Like the LK Renaissance, the Areca Lodge is centrally located on Soi Diana.  Easy walking distance or a short baht bus ride away from just about everything Pattaya has to offer.  It is located about half way between Soi Buakhaow and Second Road.   This means it has convenient access to all your needs, including dining, beer bars, movie theaters, bowling, grocery shopping, and entertainment.

This hotel is a little old, but definitely not out dated.  The last known renovations were done in 2002 and 2003.  It is a good middle of the road hotel for those that wish for nice accommodations that are not overpriced.

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It has close proximity to beer bars and restaurants on Soi Diana, as well as the main entertainment areas of Pattaya.  The closest shopping mall is the modern Avenue mall just a short walk away.  Here you will find dining, shopping, movie theaters, and bowing alleys.  ATMs are everywhere in Pattaya, and you will find more than a few up the street from this hotel.  The local convenience stores like Family Mart and Seven-Eleven are also located close by in the Soi.

Room Accommodations

The Areca Lodge has several different room types available to guests.  They range from the Standard, Deluxe, to the Executive.  The rooms are nice and clean, and will pass muster for all but the most discerning of guests.

The standard rooms come with two double beds and no pool view, so are preference is for the deluxe or executive style rooms.  The bathrooms are western style with fixtures as such.

The Deluxe and Executive rooms both have a private safe, which is a must have for the travelers of Pattaya Essentials.  The executive rooms come with some additional features like a DVD player, hair dryer, bathrobes, daily newspaper and fruit basket.  The executive rooms are also quite a bit larger than their counterparts.

Hotel Amenities

Of note is the hotel has 2 large pools as well as a built in Jacuzzi.  It is nice for lounging around on a pool chair and soaking up some sun.
This Pattaya hotel has two restaurants, the Café de Blanc and the Bai Mai Kitchen.  You can get your share of Western or Thai fair.  Room Service is also available.

A list of other Amenities at the Areca Lodge

• 2 Large Pools
• Fitness Room
• Pool Side Cabana
• Spa & Hair Salon
• 2 Restaurants
• Beer Garden on Terrace
• Wifi in Rooms
• Conference Rooms
• Airport Transfer Service

Service

The Areca Lodge is kept clean and neat.  Daily house keeping of your room is taken care of.  They also offer laundry service, as do most hotels.  The hotel is secure, and set back a short distance from Soi Diana to give a little bit more privacy.

Room Rates

As with other hotels in Pattaya, the price of rooms is based on the time of year you are traveling.  Below are the average prices that you can expect to pay.  The range is based on room type per season.

*Note:  Directly booking with the hotel can be a bit of a challenge.  They tend to reserve rooms for web booking sites and often say they are full when they are not.  Plus, they may ask you to fax over your credit card information, which is unsafe and not recommended.  Use a reputable hotel site like Agoda.com for Current rates and booking information.

Low Season:   1,300 – 1,900  THB
High Season:  1,490 – 2,590  THB
Peak Season:  1,790 – 2,890   THB

These rates usually include a buffet breakfast at the hotel.

The Areca Lodge Hotel is guest friendly (LB friendly) and does not charge a joiner fee for an additional guest.

Summary

The hotel has decent accommodations and should be looked at for the mid-level to budget traveler.  They have made a lot of improvements over the years and the new construction project they have going on should move this hotel up a notch.

One of a group of new hotels in Pattaya, the LK Renaissance is positioned near the center of things.  Located on Soi Diana, about halfway between Second Road and Soi Buakhaow, it provides convenient access to all areas of Pattaya.  You will a have a short walk or Baht bus ride to bars, dining, shopping, and entertainment.

As one of the newer hotels in Pattaya as well as in the LK Hotel group, it is well appointed in style, a bit of luxury, and all things modern.  Plus the price is very reasonable for what you are getting.  It is one of the top hotels in it’s price range.

There are many restaurants and bars on Soi Diana, in fact there is a beer bar complex directly across from the hotel. ATM’s, Family Marts or 7-Eleven’s are not far in either direction from the hotel.

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The Avenue shopping mall is a short walk away on Second Road.  There you will find a grocery store, restaurants, shops, movie theater, pharmacy, bowling alley, and the ubiquitous ATM’s that are all over Pattaya.  Convenience and luxury are too of the top selling points of this hotel.

Room Accommodations

The LK Renaissance Hotel has multiple room types available for your holiday; each is well appointed and comfortable.  You can book yourself into a studio, superior, deluxe or the one bedroom suite.  The rooms are decorated in a modern style and have a real high end look to them.  The linens and decorations make you really feel that you are in an exceptional hotel, which you are.

The rooms are quite spacious and come with a minimum of a queen size bed.  The bathrooms are new and modern with western style fixtures.  The only draw back we have heard is that the Studio and Standard rooms lack a stand up shower, and feature a tub only shower.  This isn’t a draw back to most of us, but the tub only shower has a handheld shower head that isn’t all that user friendly.  However if that is the only drawback to those two room types, it is pretty minor.

Non-smoking rooms are available.

Hotel Amenities
The hotel provides free wifi service that you can access in you room.  It is fast and quite reliable.  It makes for a convenient way to check emails and stay in touch will on your vacation.

The hotel has a very nice pool, complete with a lion fountain.  The pool and the area around it is fairly small, but very nice and well laid out.  We’ve found that most hotels that are not a full resort seem to have similar small pool areas, so this is not a detracting factor.

There are a limited number of sun chairs, so depending on the time of year you go, availability may be hit or miss.  We’ve found that there is usually a few open thru out the day.  The beach being such a short walk away, most holiday goers would rather spend their sun tan time at the beach.

The hotel has an onsite restaurant, the Siam Bistro.  It serves a variety of western pub food as well as traditional Thai Fair.  Food is available to be delivered by room service if you like.  The food is quite good, and the price is reasonable.

The hotel also has a steam room and sauna available, as well as limousine and valet services.  These items have not been used by anyone at Pattaya Essentials, but if they live up to the standard of rest of the hotel, I’m sure they are equally as good.

• The rooms are outfitted with large LCD T.V.’s (32”+) with a selection of local and satellite channels.
• High Speed Internet Access
• International direct dial service (IDD)
• Voice Mail System
• In room safe
• Bathrobe and Slipper
• Complimentary Toiletries
• Hair Dryer
• Coffee Maker

Service

The LK Renaissance Hotel is clean and well maintained all day long.  The hotel itself is well kept up, and they do the maintenance necessary to make it continue to look like the new hotel it is.  The security is good, though unobtrusive, which is nice.  You are safe and secure without an overshadowing presence.

There is laundry service on site, which is standard in most hotels.  You fill out a slip, put your laundry in a bag and it goes off to the cleaners with you house keeping staff.  Pretty standard stuff if you have been to a hotel in Pattaya before.

Although the LK Renaissance lists that it has limousine service, it does not seem to be easy to book a ride from the airport like some other hotels.  It is probably best to book your own taxi from Bangkok to Pattaya.  You can take a taxi from the stand outside Suvarnabhumi, or we have a couple of reputable car services that we can refer you to.

Room Rates

As with most hotels in Pattaya, room rates vary depending on the time of year you wish to go.  Below are the average prices you can expect to pay.  The range is based on room type, from Studio to Suite.  Current Rates and Booking Information.

Low Season:  1500 – 2700  THB
High Season:  2000 – 3600  THB
Peak Season:  2250 – 4050  THB

The LK Renaissance Hotel is guest friendly (LB friendly) and does not charge a joiner fee for the first guest.

Summary

The LK Renaissance Hotel should definitely be on you list of hotels to stay at during your trip to Pattaya.  The prices are not for the budget minded, however they are reasonable for the Mid tier to High End clientele.  The accommodations, service, and location are all top shelf.

Before heading off on your trip to Pattaya, or your destination of choice in Thailand, you can pick up some useful Thai phrases to use on your journey.  You can pick up a few key phrases and build your vocabulary from there.

Learning the language will help ingratiate you to the locals and may even surprise them while bringing a smile to their face.  It is a nice way to show that you are not just like every other farang and have taken an interest in their culture.  Below you’ll find the first lesson in Thai for Beginners.

Greetings:

Hello – sa-wat-dii khrap

How are you? – sa-baai-dii mai

I’m fine – sa-baai-dii

Thanks – khawp-khun khrap

Sorry – khaw-thot khrap

yes – chaino – mai chai

good morning – a-run-sa-wat

good afternoon – sa-wat-dii tawn-thiang

good evening – sa-wat-dii tawn-yen

good night – raa-trii sa-wat

no problem – mai-pen-rai

my name is – phom-chue

what is your name – khun chue a-rai

nice to meet you – yin-dii thii daai ru-jak

good – dii

that’s great – yiam maak

Eating / Food:

I am hungry – phom hiw

are you hungry? – khun hiw mai

I am thirsty – chan hiw-naam

Are you thirsty? – khun hiew-naam mai

let’s have breakfast – thaan aa-haan-chao kan

let’s have lunch – thaan aa-haan-thiang kan

let’s have dinner – thaan aa-haan-yen kan

What do you want to eat? – khun yaak thaan a-rai

Is this one spicy? – an-nii phet mai

Can you make it not too spicy – chuay tham-hai mai phet maak duay