Stayed at the Novotel Chumporn on route to the south after hearing about this hotel from a friend. Upon arriving at approx 10.15 pm after a long delay due to a bad road accident at Prachuab, there were no bellboys or staff, the place was deserted. I put my luggage onto a trolley and just as I reached reception a bellboy came running up to take over. I’m sure he had just woken up as he definitely had a bad case of bed hair and was rubbing his eyes.
Check in went smoothly and the bellboy took my luggage to my room. I had left Bangkok some 7 hours earlier and was hungry and thirsty I went directly to the bar. Unfortunately two unhappy looking staff immediately stated the the bar would be closing at 11pm. It was no problem, I ordered quickly and was happy to go to my room. The rooms are very spacious, and well equipped, although the TV wasn’t working properly, again not a problem the king-size bed was absolutely huge.

At breakfast I was informed that there would be no buffet, due to low occupancy so I ordered a la carte. The food wasn’t up to much, and the service being that there was no other guests, was very slow. I spent some time at the pool, which was very relaxing and peaceful, again I was the only one there. There is a very good kids club next to the gym if you have children. I made use of the gym which was fully equipped.

It was very hot around the pool, I was desperate for a cold drink (no staff) I had to get dressed and go inside the hotel to order, in 2 hours of sitting by the pool, not a member of staff came to offer a drink even though there were at least 3 standing around inside doing nothing, they may have been feeling the heat as well. When I approached and asked for something in particular, staff were able to provide an ok service, but I want service if I have to pay the 10% charge. I had dinner in the restaurant (food was just passable for the price) again I spent time searching for a waiter.

I did enjoy my break at the Novotel Chumporn, I work 6 days a week in BKK; it was a shame as it could have been much more enjoyable had the staff been more attentive. They were very disinterested, probably through boredom. I’m sure the GM (whom I didn’t see once) is aware of the problems in the hotel as I’ve seen a response to most posts, but I’m not sure how much is actually taken into account, or dealt with.

In summarising, a ship’s crew is only as good as the captain who drives them. I would return as it’s probably the best facility in the vicinity (Chumporn town is awful). Novotel room rates are very reasonable, next time I would hope or expect better service the same that is normally available at a 4* hotel, I hope I won’t be disappointed. One big moan was having to pay for Wi-Fi, 300B an hour totally ridiculous!!

We stayed for three nights to explore the area around Chumphon. The hotel is very nice and great value because we booked early. The staff were very friendly and eager to help with information to ensure we got the most out of our holiday. We mostly ate outside the hotel - the seafood restaurant just in front of the main gate was excellent - super fresh, great tasting (Thai-style) and great value. The restaurant at the golf pavilion was also excellent - north-eastern Thai cuisine at surprising low prices.

The only downside - and it was a big one for me - was that the hotel internet was Bht 500 for 24 hours. If you're headed here make sure you subscribe to a telco plan first so you can use your own modem or iPad.

This hotel offers huge comfy rooms. The price is reasonable. Club house food was amazing as well as reasonably priced. Forget about beautiful beaches, you need to take day trips to surrounding islands to enjoy the beaches. However, the sea water was crystal clear when we were there. We stayed one night. Things we like: size of rooms; pools; ping pong table and club house food. We would have enjoyed it more if we golf in the standard 9 holes course. Green fees and caddy fees looked reasonable though. I recommend this hotel for those who take road trips down south as a rest stop. One more thing, restaurants around the areas served excellent local seafood. Much better than island food quality; prices were standard 200-300 baht per meal per person.