4 years ago
One of the top resorts we have ever been to! We h...
One of the top resorts we have ever been to! We had a fantastic stay at the Renaissance Phuket. Service, room, facilities, food/drinks, everything was a 10/10 experience. I would highly recommend this hotel if you are looking for a relaxing and luxurious vacation. Get ready to be pampered!
Check in
We arrived at the hotel in a taxi, and were quickly greeted by hotel staff that took our luggage and guided us to the beautiful open-air lobby. The receptionist welcomed us, and brought us over to have a seat at the sofa. We were presented with a welcome drink and a towel to cool off from the hot Thailand weather, while the staff processed our check-in. The manager also came to greet us, and let us know to contact him if there were any questions or issues. Once the check-in was complete, we were brought to our room with a quick golf-cart ride.
Room
We booked a regular level room, but were upgraded to a garden villa instead. The villa was absolutely beautiful, and very spacious in both outdoor and indoor space. The villa was fenced off with 8 ft tall concrete walls all around, and was extremely private. It featured a beautiful private garden, and a pool that was large enough to swim in. The villa felt even larger than stated as it had high vaulted ceilings, and was surrounded by large windows that looked into the private garden. The bathroom was also impressive. It had a large bathtub that could ve easily fitted 5 people inside. On the other end was a walk in rainfall shower, with glass enclosure and a window that looked into another small garden.
Property
As soon as we dropped off our luggage at the room, we headed out to explore the hotel grounds. The hotel was situated right on the beach, which stretched on for miles on both ends, as far as the eye can see. The beach was quite wide, and was situated on a slope. The sand itself was not the greatest, as the sand at this location was on the rougher side. The waves were rough while we were there, and so the water was not clear as the waves kicked up a lot of sand. Overall we really liked how private the location was, despite the less than ideal sand.
This hotel also had an exceptional fitness center. There was every piece of equipment that I need and even more that I didn t need. There were a variety of free weights, machines, cables, even a squat rack and several barbells! We were very impressed.
Service
Overall service was phenomenal. The staffs at this resort are very friendly, and went out of their way to help us every time. Whenever we needed something there was always someone nearby willing to help. Despite the staff presence, the service was never too intrusive to the point of annoying like at some other resorts. The most memorable moment was during dinner at the Thai restaurant. We asked the server to help us take a picture. He took several pictures from different angles, then proceeds to go outside the restaurant, so he can snap a few more from outside looking back in! That is really going above, beyond, and outside!
Food
We are both huge foodies so came into the hotel with low expectations for food, since we don t expect an authentic experience being in a hotel owned by a western chain. Turns out we couldn t be more wrong! We were completely blown away by the quality of the cooking at this resort. The Thai restaurant had very authentic flavours. Highlights were the appetizer platter, stir-fried morning glory, and the mango sticky rice. Prices of course were high compared to the local standards, but still decent value compared to what you would have gotten elsewhere.
The breakfast buffet was excellent and way above our expectations. The spread was extensive, and had a large amount of stations that were staffed to prepare fresh food. There was a noodle station, fresh fruit and smoothie station, egg station, ice cream station etc etc. The highlight for us was the freshly made honey ham.