OMGImInPattaya

Lived in Thailand for 20 years...have stayed at maybe 50-75 different hotels...never felt in any danger.

OMGImInPattaya

My review of the Renaissance Mai Khow Beach resort in Phuket...

Renaissance by Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Thailand [Master Thread]

OMGImInPattaya

Yes a quick check of Google Maps shows that Khao Lak is on mainland Thailand, not Phuket.

skywalkerLAX

Lived in Thailand for 8 years and have seen plenty of local hotel garbage sold as a fake 4* or even 5* property when in reality it was 3* trash at best. Hard pass, I'm taking a branded hotel any day of the week. YMMV

OMGImInPattaya

Agree...but you made it sound physically dangerous to stay at a non-branded hotel. Also, many great independently owned and operated hotels, both big and small, in Thailand, but you do have to do your research.

goodeats21

Surprised that there have been no recent entries on this thread. Has anyone used a Marriott Phuket Hotel for a "sandbox" stay?

Appears most (all?) of them are "SHA+", but looking at the properties, I don't see any indication of "packages" that are bookable for sandbox. Or do I simply make any 8 night reservation and it is assumed to be "sandbox"?
When I did the ASQ in Bangkok earlier this year, it had to be specified as ASQ, included the COVID tests, airport transfer in quarantined transport van, etc.
But maybe since Phuket is "open", all I need to do is make any reservation? Not sure how to arrange for COVID tests then, etc.

Assuming I can get that part sorted, I am thinking of either Phuket Marriott Merlin Beach or LM Beach Resort, just as they appear much closer to "town" for some things to do. But I haven't ever been to Phuket before, so maybe staying closer to airport at JW is the way to go?
I am a very frequent visitor to Thailand. Like nightlife, meeting locals, and basically wandering around with a variety of bars, restaurants to discover. Thoughts on location?

Thanks for any help. Been searching around quite a bit and not quite understanding the process now.

verstein

I just spent four months in Phuket. My favorite Marriott is Merlin Beach which I really enjoyed with my family.. Also stayed at Four Points which is nice but rooms are smaller. The breakfast is excellent. These would be my recommendations out of the 5 hotels I stayed at during thi period. Currently the rates are great.

Sohan

Merlin beach is fantastic for the kayaks and seeing the sealife right there on the beach. I personally loved the rooms with access to the beach from the balcony. Barely spent any time in my room!

Really liked Nai Yang (too loud for construction but great hotel), Naka Island was phenomenal and so was JW both in Phuket and Phang Nga. Both JWs had great gyms as well, didn't look at the gym in Naka and Merlin and Nai yang I would say were extremely subpar.

goodeats21

Thanks Both.
Leaning toward Marriott Resort, Merlin Beach. They have really great pricing. I like to take long walks, so I think a better choice then up at the JW. After 50+ trips to Thailand, this will be my first time visiting Phuket!

As I am gathering info from the hotels, surprised to learn that all the reservations for Sandbox use are non-refundable. All the ASQ bookings in Bangkok that I looked at were refundable if you couldn't make the trip.
Adds some risk, with the offset of not being restricted to the room for a week...

Sohan

Maybe you can book the SHA+ hotels on a flexible rate? I'm not sure if it will work or not but most hotels accept Megatix making them great deals. I'm not sure if that interferes with the SHA+ or sandbox method though with regards to testing etc.

goodeats21

With the SHA+ scheme, appears that the booking needs to be fully prepaid. Here is the relevant blurb I received from LeMeridien
Quite different from ASQ in Bangkok, where they are very specific that cancellations were allowed up to a couple days prior to arrival.

filelover

Headed to the JW for Thanksgiving. Know it will be much slower than past times but hoping there is some life around the property.

I bet those restaurant shacks and massage ladies are probably gone.

If anyone has recently been there would love to know how it is.

goodeats21

Just an update. I booked the Four Points for 7 nights, arriving in early November. Rates were VERY low, and more importantly, they were willing to refund portion of prepaid nights if I decide to leave early (if the rumored Nov. 1 changes actually happen). Location seems much more "in the middle of things", plus also right on the beach. Newer property with good reviews, so should be a good visit. They have also been great to interact with, very helpful during the reservation process for SHABA certificate, etc. Camry from airport to hotel 1000 THB, which I thought wasn't bad after hearing about expensive transport throughout Phuket.

I will be sure to post a review in the property specific thread when I arrive.

Marriott Merlin beach was a strong candidate, but their lowest rates were all packages that were non-refundable, so that weighed heavily against them for this trip. Just a lot of uncertainty with Nov. 1 changes, so not this time.

skye1

A very helpful thread. Looking at Phuket the week of Christmas - NYE.

merrickdb

I've stayed at the Marriott Merlin Beach, Four Points Phuket, Renaissance, Le Meridien Khao Lak, Westin Siray Bay, Ritz Phulay Bay, Naka Island, and Marriott Nai Yang (many for several weeks) over the past three months. I've also toured both JWs, the Le Meridien Phuket, and the just-opened Courtyard Phuket Town. Different properties have different strong points, but I've made the Marriott Nai Yang my home based on a combination of a great oceanfront pool villa upgrade, reasonable prices both for rooms and F&B, OK location (still not great, as even Bang Tao is 25 minutes away, but it's not as remote as the Mai Khao or Khao Lak properties), and a good beach. I'd be most likely to return to the Ritz and Le Meridien Khao Lak, but the Naka Island, Renaissance, and Four Points are strong too.

Best beach: Le Meridien Phuket (but otherwise a property I was keen to avoid--felt like a ghost town, and they don't upgrade beyond single-room junior suites)
Best service: Strong across the board (better than I've had at some US Ritz Carltons at every property in Phuket including the Four Points). Ritz Phulay Bay was the best, however. Our butler, Yid, was always present and amazing. Note that the Ritz itself isn't doesn't have much of a beach, but there are free speedboat transfers to a beach they have on another island (sadly the boat was cancelled due to weather the two days we were there). Also note that despite being a Ritz Carlton Reserve, the property treats Bonvoy elites very well, including very generous room upgrades and late checkout (we were offered 6 p.m.)
Best rooms/upgrades: Marriott Nai Yang, Renaissance, and Le Meridien Khao Lak all upgrade elites to villas with private pools. All of the Nai Yang ones are seafront and the Renaissance has a few seafront villas but they may be sold out. The worst upgrades/rooms at the moment are the Courtyard (the floor with the suites isn't complete yet and the available junior suites are a standard room with an additional small windowless room near the entry with a sofa) and the Marriott Merlin Beach which hasn't had suites available for booking in at least four months (with nothing bookable in the near future either). The Four Points is generous with suite upgrades when possible, but it's a dense property (>600 rooms in a small area) and ~85% of rooms, including all but four suites, don't have balconies or even windows that open.
Best location for restaurants: Courtyard by far. Loads of restaurants and an amazing Sunday market all in close walking distance. Phuket Town is well worth exploring. If you have a car, the Westin is only a 10-minute drive from Phuket Town, but the property itself feels old and is quite dirty (particularly the beach).
Best F&B: Marriott Merlin Beach. Reasonable prices and solid food, particularly in the Thai restaurant. The Pla Manao, whole steamed seabass in garlic and lime, there is the best I've had in Thailand, and I've had it in dozens of places. That preparation isn't on the menu at the Marriott, but you can request it. They have live fish, according to a staff member. Breakfast is great across properties, but my ranking would be Ritz, Naka Island, Four Points, Marriott Merlin Beach, Renaissance, Marriott Nai Yang, Westin Siray Bay, Le Meridien Khao Lak.