Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas, Thailand [Master Thread]
Mar 4, 2018, 10:41 am
Mar 4, 2018, 4:39 pm
Pran Buri is far more private and will be more expensive than Hua Hin. We got a generous upgrade at both. The layout at Pran Buri is such that you have what looks like a stand-alone gated 2-building house (duplex pool villa) with private pool. In Hua Hin it was a more traditional hotel suite with a separate living room from the bedroom. Hua Hin looks like a resort with a large pool for all guests. In Pran Buri the common pool is very small because many guests just use the pool they have in their villa. Hua Hin has a lounge while Pran Buri does not. Pran Buri has drinks for happy hour but only 1.5 hour not 2 hours and food is limited; in Hua Hin you obviously have more. I found breakfast to be better in Pran Buri. In terms of what to do around, note that the Sheraton Hua Hin is actually in Cha-Am so a bit away from Hua Hin but still easy access and there will be more to do there especially if you have a car you can visit some sites. In Pran Buri you are in a quiet area in the middle of nowhere, there is not even a 7-Eleven walking distance. You can borrow a bicycle to go to 7-Eleven and it will take maybe 15-20 minutes if I remember. You can ride a bike on the coast which is nice, but not much else. If you have a car you can explore the area but again there is not nearly as much as in Hua Hin which is 25km away (while Cha-Am is 12 km from Hua Hin center).
I got food poisoning in Hua Hin so I would be a bit reluctant to return and there are non-Starwood options in the area, for example I like the Hyatt Regency (but it's more expensive than Sheraton). In Pran Buri if you want quiet then this Sheraton is the only game in town.
Oct 20, 2018, 11:28 am
Staying currently at the JW Marriott Phuket...a first...and not convinced at all by the property!
Oct 20, 2018, 2:11 pm
Oct 20, 2018, 7:42 pm
Oct 21, 2018, 9:39 am
Dec 20, 2018, 3:44 am
Has anyone stayed recently? I'm wondering if they're totally cancelled it or made some other arrangements.
It seems to me that offering happy hour for plats is a small expense for the hotel, but withdrawing it but may irritate some enough to change plans.
Dec 22, 2018, 2:42 am
Has anyone stayed recently? I'm wondering if they're totally cancelled it or made some other arrangements.
It seems to me that offering happy hour for plats is a small expense for the hotel, but withdrawing it but may irritate some enough to change plans.
Nov 6, 2019, 10:53 am
Any money spent on this hotel or did it all go toward the purchase of the ROSH?
Thanks in advance for any update.
Mar 31, 2020, 6:24 am
Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas
9/22 Moo 5 Tambol Paknampran Pranburi, TH 77220
Sheraton Pran Buri Villas = Great Privacy with Large Outdoor Living Space and Pool (40 Photos)
Sheraton Hua Hin Pranburi Villas
We stayed at Sheraton Pran Buri Villas a few years ago, liked the resort, and I thought it would be a decent refuge during the virus outbreak so we booked a stay there. This is a resort which somewhat flies under the radar because many tourists travelling to Thailand will choose better beach destinations such as Phuket or Koh Samui for example, or tourists will want sightseeing in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, etc. Depending on guests preferences, Sheraton Pran Buri can be a good option; it is a property that I can recommend especially for Marriott elite guests and it would not take a whole lot to upgrade the brand from a Sheraton to a Luxury Collection.
Location
Sheraton Pran Buri is in a quiet suburb without a lot of action nearby, which was perfect for us given the circumstances. It is about 3 hours south of Bangkok and for people who do not want to drive, you can book the shuttle bus from Westin Sukhumvit to Sheraton Hua Hin and then transfer there to another shuttle bus from Hua Hin to Pran Buri. The total cost is fairly modest at 900 THB per guest one-way and the mini-van is very comfortable with leather seats, air conditioning, and wifi.
Upon arrival at the resort you can see the beautiful grounds of the hotel which are well maintained.
Room
I booked the entry level room (Duplex Pool Villa) and we were upgraded to their top room category (Pool Villa Suite). The “room” looks like a compound entirely closed off within walls giving near perfect privacy. There are actually two separate buildings connected by a walkway outside, so it would be optimal for two couples travelling together as both villas have a bed and full bathroom. The larger of the two villas not only has an indoor shower but also a large outdoor shower, while the smaller villa only has an outdoor shower. Both villas have their TV and DVD player which was convenient during the virus outbreak. One villa has a mini-bar and the other has an empty fridge for guest use. Air conditioning worked very well in both villas, the beds were comfortable and we had great nights of sleep as this is a quiet resort, it’s not a big party place.
For this visit when we arrived occupancy was at 70% and it went down below 30% at the end of our stay which is not as low as hotels in Bangkok because the virus has not affected this province very much yet. The generous upgrade was not due to low occupancy, in fact last time we received this same room type although it was a marginally better version (for only two guests) because the second villa did not have a bed, it rather had a sofa and more dining space so we had one villa more suitable for sleep during the night and one villa more suitable during the day time.
The highlight of this room is without any doubt the large terrace outside with a pool long enough for laps which was fantastic given that the main hotel pool was closed as per government restrictions for the virus. With the walls giving lots of privacy, guests can swim or relax by the pool without prying eyes from neighbors. The entire outdoor living area was pleasant in the evening as well thanks to lighting all around the wall and in the pool, and we hardly saw any mosquitoes at least not at this time of year.
Dining
Because of the virus there were no hot dishes on the breakfast buffet but the alternative solution was even better because we were allowed to ask whatever we wanted to eat and the chef prepared it for us! Talk about top notch service – it’s one step above having an a la carte menu. Kudos to this property for not using the virus as an excuse to cut back on service, in fact they did the opposite so they could shine as a result. They also temporarily made breakfast in the villa an option for guests who wanted to stay away from others in the morning.
We also ordered room service several times for dinner in the room. The prices are modest and for 1000 THB we could have 3 or 4 delicious dishes and more than enough food for a couple.
Pool
The main pool of the hotel is not very big but the advantage is that at least you have limited water views, which you cannot have from the room. Nobody could use the pool during our stay because it was closed, but even the last time we stayed there the main pool was hardly used since all guests of the resort have their own private pool so most people choose privacy over the common pool.
Beach
As mentioned above, beach lovers will not find Pran Buri to be a good fit. There is a long stretch of sea-front land next to Sheraton but there is road between the hotel and the water, and the sea comes right on concrete steps so there is not much beach to speak of. I guess swimming is doable (rather than relaxing on the beach) but it’s still not the main attraction. The area is far more suitable for cycling along with sea on the dedicated path and Sheraton lends bicycles to guests for free to ride outside the resort which can be convenient. We could also cycle to a nearby grocery store to bring some snacks and drinks back to the villa. Buying drinks outside was particularly useful because one of the few negatives is that the Platinum happy hour has been eliminated about one year ago so no more free drinks on the resort, unfortunately.
Service
Service in this hotel was very good; in addition to my previous comments regarding breakfast, since we could not go to the gym because it was closed, they brought a few dumbbells to help with our workout. Because of the virus we wanted to spend most of our time in our villa so we requested housekeeping to be done each morning while we were having breakfast in the restaurant. They did so like clockwork every day of our stay. If there is one area of improvement that could be useful to get closer to Luxury Collection level it would be to perhaps be a bit more proactive in the restaurant to meet guest needs. We liked to sit in the area away from the main restaurant, down in the pond with lotus flowers. Some staff had a tendency to forget about us and service was not the fastest. That said it’s a laid back resort not a business hotel so it moves at a different pace, but nonetheless the upscale hotels of higher brands are generally more proactive even in tropical resorts.
Wifi
Wifi worked very well during our stay with speeds of 65 Mbps which is better than almost every other hotel we have stayed in various parts of the world with the exception of Seoul which is the only place where we regularly have 100+ Mbps.
Overall
Overall we had a great time at this resort and given the circumstances it was even more clear that this hotel stands tall relative to the competition. For people looking for a quiet stay, privacy, their own large pool, plenty of real estate space, good food, and generous loyalty recognition (= upgrades), this is a good fit. Just be aware that it’s not a hotel for partying / entertainment or for a premium beach and you will not be disappointed.