Starwood Preferred Guest - Phuket: Which Starwood hotel should I choose?

Hi im a plat member, that gonna spend 16 days in phuket now in February and i wondering if anyone has any experiences from either the Sheraton Grande Laguna or Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort ?

Here's some reading that might be helpful:

Phuket (Phang Nga) - Le Méridien Khao Lak Resort (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=502683)
Phuket - Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=543877)
Phuket - Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175537)

I've included the link to Khao Lak, as that is a very nice property a little ways north of the Phuket Airport.

While you mention being a Platinum, so perhaps I can surmise you're asking about which hotel provides the best platinum benefits, you didn't mention what kind of trip you're looking for / what you value most? That will help folks advise you, especially if the threads linked above don't get you what you're looking for (or if you decide not to read them ;) though I suggest you do -- great info :) ).

Don't bother with the charmless Meridien.
As a platinum, I had booked two rooms last year and was upgraded to a Villa, by the golf course, complete with private swimming pool. A steal.
Normally, they would provide their platinum with a nice room with lagoon access, or what they call the Villa rooms, which are closer to the Puccini restaurant.
At the Sheraton Krabi, you will be given a suite provided there is availability. Unfortunately, while I love the property, there are too few suites, hence the likelyhood of an upgrade is not as high. The rest of the rooms are comfortable but not outstanding. It is however a very new property and they have made significant improvement recently with the addition of a second pool and an additional restaurant.
In both cases, restaurants on the beach which are not run by Sheraton provide excellent food and great price, specially the one on the beach in Krabi.

I always (four times) got a villa at the Laguna facing the Banyan Tree. Very nice. Their Platinum treatment is excellent. Great free breakfast at the Puccini, good drinks in the afternoon. I was most impressed on my first stay when the waitresses remembered my name after the first day.

Just got back from Khao Lak and have to say that it was the nicest property I've ever stayed at and far away from all the crazy crowded tourist sites. Would definitely go back ASAP.

I too have always gotten a 2 story villa facing the Banyan Tree. The free breakfast and snacks/wine/champagne/etc at night by the Puccini are nice. Essentially, we spent an entire 4 nights at the Sheraton Laguna and could have doen so without spending a penny (we don't eat a lot) :)

Hi all thanks for the good feedback, based on the info posted in this thread and from what i found in the links passed in here I went for the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket.

All well and done but just 2 days before I'm supposed to arrive i get an urgent messages from them where they states that there are temporarily closed and that they cant honor my 17 days reservation. After first trying to call them directly , but after experiencing bad phone lines and even worse language skills.
I gave up and call the platinum desk and after they told me that due to an unlawful strike the resort was temp. closed until the 16 of February, but they could honor my reservation from that day. Then they changed my old reservation with the new dates, and in the same operation they increased the room rate by 40 %. Called Platinum desk again, and they promised me that it was the old rate that should be charged even though my new confirmation stated the full rate.

Since I'm also a diamond at Hilton i decided to stay the first nights at their Arcadia resort where after they heard about my problems with Sheraton upgraded me to the royal suite.

So tomorrow I wonders whats gonna happen when I'm showing up at Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, maybe their open maybe not, and how much of a fight do i have to put up to make sure they honor my original rate.

Time will show

Since I'm also a diamond at Hilton i decided to stay the first nights at their Arcadia resort where after they heard about my problems with Sheraton upgraded me to the royal suite.

Wow! Kudos to Hilton.

So tomorrow I wonders whats gonna happen when I'm showing up at Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, maybe their open maybe not, and how much of a fight do i have to put up to make sure they honor my original rate.

I'd have someone from Hilton call the Sheraton, find out if they are open, and confirm the rate. Make sure they get the name and title of the person with whom they speak. Why check out of a place that's treating you so well without knowing what you face at the other property. Remember, you also have the lovely Le Meridien Khao Lak as an alternative to the Sheraton.

I loved the Sheraton Laguna- not much like a Sheraton at all. I was upgraded to a lovely villa with croissant delivery every morning, special area breakfast and pool snacks for villa guests, etc. Great in-room amenities like choice of aromatherapy scent etc. I can also recommend taking a private dinner cruise on the Banyan Tree's boat next door (concierge can arrange). I haven't been there in over a year so can't say what it's like right now...

As for the Meridien I think the Meridien Phuket Yacht Club is nicer than the Phuket Beach Resort.. it's part of LHW and they upgrade to suites with balconies and hot tubs. The suites are on the top floors and since the elevator only goes to 6 but if you don't mind walking it's a lovely, peaceful place to stay and it's not that far into town. Mostly I love the wild flowers here.

Just an update from my first days the Sheraton Grande Laguna, based on my initial experiences my hopes wasn't that high when i checked in yesterday.

After being picked up by a nice driver from my old hotel, I arrived at the hotel started and after check in I was upgraded to a nice laguna villa. The same evening I was invited to a cocktail together with other special invited staying guest and the management, then it become clear to me that most management was made aware of my comments online. And most of them approached me at the party and expressed sympathies for my remarks and stated if that there was anything they could do to improve my stay with them i should just let them now.

The next morning I inquired about an upgrade to a island villa more based on my personal reference to more modern interior than the nice traditional Laguna Villa's, I offered to pay for this upgrade since the request was more based on my preference based on interior than that something was wrong. But thanks to the lovely director of rooms that I met at the party last night, I was upgraded once more free of charge.

Summarized so far my stay at the Sheraton Grande Laguna have been a very good, and I'm looking forward to enjoy my last 12 days of the stay. And its helps that I'm met with the attitude everywhere here that nothing is a problem will fix it, and that everybody of the staff now my name already.

I will post an update at the end of my stay to give an report of the whole stay as well.

Hi

Now my stay at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket starts comes to an end after 12 lovely days here. After a rough start and a good follow up at check in the rest of the stay have been a dream. After traveling to various countries in Europe as a plat member, i thought i knew what good treatment felt like, but that was before i stayed at the laguna property.

It included upgrades, daily personal service/follow up, follow up on everything i asked/inquired about and just the personal touch that you got the feeling that they really wanted to do everything in their power to help you get the best possible stay.

I have several time flown first class with Thai airways with is rated several times to be one of the best flying experiences, the treatment at least i got as Plat member at theSheraton Grande Laguna Phuket is above and beyond the treatment I got on Thai.

So from being a complaining customer they turned me around to be walking ambassador for them in just a few days, and for those who know me that's a first i usually needs more time than that to turn.

I will only say that if you ever as a plat member are in the Phuket area and wanted to be treated like a real VIP, stay a few days at this property and you will learn what it really means to be a top tier member.

And as lost comment I only wish that all the other starwood properties was anywhere close to the way Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket treats its top tiers members