Thailand Hotel Reviews

Sala Phuket Resort & Spa

The new 5 star Sala Phuket Resort and Spa offers visitors to Southern Thailand a new and unique experience – private villas, most with swimming pools, yet all the facilities and services you would expect from a hotel!

Of the 79 villas, 63 have private swimming pools, and these are not just overgrown bathtubs; these are among the largest guest room swimming pools in the world! 

The beachfront location, on Mai Khao Beach in north-west Phuket, provides guests with a peaceful setting, yet there’s plenty to do in the vicinity if you want to be more active. There are three communal swimming pools and a restaurant that serves a range of both international and Thai cuisine in a variety of settings – choose in-room dining, the rooftop terrace, the beachfront, or by the pool.

Other facilities include a relaxing spa, gym, business services, meeting room, gift shop, and library. All rooms and villas are luxuriously modern and comfortable featuring wide flat screen TV’s, DVD players, and more.

If you want to experience some of the largest pools in private villas in the world, you might want to make plans to spend a night or two at the Sala Phuket.

Sawasdee Village Bangkok

The 4 star Sawasdee Village Hotel Phuket feels more like a 5 star hotel with its excellent range of in-room facilities, luxurious accommodation, and beautiful tropical surroundings.

Only 500 meters from Kata Beach and accessible via the hotel’s own free shuttle bus, the Sawasdee Village Hotel Phuket offers the best of both worlds – a quieter location, yet only 10 kilometers to the lively beaches and nightlife of Patong Beach.

There’s a total of 54 rooms at this Phuket hotel including the 40 comfortable Deluxe Garden Rooms with either a pool or garden view, plus there are 14 ultra luxurious villas for guests who really want to indulge themselves! Every room comes with some great features including a computer with free internet access, DVD and CD player, cable TV, fridge and fully stocked mini-bar, and more. 

The swimming pool is a real feature; surrounded by lush vegetation and with great architecture it is quite stunning. For dining there are two restaurants and bars and guests can take part in Thai cooking classes while staying at the Sawasdee Village Hotel Phuket.

Indigo Pearl Hotel, Phuket

The Indigo Pearl Hotel Phuket is a 5 star hotel situated on the north west coast of Southern Thailand’s popular Phuket. This unique hotel has a boutique feel to it, combining history and rustic with the most modern and contemporary designs and furnishings.

There are 277 guest rooms in total and a vast array of rooms choices including the deluxe Kelly Quarters, suites, villas and pavilions to choose from, making this a popular Phuket hotel with all tastes and party sizes. The Plantation Villas with their outdoor bathtub, and the Private Pool Pavilions with plunge pool are especially popular with couples celebrating special occasions, offering the ultimate in privacy. 

The 5 star luxuries continue with the Indigo Pearl Hotel Phuket facilities and services, including 6 restaurants and bars, extensive leisure facilities, swimming pools, a spa, meeting rooms, a ball room and more, and of course the beautiful Nai Yang Beach to enjoy too.

Read more about the Indigo Pearl Phuket.

Millennium Resort Phuket

The 5 star Millennium Resort Patong is positioned in the center of the main beach town of Patong on Thailand’s top resort island, Phuket. The unique design of the resort not only offers convenient access to the lively Patong Beach area, it also offers a quieter more relaxing wing for guests who would prefer to be a little removed from the action, but not too far away.

Millennium Resort Patong offers two different wings, each with their own very different aspects. For guests who are into the exciting nightlife and wish to see more of this famous seaside town, the Beachside Wing of the resort is ideal. The comfortable rooms in this modern and chic wing are equipped with all the amenities  you would expect from a 5 star resort.

On the Lakeside Wing rooms and furnished in a more elegant style, with dark woods and soft warm furnishings providing a tranquil lakeside oasis yet still with fast and easy access to Patong, if you decide that you want to party it up. Of the various room sizes and styles to choose from, the pride of the resort has to be the Cabana Rooms, with their Jacuzzis, private terrace and direct access into the main resort swimming pool. (see picture above)

Facilities at the Millennium Resort Patong include five restaurants and bars, two swimming pools, a gym and fitness facilities, as well as business and conference facilities. The resort is located just 550 yards (500 meters) from famous Patong Beach and the Jungceylon shopping center is right next door.

Ayara Kamala Resort, Phuket

From the moment you arrive at the Ayara Kamala Resort Phuket you realize that this small resort is different to the norm.

Set on a hillside overlooking the Andaman Sea and Kamala Bay provides many rooms with beautiful sea views, and guests can enjoy rooms or villas with private pools or make use of the resort swimming pool or private beach.

With only 27 guest rooms the key here is personal service, and though small, the Ayara Kamala Resort Phuket still offers a range of services and level of luxury that you would expect from a 5 star hotel. 

Deluxe room with Jacuzzis, pool villas and residential villas all feature dramatic ocean views and a kitchenette and full facilities.

The restaurant serves both Thai and International Cuisine and showcases sweeping sea views; The resort also features a spa and wellness center with fitness center, sauna and tennis courts. (Don't worry, the tennis courts are not too close to the ocean dropoff so you don't have to worry about losing your ball forever.)

The quiet location is ideal for couples especially those on honeymoons, yet Phuket's main tourist hub Patong Beach and Phuket International Airport are both only around 30 minutes away.

For more photos, descriptions, reviews and reservations, see Ayara Kamala Resort Phuket.

Family Friendly Resorts in Phuket

If you are planning on taking a family vacation in Thailand, choosing a resort that is child friendly could make the difference between a good holiday and a great vacation.

Taking your kids on vacation to a foreign country can be one of the most rewarding ways to build lifelong memories for both the parents and the children. However it can also be quite trying. Mum and Dad want to relax and unwind, but at the same time show the kids something different and exciting, and hopefully broaden their horizons by introducing them to new and stimulating experiences. Teens  want to have a cool time, but their idea of fun rarely involves anything to do with their parents. Younger kids need constant attention.

But the most important point is that regardless of where you go, the children are safe and happy.

Spending in time in LOS (The Land of Smiles) can be fun and exotic for all members of the family, from riding elephants and tuks -tuks, to having fun on the stunning beaches and taking in some of the other many unique experiences Thailand has to offer. But if you have to continually supervise the kids and try to come up with things to keep them busy, particularly while overseas, your vacation may begin to feel a little less like a holiday and a little more like a chore.

It's a little hard to chill out on the divine tropical beaches with a book and a beer if you have to keep your eye on the kids, especially if they are bored and expect Mom and Dad to take up the entertainment slack. And you can forget about a candlelight dinner if Mum and Dad have to feed the kids or make sure they behave. Thailand has lots of great markets where you can find some excellent bargains, but many of them are very crowded and not a great place to drag children along to.

One solution that smart family travelers resort to are kid friendly hotels. These are hotels and resorts that were either designed with the traveling family in mind, or have facilities and policies that make it a lot easier for families to enjoy their time during their stay.

Some resorts may have interconnecting rooms, or even‚ "child suites",- specially designed rooms with facilities to keep the kids happy like XBox videos games, toy boxes etc. All of them have some kind of "kid's club", providing all day child minding with educational and fun activities for the kids, Internet access and games for teenagers and sports and cultural activities for the entire family.

ReserveThaiHotels.com have published a list of the 10 top family friendly resorts in Phuket for 2009.