10 May 2008

Rabbit Resort is something of an anomaly in Pattaya. In a town where almost all the hotels are high-rise could-be-anywhere structures, Rabbit Resort is one of the very few places that makes a real attempt at Thai style, and the only one on the beach. The resort consists of just 45 rooms, housed in two-story Thai-styled pavilions holding no more than two rooms each. The rooms come in several different plans, and most can comfortably sleep three without extra beds. Most rooms have some cooking facilities.

My room was on the second floor, which felt a bit more private. There were two double beds, plus a Thai-style 'sofa' suitable for a child to sleep on, and a small cafe table with two chairs. There was a large flat-screen television showing several channels, although the English-language channels were pretty much limited to news. A small alcove off the entrance had a large desk with mini-refrigerator underneath and a micro-wave oven. A walk-through closet led from the alcove to the bathroom. The bathroom had a large vanity as well as a large shower area, but there was no tub.

Owing to an electrical problem, I had to move to the downstairs room on the second night. The room was similar, but with a larger kitchen area that had a full-size refrigerator and cooking stove. Oddly, the bathroom was separated into two parts, on opposite sides of the room. The toilet and sink were in a small room on one side, while the shower was in its own room on the other.

The pavilions are arranged in rows within a tropical garden. They're quite close together, but by turning the plans this way and that, they've managed to give each room some measure of privacy. Even though it's a rather small resort, there are two pools at Rabbit Resort. One is for families, while the other is restricted to adults only. The resort also has its own section of beach chairs on Dongtan beach in front of the resort.

Hotel facilities include two swimming pools and a restaurant. Wi-Fi is available in the lobby area, including parts of the restaurant.

Rooms feature air conditioning, hot and cold water, refrigerator, complementary coffee and tea, microwave oven, flat-screen color televisions (many channels), and IDD telephones. Some rooms have more self-catering facilities

Pluses: Excellent long-stay set-up. Very good location right on the beach and close to several restaurants.

Minuses: Although there is a "back way" for cars to get to the resort, there is no regular car traffic near the property. While that's generally a good thing, to get a taxi or other transport to town, etc. you'll have to hike to the main road, about a five minute walk down the beach path.

Worth noting: While Rabbit Resort itself is a very family friendly property, the beach it's on is very popular with the gay crowd. You won't see anything too outrageous, but there may be some rather flamboyant behavior to explain.

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