Hotel Review of the Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort in Pattaya, Thailand
The Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort certainly dispels the myth that the city of Pattaya in Thailand is no place to travel with kids. This “Lost World” themed resort is an ideal place to stay when travelling with a young family. Located on the sands of Wong Amat Beach in North Pattaya, the Centara Grand Mirage Resort is just a 10 minute drive away from the hustle and bustle of Central Pattaya.
On our recent trip here we chose to stay in a Club Mirage Ocean Facing Room and upon check-in were given a room on the 16th level. The room was a good size for the four of us (we travelled with our two boys aged 9 & 10). There was a balcony which gave expansive views down to Central Pattaya and overlooked the beach and whole resort pool area.
The bath here is certainly different, looks a bit like you are in prison! There is a separate shower as well as plenty of Centara Lotus Flower bathroom amenities which included 20+ sun lotion and after sun hydrating gel which is a nice touch.
The pool area at the Centara Grand Mirage is the real highlight of this resort. It includes pools, waterslides, a lazy river, waterfalls, rope bridges, rock jumping and pool basketball.
The younger kids will also love Monsoon Island which is a water fun play park.
There are 5 Cabanas available for rental in the pool area. Numbers one and two are right by the main pool, three and four are by the toddler area and five is a little bit away from any pool. We reserved one for the day by the toddler area as the main pool ones were already taken. It turned out to be a good location as it was a little quieter than those by the main pool. Costs were 900 baht for the full day from 8.00am – 6.00pm (they also have half day rental available for 600 baht).
The pool area opens at 8.00am but you can’t use the waterslides or Monsoon Island until 9.00am. When you check in you are given a pool towel card for each person so you need to exchange the card for a pool towel at one of the towel huts each day. There is also a pool shop in the pool area that sells goggles, floaties, waterproof phone covers and other pool accessories. Please note that you cannot charge purchases from the pool shop to your room, cash or card only.
There is also a swim-up pool bar for those that like to relax with a cocktail by the pool, happy hour is from 3.00pm to 5.00pm (buy one get one free – including cocktails).
For those adults that want a bit of quiet pool time without being surrounded by kids, there is an adults only infinity pool that overlooks the beach area.
There is also an adults only lap pool outside the fitness centre. The fitness centre is a good size with quite a few fitness classes available to take throughout the day.
Right across the hall from the fitness centre is Camp Safari (kids club) as well as the E-Zone for kids a bit older like ours who were happy to go along and play for a while on their own (do need coins to play games here).
As we were staying in a Club Mirage Room we had access to the two club lounges here at the Centara Grand Mirage. They have an adults only club lounge on the 12th level or the Zulu Family Club Lounge on the lobby level. The club lounges are open daily from 7.00am until 10.00pm. Guests can enjoy coffee, teas, soft drinks and juices any time throughout those times as well as the following features;
- Breakfast is from 7.00am – 11.00am
- Refreshments served between 12.00pm – 2.00pm
- Afternoon Tea between 3.00pm – 4.30pm
- Evening Cocktails & Canapés served between 5.30pm – 7.00pm
- Cordials from 8.30pm – 9.30pm
The Zulu Family Lounge comes complete with kids play area, mini theatre and games room. It was nice to be able to use a club lounge without worrying about whether they are being quiet and behaving as they were always busy in the theatre or games room.
The accommodation package we booked included the buffet breakfast which is served in Oasis Restaurant and serves a huge variety of international foods. There were plenty of choices which varied daily and seating is available both inside and outside.
The Oasis Restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner with A La Carte Dining. There are quite a few other restaurants at Centara Grand Mirage with a variety of cuisines including;
- Aqua Italian Restaurant
- Flames BBQ Grill
- Ginger & Lime Thai and Asian
- Coast Beach Bar & Grill
- Vista Lobby Bar which serves light refreshments & drinks
The Centara Gand Mirage always has plenty of activities on throughout the day led by the Carpe Diem entertainment crew. Whether it was Aqua Aerobics, Pool Games, Water Volleyball, Beach Volleyball or Kids Disco, there is plenty to keep the kids entertained throughout the day. We also stayed over Easter and the Centara Grand Mirage held an Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Activities including cookie making, games and inflatable slides.
We certainly wouldn’t hesitate to return to the Centara Grand Mirage Resort in Pattaya when travelling with kids as we loved our stay here and would highly recommend it for families of all ages.
You can view our Centara Grand Mirage room tour you tube video here.
For more information on Centara Grand Mirage go to www.centarahotelsresorts.com
While in Pattaya we also stayed at the Hilton Pattaya – read review here.
