My feelings about this hotel are mixed. First of all, we didn’t want to stay in Hat Yai, so going to the beach seemed a reasonable alternative since we needed to be in that area. Going in the winter is tricky, of course, because of the monsoon season, and it was very windy. But the beach is very pretty, a pleasant spot for walking, etc., and our room had a nice balcony facing the ocean. The lobby and rooms are clean—not really up to the American standard, but fine nevertheless. The décor is ok. The spa no longer exists. If you would like an authentic Thai massage, you must take a tuk-tuk downtown to another hotel. The lobby staff was helpful when prompted, but not readily forthcoming. The breakfast buffet is marginal. A real treat, though, is walking on the beach a block from the hotel and eating fresh seafood provided by a string of local venders. In sum, I think this is a reasonable choice considering the cost.

We have been visiting Hat Samilla (Siamilla beach) more than 5 times. It's one of the most loevliest places on earth - and sure our favorite place in the whole of Thailand. But sadly the last year the terrorists in the deep south makes it dangerous for torurist to travel to this beautiful pearl of Thailand. If you ever want to go there I recommend the lovely hotel on the Samilla Beach, which of course is named BP Samilla Beach Hotel. It's big, but friendly and beautiful - lovely food, disco, trainingstudio, karaoke and many more. Exellent for families with big outdoor swimmingpool too.

We have recently returned (end March 2005) from a short stay at the BP Samila Beach, which is in the town of Songkhla, about 30 minutes by taxi from Hat Hai. Taxi fare 500 bhts. ALL the staff were really friendly and went out of their way to make sure that our stay was as good as they could possibly make it, even down to arranging our transport from the hotel to Hat Yai and our onward travel to Krabi; it worked out cheaper than arranging our own travel through a transport company. Breakfast was good and was included in the cost of the room. It was as varied as is possible for Thailand. The room and bed were very comfortable and clean. Air conditioning worked reasonably well but we would have preferred it just a bit cooler. Air conditioning is "worked" by the room key and therefore is not on when one is not in the room.

There are some really good fish restaurants within ten minutes walking distance. You choose your own fish, which are stored on trays of ice. Restaurants also serve other delicious food for non-fish lovers and meals are really reasonably priced. We spent very little having a banquet.

We are returning in September, which I think speaks for itself. In Songkhla there is not a lot to do. It is a town where people live rather than a town which tourists visit. A drive to the Malay border takes about 1 hour.