Hotel Toscana Trat — a Tuscan-style boutique near Trat town, a photogenic stay before island-hopping

Who Hotel Toscana Trat is for — to put it as simply as possible, Hotel Toscana Trat is a small boutique hotel for people who want "an in-town stay with character" rather than just an ordinary bedroom in Trat. The first selling point everyone agrees on is the Tuscan vibe: the terracotta-orange building, the rounded arches, the wrought-iron balcony railings and the small garden corners that make you feel like you're strolling through a little Italian town — even though it's really only just over a kilometre from central Trat. Most people who come to Trat are heading for Koh Chang, Koh Kood or Koh Mak, but many want a night in town before or after the islands, because they've driven five or six hours from Bangkok and are too tired to catch a boat straight away, or because the speedboat schedule is limited, or because their return flight is too early and they have to spend the last night in town. This is the group Toscana serves well, especially couples or photo lovers who want a good-looking stay, not just a room to crash in. It's a small hotel of around 21–29 rooms (the figure varies slightly across platforms), renovated in 2023 and SHA-certified. Real reviews suggest the people who fit here are couples, travellers who like design-led stays, and small families who want a quiet base in town with a pool to cool off in. As for anyone after a beachfront resort or the full set of facilities you'd get at a big hotel, this may not be the answer — they're better off staying on the islands directly.

Location and getting around — Hotel Toscana Trat sits at 155/4 Moo 5, Nong Samet subdistrict, Mueang Trat district. What makes the location interesting is that it's only about 1.3 km from central Trat, a few minutes' drive, yet far enough back from the main road to stay quiet. Within easy reach there's Wat Lamduan about 550 metres away, the Trat city pillar shrine and the former governor's residence about 1.3 km away, and the in-town markets and restaurants a short drive away, so it's convenient to grab food and supplies before heading to the islands. Onward travel to the piers is handled well too: getting to Laem Ngop pier for the boat to Koh Chang takes about a 30 min drive, and getting to Laem Sok pier / Ao Thammachat for the boat to Koh Kood and Koh Mak takes about 30–40 min (Trip.com lists Laem Sok at about 26 km away). Trat Airport (TDX) is about 29–35 km away, or roughly a 30–40 min drive. The honest part is that this is an in-town stay — it's not on the water and not on an island — so there's no sea view or beach to walk along, and the lane the hotel sits on is a quiet residential area where you'll rely mainly on your own car or hired transport, since public transport in Trat is limited. The appeal here is being a good-looking base with easy connections, not a beachfront resort atmosphere.

🛏️ Check availability

Room types and decor — Hotel Toscana Trat is a small hotel with around 21–29 rooms, split into just a few easy-to-choose types. It starts with the Standard Room with a Queen bed and a private balcony as the entry-level room, then the Standard Room with a pool view whose balcony opens onto the pool and garden (reviews note there are only a few of these, so book early if you want one), the Standard Queen with a town view, and the largest room, the Suite with a King bed, which has a separate seating area, with some rooms including a small kitchenette and dining zone — good for those who want a bit more comfort or are travelling as a group. The decor follows the Tuscan / vintage theme throughout: warm tones, wooden furniture, wrought iron and old-European touches, giving the rooms more character than the typically plain, modern in-town hotels. Every room is air-conditioned with a minibar, free drinking water, a TV and a bathroom with separated wet and dry zones. The king-size beds in several rooms get praise for being comfortable. Real reviews consistently note the rooms are clean, tidily arranged and the air-con is nicely cool — many use the words "quiet, clean, comfortable." The honest part is that, because it's an older-style building and a small hotel, some rooms come with details you have to accept — like the hot-water pressure in the bathroom, which some reviews say is weak or heats up unevenly, and the air-con temperature control in some rooms, which isn't very precise. Overall the rooms here suit people who value atmosphere and cleanliness over luxury or spaciousness.

Facilities, pool and garden — what sets Toscana apart from the usual guesthouses or small in-town stays in Trat is that it has an outdoor pool (a saltwater one), which you don't often find at a small place in this price range. The pool isn't resort-sized, but it's enough for a cooling dip after a day of driving or sightseeing, and there are seating corners by the pool that match the orange building nicely. Around it there's a small green garden, a lobby/lounge with a tea-and-coffee corner, and an in-house cafe/restaurant that keeps the Tuscan style throughout. Parking is the star for anyone driving themselves — there's free on-site parking, so people heading to the islands can leave their car at the hotel with more peace of mind than parking it at the pier (do arrange the return date for your car with the hotel in advance). On top of that there's bicycle rental for a ride around the area, a desk that helps book tours and ferry tickets to the islands, a taxi-call service, a vending machine/ATM, luggage storage and a 24-hour reception. There's free Wi-Fi in the common areas. To be straight about it, the facilities here are "just right" for a small hotel — there's no full fitness centre or spa like a big hotel — but in terms of having a pool, garden, free parking and a photogenic atmosphere at this price, it gives good value.

Food and cafe — the hotel has an in-house cafe/restaurant decorated to match the Tuscan theme. Breakfast is served from about 07:00–10:00 every day, a window wide enough for those who have to be up early for a boat, and in many packages breakfast is already included in the room rate (some periods specify breakfast for two). Since it's a small hotel, breakfast is more of a set menu or a limited selection than a big buffet, but it's enough to fuel up before setting off. The upside of staying in this area is that you're close to central Trat, so a short trip out gets you to in-town restaurants, markets and local Trat food, which is why many people choose to eat out instead. If you're in Trat, it's worth trying local specialities like Trat beef noodles, mu chamuang (pork stewed with chamuang leaves), fresh seafood and the seasonal fruit Trat is known for — durian, rambutan and mangosteen. The hotel's own cafe is also a nice spot to sip a morning coffee and take photos that suit the orange building. Overall, food isn't the reason to come to Toscana — it's a supporting feature that does its job for an in-town stay.

🛏️ Check availability

Service and island-hopping help — because it's a small, family-run hotel, the service is the close, personal kind. Many real reviews praise the staff as friendly and helpful, especially with information about onward travel. What makes this a good connection point before and after the islands is that there's a service to help book tours, ferry tickets to Koh Chang, Koh Kood and Koh Mak, and to call a taxi/car to the pier, which takes a lot of the hassle out of connecting between cars and boats — especially for first-timers in Trat who don't yet know how the boat schedules work. The reception is open 24 hours and offers luggage storage, so people arriving late or who have already checked out but are still waiting for an afternoon boat can sort themselves out easily. To be straightforward, since the team is small, service at busy times may not be as fast as a big hotel with multiple shifts of staff — but overall the reviews on service remain positive, and being a small hotel makes it feel more like you're getting friendly, personal care.

What real reviews say (the good and the bad) — pulling together Trip.com, Booking.com, Agoda and TripAdvisor, the picture is fairly consistent. On the praise side: the Tuscan-style atmosphere and decor that's prettier than expected and fun to photograph, the location near central Trat that's still quiet, clean and tidily arranged rooms, nicely cool air-con, a pool to cool off in, free parking, good value at a few hundred to a little over a thousand baht, and staff who help well with island travel. On the watch-out side: the most-mentioned issue is the hot-water pressure in the bathroom being weak or heating up unevenly in some rooms, and soundproofing between rooms, where you can hear the room next door a little. After that comes the air-con temperature control in some rooms that isn't very precise, and a few reviews mention water pooling around the entrance during heavy rain — which is more about the building and the area during Trat's rainy season than a constant problem. On top of that, because it's a small place on the online booking platforms, the number of reviews still isn't as high as a big hotel, with the average around 8.0 out of 10 (Trip.com lists 8.0 from about 12 reviews, and some platforms show slightly higher). These criticisms are the kind you find at a small boutique hotel in an older-style building — fixable by picking the right room and setting the right expectations, rather than a major problem that keeps people from coming back.

🛏️ Check availability

Price and value comparison — the Standard Room starts at about THB 800–1,150/night depending on the season and platform, with some promotions having dropped to around THB 500–600, and some periods that include breakfast for two starting from around THB 1,000 and up. The Standard with a pool view and the Suite with a King bed go up from there with size and season. Compared with other stays in Trat, most of which are guesthouses or small, plain-looking hotels that often don't have a pool, Hotel Toscana Trat feels good value in the sense of "getting a special atmosphere at an ordinary room price" — because for a few hundred to a little over a thousand baht you get the photogenic Tuscan design, a saltwater pool, free parking and a location near town. If you're the type who values the look and feel of a stay, not just a bed, this is better value than a plain-looking in-town hotel at a similar price. But if you're comparing it with newer in-town hotels that have fuller facilities — the kind of city hotel with a gym and a big buffet — you have to weigh up whether you want "charm" or "completeness" more. As always, compare prices across several platforms before booking, and choose the breakfast-included option if the difference is small.

Good to know before booking — a few things help make the stay smoother. One, if hot water and showering matter to you, allow for the hot-water pressure in some rooms not being very strong; ask about it or request a room change if you hit a problem. Two, if you're a light sleeper or sensitive to noise, ask for a room not next to a busy room or the main corridor, and bring earplugs, since it's a small building with thin soundproofing between rooms. Three, if you want a pool view, the Standard pool-view rooms are limited, so specify it at the time of booking. Four, if you're driving yourself, use the hotel's free parking, and if you'll leave the car while you're on the islands, arrange the return date with the hotel in advance. Five, the boat schedule matters a lot — speedboats to the islands run limited services and the last one is usually in the afternoon, so tell the reception in advance to help book your ferry ticket and car to the pier, and check the boat times before planning your check-out. Six, check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is before 12:00 PM; if you'll arrive late, let them know ahead (the reception is open 24 hours). Seven, during Trat's high season (November–February and long weekends) rooms fill up fast because stays are scarce, so book ahead and choose a free-cancellation option if your plans aren't firm yet.

The verdict — taking all the real reviews together, Hotel Toscana Trat is a boutique hotel in Trat town that stands out for its Tuscan atmosphere and quiet, at an ordinary room price — a photogenic terracotta-orange building, a saltwater pool to cool off in, free parking and a location about 1.3 km from central Trat, with staff who help book the boat to the islands. With a score of around 8.0 on Trip.com and reviews that consistently mention the charm of the atmosphere and the value, it does its job as a good-looking base before or after the islands well. The things to accept are that the hot-water pressure in some rooms isn't very strong, soundproofing between rooms is thin, the rooms aren't very large, and the place is in town — not on the water, and without the full facilities of a big hotel. If you're looking for a beachfront resort or the full facilities of a 5-star hotel, this isn't the answer — you're better off staying on Koh Chang, Koh Kood or Koh Mak directly. But if you're the type who values a stay with character, want a few pretty photo corners in Trat town along with a pool and parking for a one-night stay before or after the islands — Hotel Toscana Trat is a charming, good-value choice that's hard to find in this town.