Where to Stay in Songkhla: City, Lake and Sathing Phra

Songkhla is the old port city on the Gulf of Thailand, 20 to 30 minutes from Hat Yai, with Samila Beach and its mermaid statue, an old town of Sino-Portuguese shophouses and murals, and the largest natural lake in Thailand behind it. Hat Yai has its own guide and its own stay page, so this page covers Songkhla itself, the lake shore at Phawong and the Gulf coast at Sathing Phra, in three areas.

This is a short checked list, not a full one. We read the websites of every Songkhla hotel we could find and kept only the ones with a working official site whose wording we could check twice. Five passed. Several well-known Songkhla hotels have only a Facebook page or an out-of-date site, and a search turned up parked or empty web addresses under their names, so they are not on this page.

How to choose

1. Decide the base first. For Samila Beach, the old town and the mermaid, stay in the city and coast area. For a big resort with a pool and a spa on the water, look at Phawong. For a quiet bungalow on the beach with a car, look at Sathing Phra.
2. Check the exact pin. Two of the three city hotels do not give a distance to Samila Beach on their own pages, and Pavilion Hotel Songkhla says only that its rooms overlook the beach. Open the map link for each area, then the hotel's pin, before you book.
3. We show no hotel prices because rates change with dates and room type, and the booking buttons open a search for your own dates. We have not stayed at any of these hotels. Every card shows facts from the hotel's own website, checked on 16 October 2026 after a separate verification pass, with the source linked.

Area comparison

No hotel price is quoted here because we cannot verify a current rate for your dates. Each hotel card gives the source and the date each fact was checked.

Area guide

City, beach and old town

Songkhla city and Samila coast

Vibe

Old port town, pine-lined beach, murals

Noise

The hotels here list karaoke rooms or a live-music pub; ask about noise

Setting / access

Samila Beach is in the city; Wikivoyage describes white sand and casuarina trees

Rate

Check live rates

How you arrive

About 30 minutes by road from Hat Yai Airport according to nearby hotels; minivans and buses link Hat Yai and Songkhla

Three hotels here. Pavilion Hotel Songkhla is a high-rise in Chinese and Portuguese style that says its rooms overlook Samila Beach; BP Samila Beach Hotel & Resort has a Bo Yang address, an all-day restaurant and meeting rooms; The Bed Vacation is a Thai-language seaside hotel with a water park and rooms with private pool access. Wikivoyage lists Samila Beach, the mermaid statue, Khao Tang Kuan and the city pillar shrine among the city's sights.

Choose it if: You want the beach, the mermaid and the old town in the same town, with a restaurant and lounge in the building.

Skip it if: You want a quiet lake setting or a private beach away from the city.

Mistake to avoid: Do not assume a hotel with Samila in its name is on the sand. BP Samila's site gives no beach distance, so check the pin on the map.

Our pick here: Pavilion Hotel Songkhla Check rates

Open on Google Maps

River, lake and resort stay

Phawong and Songkhla Lake

Vibe

Resort on the water, bridges and fish farms nearby

Noise

No verified noise information; ask the hotel

Setting / access

No beach; the setting is a river and lake shore

Rate

Check live rates

How you arrive

Laguna Grand says 30 minutes from Hat Yai Airport and 10 minutes from Songkhla

One hotel here. Laguna Grand Hotel & Spa says it is a five-star hotel with 166 rooms along the Phawong River and Songkhla Lake, with a pool, a spa, water sports and a Lake to Table restaurant on its own pages. Wikipedia calls Songkhla Lake the largest natural lake in Thailand, and Ko Yo and Tinsulanonda Bridge are on the lake nearby.

Choose it if: You have a car or a transfer, and you want a large resort on the water rather than a town base.

Skip it if: You want to walk to the old town or the beach, or you are on a tight budget.

Mistake to avoid: Do not treat the hotel's 10 minute figure as a walk. It is a drive, and it is the hotel's own number.

Our pick here: Laguna Grand Hotel & Spa Songkhla Check rates

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Quiet beach bungalows

Sathing Phra and the Gulf coast

Vibe

Long quiet Gulf beach, temples and palm sugar villages

Noise

No verified noise information; ask the resort

Setting / access

A private beach at the resort; the site describes miles of natural beaches

Rate

Check live rates

How you arrive

Ao Thai Resort says it is near Songkhla and Hat Yai; ask for the transfer time

One resort here. Ao Thai Resort at Bo Dan says it covers 11,600 sqm directly on the sea with a private beach, a garden, a pool and pool bar, and a beach restaurant with a seafood BBQ every Saturday. Its Area page offers tours to Hat Yai, Songkhla and Songkhla Lake with its manager or driver, and Wikipedia says Sathing Phra was once the site of a major trading city, Satingpra.

Choose it if: You want sea air, bungalows and quiet, and you are happy to drive or hire a driver for Songkhla.

Skip it if: You want to walk to restaurants and the old town.

Mistake to avoid: Do not read the resort's four-star wording as an official rating. It is the resort's own claim.

Our pick here: Ao Thai Resort Check rates

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Hand-picked places to stay

Examples of established Songkhla hotels, spread across areas and budget bands. Every fact below was checked against the hotel's own website or a reputable source on 2026-10-16 and links to that source. We have not stayed at these places and give no ratings; we show no prices because rates change daily. The band is the property class (hostel or guesthouse, mid-range, upscale), not a live price.

Area photo, not the hotel. Photo: Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

BP Samila Beach Hotel & Resort

Songkhla city and the Samila coast Mid-range

• The Contact page gives the address as 8 Rachadumnern Road, Boyang, Muang Songkhla. [Source]
• The Rooms page lists the Superior room at 23 sqm with one king bed or two twin beds. [Source]
• The home page says there are 3 meeting rooms with audiovisual equipment. [Source]
• The Dining page says the Cafe de May restaurant is open daily from 6am to midnight and serves Thai, Chinese and Western food. [Source]
• The Dining page lists The Peak 2 Karaoke, with an open lounge for up to 40 people and 8 VIP rooms. [Source]

Suits: It suits travellers who want a conventional hotel with an all-day restaurant, a lobby lounge and meeting rooms in the Bo Yang area of Songkhla city.

Keep in mind: The site names Samila in the hotel's title but gives no distance to the beach or the old town, so check the map. It also runs a karaoke venue open late at night, so ask about noise when you book.

Official site Check rates on Booking.com Checked 2026-10-16

Area photo, not the hotel. Photo: Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Pavilion Hotel Songkhla

Songkhla city and the Samila coast Mid-range

• The home page says the high-rise hotel is set in the heart of the port of Songkhla. [Source]
• The home page says the building is designed in Chinese and Portuguese architectural styles with colonial interiors. [Source]
• The Rooms page says there are 179 rooms. [Source]
• The Rooms page says each room has a private bathroom with a separate tub and shower. [Source]
• The Facilities page lists a snooker room, a fitness corner, traditional Thai massage and a pub with live band. [Source]

Suits: It suits travellers who want an established high-rise hotel in the old port town with sea-facing rooms and its own restaurant, lounge and pub.

Keep in mind: The hotel's web pages carry a 2011 copyright line and a plain old-style design, so the room count and facility list may be out of date; confirm with the hotel. It also has a pub with live band and karaoke rooms, so ask about noise.

Official site Check rates on Booking.com Checked 2026-10-16

Area photo, not the hotel. Photo: Ahoerstemeier, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

The Bed Vacation

Songkhla city and the Samila coast Mid-range

• The Thai home page calls it a seaside hotel (โรงแรมติดทะเล) and describes morning air and an evening breeze. [Source]
• The Thai home page says its private-pool rooms let guests step from the room door straight into the pool. [Source]
• The Accommodation page says the hotel offers 15 room types, including family suites with a living room and bath tub. [Source]
• The Water Park page says the hotel has a water park inside the property for children. [Source]
• The Meeting and Events page lists banquet and meeting rooms for between 15 and 700 guests; the largest takes 200 to 700. [Source]

Suits: It suits families with children who want a hotel with a pool, a water park and a kids' room, on the seaside of Songkhla city.

Keep in mind: The pages we read give no street address or distance to Samila Beach, so check the map. The site is in Thai with English menu labels only, and its water park and events can make the hotel busy at weekends.

Official site Check rates on Booking.com Checked 2026-10-16

Area photo, not the hotel. Photo: Nopphasin Suksawat, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Laguna Grand Hotel & Spa Songkhla

Phawong river and Songkhla Lake Upscale

• The home page says it is a five-star hotel along the Phawong River and Songkhla Lake with 166 rooms. [Source]
• The home page says it is 30 minutes from Hat Yai International Airport and 10 minutes from the heritage city of Songkhla. [Source]
• The Facilities page lists water sports including speed boating, jet skiing, paddle boarding and kayaking, plus a fitness centre and sauna. [Source]
• The Dining page says The Riva restaurant brings fresh ingredients from Songkhla Lake to the table. [Source]
• The Rooms page says each room has a private balcony with views of the river and pool, from 35 square metres for Deluxe rooms. [Source]

Suits: It suits travellers with a car or airport transfer who want a large resort-style hotel on the water with a pool, spa and restaurant rather than a walkable town stay.

Keep in mind: The hotel is out at Phawong, not in the old town, and the 10 minute and 30 minute figures are its own, so ask what they assume. Water sports are listed on the Facilities page; confirm what is running on your dates.

Official site Check rates on Booking.com Checked 2026-10-16

Area photo, not the hotel. Photo: กิตติ เลขะกุล, CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Ao Thai Resort

Sathing Phra and the Gulf coast Mid-range

• The home page describes a beachfront hotel and bungalow resort with a restaurant, away from mass tourism. [Source]
• The home page says the 11,600 sqm resort is directly at the sea with a private beach and a garden. [Source]
• The Accommodation page lists a queen-size bed, fridge, LAN and WLAN, a 32-inch flat screen TV and a balcony or patio in the rooms, with a pool and pool bar in the park. [Source]
• The Restaurant page says there is a seafood BBQ at the beach restaurant every Saturday. [Source]
• The Contact page gives the address as 63/2 Moo 1, Bodan, Sathing Phra, Songkhla Province. [Source]

Suits: It suits travellers with a car or driver who want a quiet beach bungalow stay on the Gulf coast rather than a city base, and who are happy to day-trip to Songkhla and Hat Yai.

Keep in mind: Sathing Phra is a drive from Songkhla city, so the old town and Samila need a car or a tour arranged through the resort. The site rates its own rooms as four stars; that is its claim, not an official rating.

Official site Check rates on Booking.com Checked 2026-10-16

Choose by trip style

Day trips and planning from Songkhla

We have no registered tour listing for Songkhla yet, so we show no tour prices. The button opens Klook's own search for Songkhla, which currently earns us nothing, and results may be limited. Ao Thai Resort and other hotels here offer their own tours, so ask your hotel first.

• Songkhla travel guide: Samila, old town, Songkhla Lake and Ko Yo
• Hat Yai guide: the big city 30 minutes away
• Nakhon Si Thammarat guide: the next province north
• Trang guide: the Andaman side to the west

Browse activities on Klook

Disclosure: we are an affiliate partner of travel booking sites, but these links currently open the providers' own sites and earn us nothing yet.

Getting to Songkhla

Songkhla has no airport; Hat Yai International Airport is the usual entry point, and buses and minivans link Hat Yai and Songkhla. The button opens the 12Go Bangkok to Songkhla page, which on 16 October 2026 showed 3 departures a day, from 6:15 AM to 8:10 PM, over 875 km, with buses, trains, vans, flights and taxis in its title. That is few direct departures, so compare the Hat Yai route too. We do not quote fares. Our Songkhla guide covers the options.

Read the Songkhla getting-there guide Check Bangkok to Songkhla on 12Go

Affiliate disclosure: these links may earn us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we write.

Before you book

• Open the map link for the area and then check the hotel's exact pin. A neighbourhood name can cover a wide area.
• Check the final rate with tax, payment timing, cancellation terms and what the room includes.
• If arriving late, confirm the check-in method and the last transport that actually runs.
• Songkhla has no airport of its own. Hat Yai International Airport is in Khlong Hoi Khong district, and Laguna Grand says it is 30 minutes from the hotel, so ask your hotel for the transfer time and price.
• Two of the five hotel sites are partly in Thai or carry old copyright lines (Pavilion Hotel Songkhla shows 2011), so confirm current rooms, rates and facilities by phone or message before you book a non-refundable room.

FAQ

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.