After I had booked, I found some horror stories of rude staff, mosquitos, no beach, bad food and stray cats. I was very apprehensive but, there were none of these at all! We did a six week tour of Phuket, the area around Krabi, two islands and back to Phuket. Our average cost per night was £45 so, staying at The Thip for six nights, helped pay some more expensive hotels. We stayed in 13 hotels or apartments and enjoyed every one. The garden and pool area at the Thip was one of the best (could have a few more sun beds and mattresses - but we always found one). It was a short walk up the road to the beach and the Andamana Beach club, but I loved both. The sand might not be the softest, but, it is certain to be crowd-free and, the shallow sea was so warm and clean. We only had fruit shakes at the beach club but I expect their food would be good. We later found out that, if you set out at low tide, you can go across the road from the Thip and walk up the shoreline - much better but, you might have to leave early. We didn't hire a bike but went into Ao Nang a few times and loved the trip to Railay. As we were leaving, I noticed that there were quite a few places about a mile away (near the Tesco Lotus) that I would have liked to have checked out - including a shop that sold silk (beam me back please). We had some very good meals at the Thip - barbecued prawns were brilliant and we also ate at Chilli Pepper down the road You don't have to have the chili there - lovely people will cook just how you like it. They will at the Thip too and, one of the loveliest people I met at all the places we stayed was (at the Thip), the largish lady with the big, kind smile caled On. When we arrived, we had been allocated a room on the second floor (in Thailand they call that the 3rd) but On suggested that we might prefer just one flight of stairs (cos of other half) so we started in a room at the front and, we found that the beds at the Thip are a lot more comfortable than a lot in Thailand. Advantage of being at the front: you get sun on the balcony in the evenings and in the mornings and can see if the tide is in or out - disadvantage: the traffic on road ouside, mostly bikes that can be so loud but, they do dissapear later so you can sleep fine. After a few nights, we asked On and were given a room on the other side. Much quieter - but no sun. Hey ho. Looking back on our holiday, I loved moving about and, for us, the ideal stay (in most places) would be four nights. I am pleased to see there are more good reviews for the Thip - we recommend!…