16 replies to this topic

[tode1640]

I have just got back from a short stay in the Irish Rovers guesthouse on LK Metro.  Although it is quite well known on this forum, it doesn't seem to have a review thread, so I thought I would write a few words.

First of all, it is one of the very few Pattaya guesthouses that can be booked through Agoda.  If you like the convenience of pre-paying your bill and being able to instantly see availability, then this is a very big plus.  I tend to travel at short notice, and hate to have to wait for people to get back in touch by e-mail (if the first couple of places I try are fully booked, and each one takes a day to reply - then it can take several days to actually make a booking).  This is a small guesthouse over a small sports bar in LK Metro.  It is certainly a clean, professionally run and secure establishment.  Their standard rooms are small and very basic - far too small for my liking.  The superior rooms are very different, though.  They are as comfortable as many far more expensive hotels that I have stayed in, and have a balcony looking out over LK Metro itself. There is a decent amount of storage space, and the bathrooms are basic but quite large. There is no tub - the entire room effectively being a shower cubicle, and the only toiletries provided is a tiny bar of soap (although that is fairly standard for budget hotels and guesthouses).  There is fast, reliable and free wifi - both in the bar and in the rooms.  Although I didn't spend a lot of time in it, the bar seemed very nice, with a laid back atmosphere and western food.  It has big TVs showing various sports and darts and pool facilities.  They organise golf and football, as well as bar crawls and other outings.  

The staff are great.  The manager is a nice guy who runs an efficient operation, the girls in the bar are a friendly and helpful bunch and the cleaners are wonderfully efficient.  Generally every time I went out, the room was sparkling clean when I came back and one time when I was only out for about 10 minutes, the cleaning girl sheepishly came up to me and apologised for not having cleaned it yet!  I arrived at nearly 1am, and there was a mix-up with rooms (I had booked a superior, but all that was available was a standard).  This is the sort of mistake that could happen to anyone, and it was fixed quickly.  I did have to spend that first night in the small room, but I was moved to the much nicer superior room the following morning.  This does mean that I got to experience both types of rooms, though.

There are a few downsides.  There is no getting away from the fact that there is some noise - both from the street and from the bar.  Actually, it wasn't as bad as I expected and didn't bother me in the slightest, but it would bother very light sleepers.  However, if street noise bothers you then you probably don't want to be staying on LK Metro!  The room safes aren't very secure - they are the very common sort that can, famously, be opened with a potato!  That said, the bar is open 24 hours, so there are always staff on duty - so I was never particularly worried about security.  The air conditioning worked well (rather too well, actually, it could make the rooms very cold!) but it was very noisy.  I don't like having air conditioning on all night, much preferring ceiling fans - after a quick aircon blast to cool the room down.  Oddly enough there was a fan in the smaller "standard" room, but not in the larger "superior" one.  That meant, in the superior room the only options were to have the noisy aircon on all night, to open the windows (although, with the noise outside that would be a very loud option) or to get very hot.  As is the case with almost all guest houses and very small hotels, you should be aware that the rooms are up several flights of stairs - so if you have problems climbing stairs then you should probably stick to bigger hotels.  However, these are minor gripes in what was generally a very positive experience.

In short, I was very happy with my stay here.  It certainly does represent outstanding value for money (the rooms currently being 500-800 baht, depending upon the room and time of year).  I certainly recommend the superior rooms, and hope to stay there again in future.  I wouldn't personally like to stay in the standard rooms (they were OK for that first night, but I was very glad to get into the much nicer superior room).  However, if you aren't bothered by a tiny and very basic room then these might suit you.

[muffhunter1]

do you have any pictures of the room?

[tode1640]

muffhunter1, on 29 January 2012 - 07:29 PM, said:

do you have any pictures of the room?

I'm afraid not, but the one's on their web site are pretty accurate.  The following are very similar to the room that I stayed in.

[vimto66]

i stayed here for 3 weeks back in july/august and can say tode1640`s review is about right.I much prefer guest house style accomodation to the big hotels as things are a bit more personal and they always seem to have more time for you,i like to try different places every trip, so next time im here in july i`ve booked a superior room at the butchers arms which is only just around the corner on soi buakhao.

[sixtyeightplusone]

I stayed in Irish Rovers on my last trip and it was my first time staying in a guest house.

I enjoyed it alot and the bar downstairs is a good laugh. Played in a few pool comps with the bar and played (or tried to play) a game of football for the Rovers aswell.  You just dont get that personal service and fun when staying in a hotel.

I have them booked already for my next trip.

[Cph]

I've stayed there a couple of times as well, if I just needed a guesthouse for one night, and I think it's good as well. The review is spot on.

[Pattayarox]

Every night I start my night's out I start in the Irish Rovers have 3 or 4 there to get me on my way.
I love the lplace the staff are great and the craic is very good there even a looker or 3 working there, alas I did not sample anything as tis a golden rule not to BF in your regular to less complication's !
Lovely spot




Pattayarox

[Sexyfarangman]

It appears that the big downside to staying in any LK guesthouse is the outside noise that goes on until the early morning hours.

[sixtyeightplusone]

Sexyfarangman, on 03 February 2012 - 06:32 AM, said:

It appears that the big downside to staying in any LK guesthouse is the outside noise that goes on until the early morning hours.

Yeah that could be an issue for someone who goes to bed early in Pattaya.

[tode1640]

sixtyeightplusone, on 03 February 2012 - 06:38 PM, said:

Sexyfarangman, on 03 February 2012 - 06:32 AM, said:

It appears that the big downside to staying in any LK guesthouse is the outside noise that goes on until the early morning hours.

Yeah that could be an issue for someone who goes to bed early in Pattaya.

If you go to bed early and are a light sleeper, then you really don't want to be staying in LK Metro or Walking Street.  There are many quieter parts of town, and for those people it would be well worth the inconvenience of being a bit further away.  I, however, can sleep through anything.  I have quite literally slept through an earthquake before now, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest!

Edited by tode1640, 04 February 2012 - 07:17 AM.

[Sexyfarangman]

tode1640, on 04 February 2012 - 07:17 AM, said:

If you go to bed early and are a light sleeper, then you really don't want to be staying in LK Metro or Walking Street.  There are many quieter parts of town, and for those people it would be well worth the inconvenience of being a bit further away.  I, however, can sleep through anything.  I have quite literally slept through an earthquake before now, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest!

The LA earthquake of 1987 woke me up, so LK Metro is not for me.

[paff]

I really enjoyed my two stay at the Rover. Its like they give you the feeling that you are really welcome and all the staff is very nice.
However the Soi LK became so noisy in the last time, that I think about changing my favorite area to a more quiet place.

[firsttimer]

sixtyeightplusone, on 03 February 2012 - 06:38 PM, said:

Yeah that could be an issue for someone who goes to bed early in Pattaya.

Why on earth would anyone want to go to bed early in Pattaya?!?!?!!!

[vimto66]

firsttimer, on 08 May 2012 - 10:50 AM, said:

Why on earth would anyone want to go to bed early in Pattaya?!?!?!!!

Anyone who might have barfined a georgeous little thing from a nearby go-go.

[safaribob984]

loved the sports being shown 24 hrs

[Sexyfarangman]

I examined their superior room about 3 years ago, but never stayed there. His review is very accurate. Unfortunately, the IR still does not have good safes. It was one of the big negatives I noticed 3 years ago.