I have to say after reading the reviews on here I expected more than what I got here. There are some great aspects to this hotel but also some very frustrating ones and it really wouldnt take much to increase the value of this hotel to what one would expect from a 4 1/2 star standard.
So here are the bad points:
In many ways this hotel is closer to a 3 star especially in regards to the room we are staying in. We are in a superior room in the Bhuri wing which is at the back of the hotel in a complex of its own (of sorts). The room decor is quite outdated and looks maybe 10-15 years old as does the external facades. The bathroom (including toilet) is open to the bedroom itself. Lets just say if you or your partner get any tummy troubles here, you may get more than you bargained for (theres no escape, except the balcony). Also we could clearly hear the toilet from the room above.
We got a cheap deal in regards to the room, however it didnt take us long to realise that the money is made from the extras at this hotel. They have a tennis court but you have to pay for the court hire, rackets and balls. They have a gym, but you have to pay for water (Ive never come across that before, all gyms usually have a water fountain at least!). They have a shuttle bus to Patong, but you have to pay. You'd expect to pay for hotel transfer but they charge a high rate. We ended up getting a cab which was cheaper. Food prices are comparable to hotels at home (Australia) which for SE Asia is very expensive. Fortunately there are a few restaurants and mini marts right next door to the hotel so stock up there. Internet was also expensive at 200 baht per hour, which would be fine for the casual user but I run my business over the internet so I ended up getting a sim card and running the net over my mobile (which was suprisingly cheaper) and going to net cafes that charge 60 baht per hour.
I was suprised we werent charged to use the swimming pool quite frankly.

The good points:
The hotel is massive so it has all the mod cons, gym, many pools, tennis court, billiard tables, sauna, mini golf etc etc etc. There are about 5 hotel restaurants to choose from. I used the gym quite a bit and found it to be average, it could definetely do with an upgrade.
The hotel grounds and pools are immaculate and basically most people that stay here tend to just hang out by the pool and sunbake and given the quality of the grounds why not?
There is an abundance of staff at every corner although we are here in the low season and there are not many guests so it seems like there are more staff than guests.
The front of the hotel is right on the beach which it has all to itself so the beach is very quiet. If you are staying in the Bhuri wing then its a few minutes walk to get to the beach, however 2nd and 3rd story rooms from the bhuri wing get pool and sea views.
Aside from the washed up storm water rubbish the beach (Kata Noi Beach) is beautiful with white sand and clear turquoise warm water. However the amount of rubbish that was in the water and washed up on the beach was a complete downer. I am in disbelief that a beach so naturally beautiful could be allowed to be ruined in this way. Kata Beach over the hill was cleaner but a little crowded and not quite a beautiful as Kata Noi.
The location is good and bad, depending what you are looking for. Its out of the way and therefore a quiet location that escapes the noise and crowds of neighbouring towns. Its a pleasant 15 min walk over the hill to Kata to find a decent selection of restaurants and shops. Taxi's are very expensive for Thai standards and it works out the same price to hire a motorbike for the day than get a one way taxi trip to Patong.

As noted before the hotel takes up the whole of Kata Noi beach so its basically a private beach for the hotel, a great selling point.

Summary
The target market for this hotel seems to be families. Many families with young kids were staying here and the hotel has a kids club and a 'family' vibe to it. If you were looking to have a wild holiday you would be better off staying in Patong somewhere.
However if you just want to spend everyday lying by the pool or on a deck chair in front of the beach this isnt a bad choice given the pools and grounds are excellent. As long as you are happy with average rooms and comparatively expensive bar, food and service prices. And hey the rooms are cheap (for low season) so maybe I shouldnt be so critical. However I would feel very ripped off if I paid their high season rates.

However I would be happy to pay more for what could be a great 5 star hotel if they upgraded the rooms and building facades, cut the costs of extras that one normally assumes are inclusions and cleaned the beach up. It has sooooooo much potential.

A fantastic honeymoon after the tsunami disaster there. We were to be honest dreading it after the disaster, but what can I say, the best holiday of my life!

Staff couldn't do enough to help, it was SPOTLESS!! Going in monsoon season too was a worry, but it would rain heavily for 10mins each morning around 10am and that was it.....no mosi bites either.

We had a Junior suite, gorgeous. Fantastic views across the sea. The pool was lovely, had ample sun loungers and the tuk tuk's back and forward to the main town of patong were hair raising in a smaller tuk tuk but cheap. They sit outside hotel alongside some air con taxi's.

We did lots of trips and found them all good value for money.

Have small kids now and wouldn't say it's ideal for under 8's, but can't wait to take them when they are older to experience the magic of thailand.

SARA AND MICHAEL PIGGOTT - NEWLY WEDS

We stayed for 2 weeks at this hotel on our honeymoon and we couldn't recommend it more. The hotel staff were helpful and very friendly, they couldn't do enough for us.
The rooms spotless, if we had any problems, it was seen to immediately.
The complimentary breakfast was fabulous with a vast choice of foods from thai to english food.
We paid extra for a superior room which was sea facing and it was almost like a small apartment it was so big.
We were away from the over populated tourist spots so had plenty of peace and quiet but it was not far from the the noisy resorts if we wanted to explore them.
Would recommend this hotel.

We have just returned from a 10 night stay at the Katathani. We chose 2 interconnecting Junior Suites which were in the Ocean Wing of the Thani wing of the hotel. This is a much better location than the Bhuri wing rooms. That part of the hotel is still nice, but is set back a bit further from the beach, and a bit more of a walk to most of the restaurants.

Our room overlooked the beach, and was a walk down the stairs accross a very short patch of grass onto the beach.

The pools in the hotel were fantastic, and our kids enjoyed a swim every day during our stay. The food in the hotel was pretty good. Yes - it is more expensive than in town, but not too much. The Thai restaurant Channada is very good. Le Scala was also nice, but I thought maybe a little overpriced for what it was, and Fishermans Wharf which is right on the beachfront was good. The main buffet in the evenings and theme nights was so, so - would probably give these a skip next time.

We also ate at Mom Tri's Kitchen, which is along the cliffside overlooking Kata Noi beach (the beach where the KataThani is located). The food there was really good, and the location amazing, but be prepared to pay more - still not as expensive as a really nice restaurant in Sydney - cost us about AU$100 for family of four, but that it without wine - which is very expensive in Thailand.

The Katathani has a great location, and we really enjoyed being right on the beachfront. It is a much smaller beach and better protected than Patong or Karon, but the surf seemed to be slightly better at Kata which is just to the north. The pools are right along the beachside. You also get the option for a wonderful massage poolside for 300THB for about 1hr. It is excellent value and well worth it.

The one thing you do suffer from at the Katathani is the taxi mafia. Given it is pretty much at the end of the road, you pay a small premium to get anywhere. Prices are still negotiable, but you do better negotiating rates when returning than you do when leaving because they know you don't have a lot of choice.
Kata is a 15min walk over the hill, and has some decent shops and restaurants. There was also some good shopping in Karon.

We really enjoyed our stay, and are looking forward to staying there again.