Bkfst is quite good at Westin Siray Bay...there are some deferred maintenance issues

Phi Phi Trip
 

Just got back from the Phi Phi tour that is arranged at the Westin Siray Bay with Andaman Leisure Phuket. They picked us up at the hotel, drove us 45 minutest to the Royal Phuket Marina, and we met up with about 30 others who went on the speedboat with us. Each place we stopped at for swimming or snorkeling (about 45 minutes each) was pretty crowded, with other boats arriving around the same time. Beautiful scenery, but little bits of trash everywhere, even in the water - so disappointing that no one takes care of that. Lunch was in a big open air cafeteria and nothing to write home about. For 3300 THB, was about right. If you don't mind the crowds, not a bad experience. Otherwise, I would look for a smaller group tour, which should be arranged in advance (by the time we got here they were booked) and will cost more, maybe 5900 THB. It did rain the last half of the trip so it was quite cold heading back all wet - I would suggest bringing an extra towel and keeping it dry for when you start heading back to the Marina.

Thanks for your reporting back! We had our share of overcrowded experiences on some tours we did from Surin Beach last time we were there but then again 3300THB is such an attractive price. Decisions, decisions!

Delighted to have returned to this gem
 

Introduction Check in was efficient, they remembered our preferences from our last stay and they informed us that breakfast would be in EEST, including Champagne and&nbsp;the half board could be used in any of the hotel restaurants, not just Seasonal Tastes as advertised. &nbsp;In addition they offered drinks with the manager of the hotel on the first night and 15% off any other dining options.<br><br>The One Bedroom Sala Pool Villa was perfect. With a large living area, bedroom, gorgeous bathroom and large pool we knew this was the stay we were looking for. When we entered the room we relaised the air conditioning wasn't cooling the room and it took engineering over five hours to fix the compressor. We really didn't want to have to change rooms but you can always judge a hotel by they deal with issues such as this. The duty manager came to see us while we were at dinner, said they were hoping to fix it by 9PM and if they couldn't they had prepared the villa next to us just in case. By the time we finished she had informed us that it had been fixed. Massive props to the property.<br><br>I have mentioned the build quality before and yes there are some issues, however they are all tolerable.<br><br>We also noticed that the pool jacuzzi on/off button wouldn't work and again engineering managed to fix it efficiently.<br><br>The overwhelming attraction to this hotel is the ability to secure a villa with private pool at a great rate. We like the safety and expectation that come with booking a chain property so we're not the type to book via AirBNB. In addition all of the front line staff are exceptional and aim to help with a delightful smile.<br><br>The irony of this is that management seem to micromanage. While the manager never spoke to us at drinks he berated a bar tender in front of us for not engaging enough with the guests. Annoyingly he also seems to demand that guests are surveyed at the end of every, single meal by a tablet. I considered it on the first night, however when I began inputting my SPG info and name it began populating the names and numbers of previous guests - a huge security issue. We were asked to complete the survey at the end of every meal and when we had room service delivered. My note to the hotel manager is that the staff are exemplary, however his managerment style via constant analytics of his staff is the complete antithesis of what guests come to Thailand for.<br><br>The half board package meant that at every restaurant we were given a smaller version of the full menu where we could choose three courses. This was an enormous amount of food and most nights we only ordered two.<br><br>Overall this was a relaxing and rejuvenating stay. The villas, the aspect of the hotel and the view is exactly&nbsp;what a guest wants when recharging. The other guests also seem to have the same focus so it doesn't attract those wanting to frequent Patong.<br><br>I would 100% recommend this property over the Hyatt Regency Phuket, and we have decided we will return annually from now on.On our last visit we said that we wouldn't return because the build quality wasn't great so this time we booked into the Hyatt Regency Phuket.<br><br>We always stay in a One Bedroom Sala Pool Villa at the Westin so booked a Deluxe Pool King room at the Hyatt for this vacation. I got the feeling the Hyatt wasn't for us when I realised we were driving through Patong and the fact that the hotel is located in such a busy area. Although we had arrived at night the 105sqm room was anything but. I decided to give it a day but upon waking up I realised the pool would receieve no sun.<br><br>I called the Westin, asked if our favpourite villa was unoccupied for our dates and made the reservation via SPG.com while on the phone. The front desk agent was super efficient and ensured the villa would be ready for a 2PM check out. For the first time in my life we booked a half board package because it was very good value.<br><br>We used a car from the Hyatt but as we were driving to the resort I was instantly reminded why we like the property - its isolation from Patong and the crowd it attracts. Whenever we visit we always stay on property with a focus on relaxtion.

m0hamed, I'm glad you had a good time here after your disappointing HR Phuket stay. I, too, stayed at both hotels this year, and was disappointed by both.

What was your take on elite benefits at the Westin? Are they still doing the one drink at the noisy lobby bar thing they had in summer? That was a huge letdown for us. In contrast, the HR club lounge is excellent (your report says you didn't visit) ... great view, great happy hour, great food.

We also prefer the location of the Westin, and the Hyatt rooms are depressing (it remains to be seen what those spa suites look like). Bottom line for me was that both hotels are not worth staying at ... I'm still looking for a replacement for LM Khao Lak, and it simply hasn't materialized in Phuket with any of the chains. I really liked the Indigo Pearl, and I might return to the former LM Khao Lak some day, but I won't return to Hyatt, Westin, or LM Phuket.

Yes, one drink per person, however they seem to extend benefits for Plats and/or villa and suite guests including: Renewal cocktail drinks (see photo) once per stay and breakfast in EEST with Champagne instead of Seasonal Tastes. I also noted I was VIPd because every time we called room service or engineering etc. the hotel operator would call afterwards to make sure we were happy. This is standard *wood practice for in house VIPS.

I guess we knew what to expect at the Westin and the One Bedroom Sala Pool villa felt like coming home. We didn't have to interact with other guests and had maximum privacy.

I stayed there in June. It was nice hotel but didnt like the location, prefer being nearer Patong, preferred the normal breakfast over the plat breakfast and didnt particularly like the hilly layout or the lousy beach. Even with its shortcomings I much prefer the LM in Karon.

We loathe Patong, so it suits us perfectly.

Delighted to have returned
 

Check In We arrived in the hotel limousine and were immediately escorted for a sit down checkin. Naomi, the Wetsin host, had already reached out to us with our specil requests. We requested a specific villa we had before because it is two floors and has a larger pool and private rooftop. We were served welcome beneverages, the hotel manager came out to introduce himself as well as the Executive Chef. At this point it was clear we had been VIPd.&nbsp; Room We arrived to the room and since our last visit the vegetation had grown immenseley. I remember our first trip and we said we would love to see the property in a few years.Given the villa type we knew we wouldn't leave except to eat our meals. The room had a dinine table for four, large living area and a separate bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms.&nbsp;There was some minor wear and tear but overall we were very happy with this space. We never planned to leave the resort so having the large villa was important.We sat by the pool every, single day and use the rooftop when the sun left the pool area.The only negative was the music from the pool by Prego was left on late until 11PM or midnight but they turned it off at our request. Service The service on this stay was exceptional. The GM had emailed prior to arrival and the hotel manager checked on us during the stay. Everyone seems to know our name and go out of their way to look after us without being overbearing.Kat who works primarily in Seasonal Tastes made every day exceptional with her warm smile. She appears to be the dedicated staff member for elits guests all of whom seem to adore her. It wasn't uncommon to see guests giving her hugs every time they saw her.The hotel invited us to their 6th birthday event including Buddhist ceremony and cocktail party. It was very special and being part of the religious event as the only guests is a memory we will share forever. Dining We booked the full board package having previously booked half board and it is an incredible amount of food! You get 3 courses from the full menus for lunch and dinner.Elite, suite and villa guests get breakfast in Eest including Bellinis. Eest's pan Asian meals were exceptional and the Indian food at Seasonal Tastes were all of great quality. Prego was disappointing.In future we would probably only do half board as the portion sizes are for the American palette. Overall Overall this is still a great property. The new GM had made very positive service and we were treated like royalty.We tried the HR Phuket on the last stay and it was too close to Patong and attracted that crowd. The Westin, by contrast, is a haven of serenity and has gorgeous views. Most will enjoy it as long as your realise that the bay is not swimmable.We will definitely return.

Can anyone please recommend this property as a SPG Plat vs Hyatt Regency as a Hyatt Diamond?

Thanks!

Don't cross post. If you had bothered to read either thread you would see several reviews from me.

Apologies! A bit of an urgent request, and I've noted your reviews and will be at the westin :)

Would anyone here happen to know the GM's contact email?

Thanks!

Any experiences with late/4PM checkout at this property? My wife and I are a considering a stay here and our flight leaves late in the day so late check out would be highly valued. My wife is SPG Platinum, but I know resort properties have a "subject to availability" policy.

Regards

We had no problems...
 

....getting late check out and just asked. BUT we were there in October so it wasn't high season.