Mercure Rayong Lomtalay Villas & Resort 4 stelle

Visiting for the fourth time since the resort opened some 8 plus months ago. Still the same consistent guest focused service. Together with the layout and the facilities is as expected of this small to medium sized resort by the sea makes for a very relaxing break. Kudos to the team, who have kept up this consistency through to today despite the challenges of starting up a new resort amid the tail end of the pandemic and competition for staff, both engaging new and retaining existing. Though there is only one restaurant, the spacious Ecumé doubling as the breakfast (buffet with a recently introduced noodle cart), lunch and dinner venue is sufficiently spacious in the indoor space, with an equally large outdoor wooden decked area right beside the sea, lovely for breakfast alfresco style in the mornings and dinner in the evenings. The a la carte menu consisting of western and Thai offerings is selected to meet the needs of this resort. Food is good in terms of freshness, taste and quality. Happy hour is currently 15:00-17:00 at the poolside bar. Alternate dining is a short stroll away in the eateries along the beach road. From check-in to check-out the care, attention and service of the team from was second to none, any request was quickly dealt with by the front office team. The restaurant team was receptive to request for non-menu items, which was very well done; it was enjoyable to go on this dining adventure with the chef. In the 4 visits, we must have come into contact with nearly all members of the team though not know all their names. Thank you all again for making our visits always so enjoyable. For the core team members we remember, Ell, Im, Am, Bow, Toh, Aor, Chead, Gun, Noon, Davies, Fa, Ter, etc. Next trip may not be too long off.

Whenever Mercure takes over a property, one can always be assured of transformation for the better. This is not the first Mercure “revamped” resort in Thailand I had been to. This spot was once a locally run beachfront resort called Lom Talay. Translated it means sea breeze. Everything here has now been entirely renovated, reconstructed and enhanced to a level that you never know it was once the site of a tried resort that had seen better days. The pool had been re-cladded, beautified and now features jacuzzi sections. The landscaping completely redone. The accommodations are now ultra-modern, you can find so many USB charging ports in your room you can combine them to charge your Tesla. They have in total just over 50 rooms, so this resort still retains solitude vibes for one that seeks a quieter seaside retreat. According to what’s known, there is a second phase coming, expanding the resort with another hundred plus rooms, more restaurants and facilities. How the vibes will be then, remains to be seen. This be a small resort of sorts for now. On popular weekends, parking will have to be 2000 miles away as the front porch will be already full of parked cars. Not to worry, a golf cart is available to ferry guest so that you won’t have to bake in the inferno climate of Thailand. The pool will be mostly empty in the day even when the resort is at full occupancy. This is because Thais only come out in the gentle hours approaching sunset. They don’t like to grill in the sun like foreigners to become red lobsters. That said, there were mostly locals when we were here, I will say only 15% were of overseas origin. The beach is very well maintained, no rubbish strewn around like the resorts further west. The gradient is gentle and reveals critters during the low tide. Dig in the light brown sand a little and plenty of clams can be found. The waves were gentle in March, the clarity of the sea was the I can see my ugly toe-nails in knee deep water type. Not much of a bustle which I like. Occasionally, cheapo jet skis (more of like a jet ski body with an outboard) whizzed by the beach to decapitate unsuspecting guest in the water. Mercure is situated alongside the main road, and just next door is a public beach that separates the resort from a row of rustic seafood restaurants. They don’t’ seem to have changed much over the decades. Live seafood in tanks, and to be guaranteed a good restaurant, just watch out for which has a crowd. The alternative for dining will be in the resort’s lone restaurant in a much trendier setting watching the sunset. This is where breakfast will be served too. On the weekend we were here, there was a seafood BBQ buffet going on. There is a bar on the side of the building for that light after dinner beer chatting deep into the salty night. Breakfast is buffet styled with a good spread of food for a small resort. It was no disappointment. The restaurant had plenty of space to sit all the guests even during the popular hours. There were no unruly guest emptying food like they have never eaten in a thousand years. Our sleep was plenty comfortable in a Deluxe Villa. We were just one a door away from the pool, and one pool away from the beach. The villa we had is enclosed with a high wall which offers privacy. There is a small garden and a porch with a table and 2 chairs. We sat there to stare at pretty wall. Inside, a large bedroom with a king-sized bed, a separated bathroom area with a shower but no bathtub. Every time we returned from outside, there will be a long queue of mosquitoes waiting to rush in as we opened the glass doors. We spent a good hour killing about 50 mozzies in our room before we hit the bed. Dear Mercure… please do something about this. Rooms here are pet friendly. There were so many people who brought their pets for a stay. Big dogs, small dogs, wet dogs coming back from beach. We even saw someone hugging her Scottish Fold cat on the way to be fed to the dogs. The resort also features a pet corner complete with beach umbrella and some seats. Bags available to scoop the poop. The location of the resort may not be in the belts of well visited tourist zones. It is in a district called Klaeng at the far east of Rayong province. There is little urbanization here and the beach is more like that of Bang Sean popular with locals. The municipality here tries to boost tourism by organizing a 1km long “Rayong Walking Street” that we happened to chance upon. People could get there by taking the scooter-with-sidecar taxi service soliciting by the roadside front of the resort. We drove. Not sure if this festival will be a monthly thing as the folks here told us it was their first. To sum it up, if you are looking to bask in the essence of locality away from the tourist laden places, like if you are on a long lazy stint in Thailand exploring the eastern seaboard all the way to Koh Kood or Koh Chang, this be one place to just lay back and relax. Also makes a perfect spot to unwind for expats working in the industries of Chonburi.

Great Service and warm welcome by receptionist. Staff explained hotel facilities with escort to the room. Fully information provided with smile. The hotel is very beautiful, peaceful and private. The swimming pool is large and overlooks the sea as if immersed in the beautiful sea. The rooms are beautiful and of decent size. What I like the most is the large balcony with comfortable sofas that are perfect for relaxing. Thanks for everything.

The hotel was in a great location on the beach. It was very clean. The staff were very helpful although a little slow (however, this is the norm in Thailand). The pool was superb, not too busy and access to amenities great. The gym is well stocked.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience. The location is perfect, straight on to the beach, no road to cross. The pool is beach side . Great ambiance both during the day and in the evening, loved the green lights of the squid fishing boats twinkling on the horizon. Room spacious, great bathroom with freestanding bath and rainshower. Restaurant was excellent, good range of food catering to all tastes and huge variety of breakfast food. Staff were polite, helpful ,efficient and suggested great activities for us: an island boat trip (snorkelling, saw lots of fish) and riding a sa-ling ( motorbike with attached seats). Fantastic fun.