Last time I was there, there were a few shops but only really basic - ie a 7/11 type shop etc. nothing major.

There is a Family Mart not too far away - I didn't leave the hotel at all but I saw they had a free tuk-tuk to take you there if you wanted to. The hotel has a small shop and wine cellar and prices are reasonable (but outside is cheaper of course).

Wow, I visited this resort in September of 2015 and was really WOW-ed by the property. Although I do agree there were quite a number of tour groups which did make it a bit annoying. Anyways, my stay here was very positive and really enjoyed my stay. Additionally, I do agree that the beach waves can be rough however I did go in and must say I did enjoy it. (Not really recommended for those newbies)

If they are building a Club Lounge, I would definitely be interested in seeing that happen. Also, ooolala, 1 more Sofitel and Pullman opening up soon, can;t wait for that to happen.

How was the weather in September? I just booked my rooms Sept 17-20 at Pullman and little worried about the rain.. I've been to Thailand three times but this time I will be taking my daughter and my nieces & nephews.(All children)

Also any recommendation for any activities for children/adult and attractions outside of hotel we may be interested to go?

We won't probably go to the beach anyway..I've been to Maldives so my expectation of the beaches at Phuket are not high anyway especially in September which I am aware there can be alot of rain.

Thanks everyone!
John

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With El Nino in full force, it's hard to say what the weather will be like. Although generally speaking, in rain season, it still wouldn't rain for the entire day. Forecasts would probably have a thunderstorm icon displayed every day, but it's more likely you'll get thundery shower for perhaps an hour or 2. The beach will generally be rougher, and sailing/diving may be affected. It is the low season though, so definitely expect less crowds.

Well, when I was there I did not experience any rain during my 4 days, just some dark clouds passing by. However from what I heard, the days before my arrival, there was a big storm. So I guess it depends on your luck.

This resort is located on a quiet beach, so I didn't bother to venture out and just relax in the resort and beach.

With the very big waves you have on this beach, I would not call it "quiet" ;)

Well, true, the waves are strong and aren't meant for children. However, to me, I do like it, depends on personal preference as my mother didn't like while my father and I liked it

Naithon Beach is quite quiet ... just the beach and not much else around. There's a kids club at hotel, but imho it's just very basic.

There's a water park Jungle Splash at Mai Khao Beach, this could be interesting for your kids (http://www.splashjunglewaterpark.com)

I'm actually heading there next week for 3 nights. Short vacation :) I will update more pictures if I can but so far, my interaction with the resort via email has been pleasant.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the hotel. It is a very nice resort.

Thank you!

Yeah our plan is to just relax and maybe go out to the town for a half day and look around.

Recent Stay at Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach (Picture Intensive )
 

Introduction I booked 2 Ocean rooms and request for my rooms to be located at Block 3. This is going to be more of an picture intensived review. (A picture speaks a thousands words)Previously, I had a stay at the resort 6 months before coming back. I literally fell in love with the resort due to the view, service, proximity to the Airport and well the lack of the hustle of Patong. The resort is isolated and thus, gives a relaxing feel. My recent stay was over SongKran which was Thailand's New Year. The resort's was quite full but the team managed to cope without compromising service.  Check In As we arrived way before check-in time were happy that they could offer us 1 of the 2 rooms we booked way before check in time (10am). We booked Ocean rooms as per the Hotel's Director of Rooms recommendation from our last visit. Also, my recommendation is to booked Ocean room and strongly request for Block 3 rooms. Those are the rooms which offer the best view from this category. Trust me on this, just look at the picture below to see the view from the balcony of Block 3 rooms. Prior to my arrival, I emailed the hotel for infomation and to arrange an Aiport transfer. Do yourslef a favour and book an airport transfer, its reasonably priced. The drive from the airport to the resort was 10 minutes and upon arrival at the hotel, we were whisked up to the lobby to check in. Check-in was fast with them offering cold towers (HOT HOT HOT WEATHER) and also offered us welcome drinks (I also recievd another welcome drink voucher later on) which consist of Sparkling wine, House reds or whites, Juices and Soft drinks. I opted for the Sparkling wine with orange juice even though it was 10am because well, I am on vacation. (hahahaha)  Room  Both rooms we booked were Ocean rooms (337 & 323), the 3rd category rooms in the resort. One good thing about booking this room category is that you are near the Lobby with great views of the Ocean. Rooms were well appointed with a spacious balcony. Beds were huge, unlike those King size beds, its bigger than that here. Bathrooms were big with the hotel providing all the amenities we needed. See the attched photos for a better explanation. Service Service here was great. You can expect the usual great Thai hospitality. The Director of Rooms was great and she ensured that we were well taken care off. Honestly, I did not meet a single person who wasn't similing throughout our stay. All the staff were and nothing was too much for them.  Dining Seafood DinnerVero Italian DinnerAla Carte LunchBreakfast BuffetNow, I shall share the photos of my other meals I had at the resort.After feedbacking to them that the meat was horrbile, I was assured by the manager he would change it to make it better, the photo above shows the changes he made, EVEN MORE RARE THAN THE ONE BEFORE????????? After all this, I decided to feedback to Front Desk and within hours, they apologised and said they will conduct an investigation and waived my bill. I do hope they really investigate, that was the most horrible piece of meat I ever had, I susualy take my meats Medium rare nut this was just over doing the rareness.(After the change)(Before the change)Our room included daily breakfast and I might I say that there is an improvement since the last time. Quality was great even though the resort was at high occupancy. Service was abit slow due to the number of guest coming at the same time, so that I cannot fault them. The bread section has such a wide variety, I fell in love with it. We also had lunch and the restaurant which offered good and tasty ala carte food.We also had the Seafood buffet on Friday night and seafood was really fresh and they had a wide variety of fresh seafood like Oysters, Lobsters, Sashimi and hot seafood dishes. The only thing that disappointed me the most was the meat carving, a beef striplion was tough, hard to chew and cut and hardly even cooked (rare).  Pool A picture of me sitting on the ledge of the Infinity Pool admiring the Sunset.The hotel has 2 pools. The main pool which is the highlight of the resort is an infinity pool that overlooks the beach and ocean. However, many mosaic pool tiles are coming off with patches of tiles being bare. I really hope they do repairs soon as I do plan to come back soon. The second pool (Lap pool) is much less crowded then the main pool. The 2 pools are located quite a distance between each other. Beach  The beach here can vary alot in terms of wave currents and tides. Generally, the waves here are quite strong, however at certain times of the day, I notice the waves a a slight calmer during the early afternoon while waves are very strong in the early mornings and evenings.The beach is not directly infront of the resort as the resort is located to the side of the beach, however access to the beach is easy due to the stairs down near the pool. The beach belongs to the Government and thus not alot of upkeeping of the beach is done. But really, what impresses me the most was that the resort sends down a team of people to clean up whatever they can from the beach. Furthermore, the GM himself, Brett goes down to help clean up the beach. He really leads by example, unlike other GMs at other properties. Amenities The resort has a fully equiped Gym (I could't take photos as there were quite a number of people in there), 2 Swimming Pools, an overpriced Spa which I heard is good (Still overpriced), Kids Club, 2 Restauarnts, 2 Bars and 1 Deli. Overall  P.S. Remember to book an Ocean Room and email a request asking for your room to be at Block 3, its really worth it. (The picture below shows an example of what the view is from an Ocean Room)Overall, I really did enjoy my stay. I'm planning to come back here soon as I do love the tranquility found here. My family too loves the resort as it really is an escape from the hustle and bustle of Patong. The resort is great, rooms are great, view is wonderful, beach is nice and its just 10 minutes away from the airport. What more could I ask??? (maybe cheaper rates, hahahhaha)

Great review, cocoleolol. I just stayed at Pullman Khao Lak for Songkran, and should take the time to write a comprehensive review as well as I don't believe this forum has one yet. I'll definitely be trying this one next!