I stayed at HighFive Hotel in Pattaya - honest review

I’m going to say upfront what most “best hotels in Pattaya 2026” listicles won’t: HighFive Hotel is a fine 3-star city hotel for the money, but the mattress is a problem. If you can sleep through anything, the rest of what you get for £25 a night is actually pretty good. If you can’t, look elsewhere.

I stayed for four nights in May 2026, paid out of pocket, no comp. Here’s what worked, what didn’t, and whether I’d book again.

Compare prices for HighFive Hotel Pattaya → Powered by Agoda · we may earn a commission

Why I picked it

I wanted three things in Pattaya: walking distance to the beach, walking distance to a 7-Eleven for those 11pm cravings, and somewhere I could leave a laptop without hiding it under the mattress. HighFive ticked all three at £24.80/night, which was about half what the Hilton wanted for the same week.

The other shortlist option was a Holiday Inn ten minutes further out at £42/night. I went with HighFive because Soi 8 puts you four minutes from Beach Road and three minutes from Walking Street if you cut through the alley. That kind of location at this price is the actual product.

The rooms

Mine was a Standard Double on the third floor, 22 m². It came with:

• Air conditioning that worked well - Pattaya in May is brutal and the room was 22°C within ten minutes of arrival
• A small but actual desk with a real chair - I worked from it for three mornings
• A safe big enough for a laptop and a passport
• A minibar (charged) and a kettle
• Free wifi that managed 35 Mbps down on the speed test, which is more than enough for video calls

What didn’t work: the mattress. It’s the springy kind that makes a noise when you turn over and presses through to your spine if you sleep on your side. After night two I asked if they had a firmer room - they didn’t, but the front-desk woman brought me an extra pillow without me asking which I appreciated.

The bathroom is clean but old. The shower-head dribbles, the grout is grey where it should be white, and there’s no separator between the shower and the toilet - the floor floods every time. None of this is a deal-breaker for four nights, but if you’re staying two weeks it’d grind on you.

Location

HighFive sits at 217/8 Soi 8, Pattaya 2nd Road, in the chunk of Central Pattaya the locals just call “Soi Buakhao area”. Walking distance from the door:

• Pattaya Beach Road: 4 minutes
• Walking Street: 3 minutes (cut through Soi 6 if you want quieter, take Beach Rd if you want neon)
• 7-Eleven: 90 seconds left out of the lobby
• Cheap massage: literally next door, 200 baht (£4.50) for 60 minutes
• Mike Shopping Mall: 6 minutes
• Family Mart with the good toasties: 4 minutes

If you want quieter Pattaya - Jomtien - you’ll want a baht bus. About 10 baht (£0.22) to the south end. The hotel doesn’t run a shuttle.

The closest international airport is BKK (Suvarnabhumi), ~145 km away. The cheap and reliable way is the Bell Travel coach (250-300 baht, 2.5 hours, drops you at North Pattaya). U-Tapao (UTP) is technically Pattaya’s airport but only useful if you’re flying domestic from a few specific cities - most international travelers route through BKK.

✈

Search flights to Bangkok (BKK) → Compare 700+ airlines and OTAs in one search.

Food

There’s a “complimentary continental breakfast” advertised. I tried it once. It is two slices of white toast, butter packets, jam, instant coffee, and a hard-boiled egg. Skip it.

The neighborhood does this for you better. Within five minutes:

• 3 Sisters (Soi Buakhao) - Thai breakfast, 80 baht for rice + pork + egg
• Glass House Bakery - proper coffee and a pain au chocolat that doesn’t pretend
• The Kitchen at Soi 6 - pad krapao, generous portions, reliable

I ate breakfast out every day. Cheaper, better, and you’re already standing up which I find more pleasant.

Staff

Reception is staffed 24 hours. The two women who covered most of my shifts spoke clear English, were genuinely friendly without being scripted, and were able to recommend a good fish restaurant when I asked. The night porter spoke less English but was helpful with practical stuff like keys and the laundry list.

Housekeeping was efficient, came at the same time daily (10:30), and didn’t move my things around - which sounds basic but is not always the case in this price tier.

Value

What you get for £24.80/night	Verdict
Soi 8 location, 4-min walk to beach	Excellent
Working AC + working wifi	Good
Mattress	Below average
Bathroom	Functional, dated
Breakfast	Skip, eat outside
Staff	Good
Storage / safety	Good (room safe, 24h reception)

For the money this is a solid 3.5/5. If the mattress were better it’d be a 4.5. If you go in expecting a beach resort you’ll be miserable; go in expecting a clean, central, no-frills city hotel and you’ll get what you paid for.

What I’d do differently next time

• Book the higher floor. The traffic on Soi 8 is loud at street level. Floors 4-5 are markedly quieter.
• Bring earplugs anyway. Pattaya doesn’t sleep, and the hotel’s windows are single-glazed.
• Ask for a firmer mattress at booking. The front desk told me later they have two firmness types but the booking sites don’t expose this.
• Skip the 12pm checkout fight. They were fine with 13:30 when I asked nicely. Worth knowing if you have an evening flight.

Watch the walkthrough

Verdict

Worth booking if your priority is location + price and you can live without a great bed. Skip if you’ve ever returned a mattress to John Lewis because it wasn’t firm enough; you know who you are. 3.5 / 5.

If you book through the link below we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read the affiliate disclosure.

Compare prices for HighFive Hotel Pattaya → Powered by Agoda · we may earn a commission

Going to Pattaya?

The cheapest international gateway is Bangkok (BKK). From there it’s a 2.5-hour coach.

✈

Search flights to Bangkok (BKK) → Compare 700+ airlines and OTAs in one search.