Aonang Buri Resort

Popular with budget-minded families and couples from primarily Thailand, Malaysia, and China, Ao Nang is a mid-range value hotel across the road from Noppharat Thara Beach. The lobby pavilion, practically an extension of the sidewalk, is open and airy with a high wooden roof and wicker sofa sets, glass-topped coffee tables, and cushioned ottomans. Across the way is the casual restaurant, Tanta. The lobby, restaurant, and three room buildings enclose Aonang Buri's landscaped pool and patio. (Guests with mobility issues should note that only one of the three- and four-floor room buildings has an elevator.) The hotel opened in 2009, but is in a constant state of renewal, as exemplified by new brickwork being laid, walls of paint so fresh you can smell them -- and ear-splitting hammering, which happened on and off throughout our stay. Construction clamor should bother few guests, though, as most are out all day on excursions, or happily making their own gleeful shrieks in the pool.

Aonang Buri Resort is located at the southern end of Noppharat Thara Beach Road. The location is great for families with young children, as it's much quieter here than farther south on Ao Nang Beach (about a 15-minute walk). Where that beach is packed to the gills with nightclubs, fast food, and restaurants, the tourist conveniences along Nopparat Thara are more spread out. Though it's less commercially intense than its neighboring beach to the south, Nopparat Thara still has plenty of locally run restaurants, beach bars, and food vendors, and taxis, tuk-tuks, and long-tail boat ticket agents are easy to find right outside the hotel. Immediately to Aonang Buri's left is a minimart selling beer, smoothies, sunglasses, etc. 

Aonang Buri Resort's room categories start with 12 Superior rooms and top out with seven Deluxe Pool Access units. Superior and Deluxe -- the next level up -- are essentially the same, but the 23 Deluxe units are located on the third and fourth floors and have better views of the pool. The 28 Grand Deluxe rooms offer the most space -- 345 square feet. Connecting Deluxe and Grand Deluxe rooms are available; others can be booked side by side.Every room is outfitted with a minibar with canned sodas and beer (fee), free Nescafe coffee and Lipton tea, and two free bottles of distilled Crystal drinking water. Large jugs of Singha water are available for purchase. There are also free safes, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs (channels are mostly in Thai, though Animal Planet and BBC World are in English), powerful individual air-conditioning, and private balconies in all rooms. The Deluxe Pool Access terraces, of course, lead straight into the pool. Some rooms have additional twin beds.The rooms' low points are their bathrooms, which seem to belie the hotel's 2009 construction. They look straight out of the 80s, and have harsh lighting, leak-prone shower/tub combos, and slow-draining sinks. We eventually gave up trying to get any hot water in our shower, but, to be fair, Aonang wasn't the only hotel where we struggled with this. And the countertops are nice and wide, a pro for those with more than one toiletry bag. The hotel does provide a few bath products, like bar soap, shower gel, cotton swabs, and shower caps, plus mini Panasonic hairdryers. Bathrobes are only included in the Pool Access rooms, are there are no slippers -- unusual for a hotel in this area. There also are no full-length mirrors.Rooms are generally in good shape and housekeeping visits daily, but there are a few signs that they've become worn, such as springy mattresses and scuffed walls. You also may hear some loud shuffling in the outside corridors or snoring from the next room over.

Like most hotels in this tropical climate, Aonang Buri is built around a swimming pool. The hotel has made a real effort to spruce up their pool, installing a modern deck and maintaining a good amount of vegetation. Pool towels are available from the pool bar counter, but these are not to be taken to the beach. (Beach towels are provided for a fee.) The pool bar operates all day in high season, whipping up pina coladas and mai tais and offering a daily happy hour. The hotel's all-day restaurant and bar, Tanta, faces the street and beach and has outdoor seating. A basic breakfast buffet is free for those who opted in -- rooms can be booked with or without breakfast -- and Thai and Western lunch and dinner are served a la carte. Room service is available during the day, with a menu of light meals like Thai spring rolls, chicken sandwiches, and salads.Thai massages can be arranged at the hotel; they take place in a communal room with several beds located near the pool. The hotel works with multiple local tour agencies for excursions like island-hopping. Laundry service is available for a fee. By the lobby, there are computers for guest use and a shelf of books left behind by past guests. Wi-Fi is free.