very impressive and the pool looks wonderful, that doesn't mean the whole stay will be a success.

So when we write about a hotel we only visited, we say so explicitly and stick to what we saw and experienced.

If we add information about the rooms, the breakfast or the general standard of service from other sources, we keep it separate from our own experience.

We don't write that we stayed at a hotel we didn't stay at, and we don't claim experiences we didn't have.

3. When we haven't been somewhere - we research, compare and check sources

Not every hotel, beach or destination that appears on Thailand, Actually is a place we've visited ourselves.

Thailand is big and varied, and it isn't possible to go everywhere.

Even so, we want the site to offer useful information to people planning to visit areas we haven't had the chance to get to know personally.

In those cases we rely on research.

We check official hotel websites, booking sites, maps, local information and travellers' reviews.

But we don't settle for the first result that comes up in a search.

We compare different sources and try to understand what picture emerges when you put them together.

If a hotel presents itself as luxurious and quiet, but many reviews describe noise at night, that's information worth checking.

If the official photos show impressive rooms, but guests upload photos of dated rooms, we try to work out whether these are different room categories, wings that have been renovated, or a gap between the marketing and reality.

The aim isn't to find one good or bad review to support a particular conclusion, but to understand what really keeps coming up in the information.

How do we treat travellers' reviews?

Guest reviews are an important source of information, but you need to know how to read them.

Among other things, we look at:

How recent they are: a review from a few years ago doesn't necessarily reflect the state of the hotel today.
Detail: a review that describes a room, the service, a meal or a specific problem is more useful than a numerical score with no explanation.
Recurring patterns: when different guests describe the same problem again and again, it means more than a single complaint.
Different expectations: what one traveller sees as a drawback may be an advantage for another.
Guests' photos: they can help you understand what the place looks like beyond the professional shots.

We also try to distinguish between facts and impressions.

For example, the fact that a hotel is a certain distance from the beach is something you can check. Whether that distance is convenient, on the other hand, depends on the traveller, the state of the route and the kind of holiday they're having.

It's also important to us to point out that it isn't always possible to independently verify the identity of every reviewer. So we prefer to cross-check information rather than base conclusions on a single review.

4. We check the location - not just the hotel

One of the things that matters most to us when choosing a hotel is the location.

And no, we don't just mean whether the hotel is near the beach.

We want to understand what happens when you actually step outside.

Are there restaurants within walking distance? Is the route lit and easy to walk? Do you have to climb a steep hill? Is the hotel next to a main road? Can you go out in the evening without booking a ride?

Sometimes a hotel described as close to the tourist centre is actually on a hill, and the walk back up is very different from the walk down.

Even distances that look small on the map can feel long in Thailand's heat and humidity.

So when we look at a hotel, we try to understand not only where it is, but how the location affects your holiday.

We also look at the immediate surroundings: cafés, restaurants, shops, services for travellers and transport options.

More than once we've found that the small, lesser-known places near a hotel turn out to be a significant part of the experience.

5. We judge destinations and beaches by the experience they offer

We take the same approach when we write about destinations in Thailand.

A beach can look amazing in a photo and still be unsuitable for anyone who wants easy swimming.

A viewpoint can offer a spectacular view, but the way up may involve a long, challenging climb.

A secluded bay can be perfect for a couple looking for peace and quiet, but less convenient for a traveller who wants to go out to restaurants and shops every evening.

So we try to ask practical questions:

How do you get there? What do you see on the way? How easy is it to reach? What can you do there? What services are there in the area? And what should you know before deciding to go?

If we've been there, we include what we experienced ourselves.

If the information comes from research, we check it against other sources and don't present it as personal experience.

It's also important for us to remember that conditions change.

A beach that looks wonderful on one day can look different in another season, at low tide or after rain. A hotel can be renovated, a restaurant can close and room rates can change significantly.

We try to make clear the context in which the information was gathered, so there's no impression that every detail is always true in every situation.

Every page has a last-updated date. If something has changed - a price, a restaurant that has closed, a hotel that has been renovated - we'd be glad to hear about it, and we'll check before we update.

6. We're not looking for the perfect hotel - but for the right one

One of the most important conclusions from our travels in Thailand is that there's no single hotel that suits everyone.

Some travellers want a quiet, romantic holiday, with an indulgent pool and a beautiful room.

Others prefer a simpler hotel, as long as they can walk out of it to restaurants, shops and nightlife.

For some people breakfast matters a great deal, while others would rather discover a new café every morning.

A hotel can be excellent for a couple coming to rest, and less suitable for someone who wants to spend most of the day out.

So we try not to stop at simply saying that a particular hotel is recommended.

We want to explain who it's recommended for, in what circumstances, and what to bear in mind before booking.

That's also why we don't always think it's right to give a hotel an overall score.

When the room and the pool get 10 out of 10 from us, but the breakfast gets 3 and the location 2, a simple numerical average can hide what really matters.

It's much more useful to understand the strengths and weaknesses separately, and decide which of them matter to you.

7. We keep personal experience, verified information and other people's impressions separate

This is one of the things we're most careful about in our writing.

We want readers to be able to understand where the information they're reading comes from.

Personal experience: something we saw, did or experienced ourselves during the visit.

Information from an external source: details about a place gathered from an official website, maps, a booking site or other sources of information.

Travellers' reviews: the impressions of other guests and visitors, which we examine and compare to spot patterns and understand the bigger picture.

All three types of information can be important, but they are not the same.

For example, if we ate breakfast at a hotel and were disappointed by it, that's our personal experience.

If we didn't eat at the hotel but read many reviews describing a limited choice, we can say that this criticism keeps coming up in guests' reports - but not write that we were disappointed too.

And if we can't verify a particular detail, we'd rather leave it out than present a guess as fact.

The aim is to write in a down-to-earth way, without blurring the difference between what we know from experience and what we've learnt from research.

8. The photos are part of the review - not just decoration for the article

Photos play an important role on Thailand, Actually.

We love a beautiful photo, but for us a photo of a destination should also help you understand what it really looks like.

That's why we include photos that show the experience itself: rooms, pools, beaches, paths, steps, restaurants, streets and viewpoints.

Not every photo has to be aesthetically perfect to be useful.

Sometimes a photo of the climb up to a hotel, the path to the beach or the bathroom gives more important information than a spectacular sunset shot.

We're careful to distinguish between original photos we took ourselves and photos from other sources, and never to use a photo of one place to illustrate another as if it were the same destination.

When we don't have a suitable photo, we'd rather leave the information without one than create a misleading impression.

9. We check prices, but don't present them as a promise

Hotel prices in Thailand can vary a lot depending on the season, the date, the room type, the cancellation policy and the booking channel.

So a price we paid during our trip won't necessarily be the price you find today.

When we mention a price we paid, it's important to us to make clear that it's what we paid at the time of our visit.

If we compare prices across booking sites, we check as far as possible that they're for the same dates, the same number of guests and the same room category, and that the price includes the same taxes and conditions.

We also look at value for money, not just the amount itself.

Sometimes a spacious, comfortable room in an excellent location is better value than an expensive room in a lavish hotel.

And sometimes it's worth paying more for a room, a view or a pool that changes the whole holiday.

The aim isn't necessarily to find the cheapest hotel, but to help you understand what you're paying for and what you get in return.

10. A good recommendation has to be independent and transparent

Thailand, Actually was born out of our wish to share real experiences and build a useful source of information for travellers.

We believe the value of the site depends on how trustworthy it is.

So a recommendation shouldn't be positive just because a place looks beautiful in photos, is famous online or can be booked.

If we loved a place, we'll explain why.

If something disappointed us, we'll say that too.

And if we haven't been somewhere, we won't present our research as if it were our own personal experience.

The information on the site may include links to booking sites and various services. Commercial links, where there are any, are not meant to determine the content of our recommendations or to earn a place a positive review. No hotel has paid to appear here, and the links don't influence the recommendation - even when the recommendation is "no".

For us, the test is always the value the information gives the reader.

So what are the recommendations on Thailand, Actually really based on?

On a combination of personal experience, attention to detail, research and comparison.

We travel, stay, take photos, form impressions and ask questions. Then we check further information, compare sources and try to build as accurate a picture as possible.

We don't expect every traveller to share our taste.

A hotel we especially loved may not suit you, and vice versa.

But we do want you to know why we loved it, what worked less well for us and which things might affect your holiday.

Because in the end, the best recommendation isn't necessarily for the most beautiful hotel or the most photographed beach, but for the place that suits what you're really looking for.

And that's exactly the aim of Thailand, Actually: to help you arrive in Thailand with realistic expectations, choose better, and discover places and experiences that will truly suit you.