Momento Bangtao Beach in Bang Tao

This hotel is run by scammers and unpleasant people. I absolutely do not recommend staying there.

From the moment we were led in through the back entrance, my impression was ruined. The hotel is tiny, dark, and outdated. We ran into a problem: I had booked a double room for one person, as I initially planned to travel alone. A few days after booking, I needed to add my mom to all hotel reservations along my route. I managed to do this everywhere else, but on Trip.com, this wasn't an option for this hotel, and I was told to contact them directly. I sent an email but received no response. It was hard for me to imagine they would refuse me upon arrival, especially since the booking was without breakfast and the bed was already a double. I was even prepared to pay a small extra fee for the second guest. After all, the only additional costs for the hotel would be towels and toiletries – a trifle.

Upon arriving at the hotel, the owner was at the front desk. After reviewing the booking, she stated that an additional 40,000 RUB was required for the second person for four nights. This was on top of the original 45,000 RUB for one person for four nights (without breakfast), which is already quite expensive for Phuket. I asked for a reduction in the additional cost, arguing that we weren't asking for anything extra from the hotel, just towels. The owner refused. I then asked to see the room. It was an ordinary, small room, definitely not worth $200 a night. Honestly, it's not even worth $50. The owner, though clearly negative, *herself* suggested canceling the reservation without penalty and finding another hotel. I submitted a request to Trip.com. The platform sent a request to the hotel through their partner.

After four hours of waiting (we hadn't checked in yet), we found ourselves in a situation where Trip.com said the hotel wasn't confirming a free cancellation, while the hotel claimed they *had* confirmed everything. The owner had left, and a young man, who couldn't make decisions and was just communicating with her, was at the front desk. I asked him to show me the email/message where they confirmed the free cancellation from their end. The young man showed me a message exchange with the owner where she told him, 'Don't show them anything, we will charge a penalty for one night's stay.' I asked if we could then just stay for one night since they had changed their minds and wanted to charge a penalty for one night. We were refused.

After another hour of talking to Trip.com support, we left for another hotel, assured that since the owner herself offered free cancellation and I had additional correspondence with her, the money would be refunded. The money was indeed refunded, with a $50 penalty. I cursed this hotel for all the trouble, their utterly inhumane attitude, deceit, and fraud. Considering what I saw at the hotel (an unremarkable room, a tiny dark reception area, no proper beach access, poor service, and rooms arranged in a well-like structure), I do not recommend anyone stay here.