Phunawa Resort

“Great stay, huge room, fantastic balcony and pools!”

We had a good stay at the Phunawa resort for 2 weeks, the location was ok, it was about a 10 minute walk into the town and about the same to the beach but is situated up quite a steep hill, fine for us but anyone with mobility issues would struggle, there are plenty of taxis and tuktuks available... more

We had a good stay at the Phunawa resort for 2 weeks, the location was ok, it was about a 10 minute walk into the town and about the same to the beach but is situated up quite a steep hill, fine for us but anyone with mobility issues would struggle, there are plenty of taxis and tuktuks available however. We found it great value for money on the deal we found on Agoda and we all loved the big, warm pools. Pro's: Great huge room, 2 separate bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen and a lounge with cable tv , great kitchen with all the utensils, glasses, crockery etc you need, the balcony was huge with a table and chairs and maiden for drying clothes, we enjoyed many nights sat out watching the lightening in the sky. The cleaners came every day, the room was kept very clean, bed linen changed, clean towels provided and they even washed the few pots we left in the sink. The pools were great, always a sun lounger available, pools a good temperature. We didn't eat here other than at breakfast but the food looked ok from what we saw and the drinks we had round the pool were good. The staff were lovely and happy to help. Short walk (about 10 minutes) to a fantastic clean beach, the water is lovely. The grounds of the hotel are well looked after, clean everywhere. Cons: The hill up to the hotel is a steep walk, there are lots of signs warning "beware of stray dogs" most days we didn't encounter any issues but one day we did, when walking down to the shop my husband was surrounded by about 4 dogs snarling and showing their teeth he stood his ground and shouted at them throwing his hands up and luckily they went away, thankfully he didn't have the kids with him, he reported this to the hotel and for the remainder of our stay we didn't see them again, I'm not sure if anything was done or if we were just lucky not to see them again but be careful. The breakfast was just ok, we didn't go for about 4 days as there was a swarm of bees around the jams and the drink dispensers, when I say swarm I mean literally hundreds and the staff didn't seem to do anything about it until a number of days later when they finally covered the jams which helped. The egg station was ok, few cereals to choose from, some fresh fruit which needs to be covered as there were ants on this sometimes, the sausage and ham was always cold, they had spaghetti bolognaise often with some noodles/rice and fresh salad. They did have a hot drinks dispenser which for some reason got taken away and replaced with 2 pots of coffee, no hot water until we asked for it. Overall we had a great stay and we would return if we found another deal on agoda, room was great, the beach is lovely and we met and spent time with some fantastic local people in Phuket. (make sure to visit Mr Bean and his son at his street food stall outside 7/11 in the centre and we had many great nights at Sutin bar just down the road from Mr Bean, highly recommend)

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“Very nice breakfast and staff”

I have read the precious reviews and can see the hotel has made some improvements on the comments, it's a large resort so I imagine getting it back to its full glory will take some years. Positives are that the pool is crystal clear and clean now, looks to be all new tiling. It is lovely. The roo... more

I have read the precious reviews and can see the hotel has made some improvements on the comments, it's a large resort so I imagine getting it back to its full glory will take some years. Positives are that the pool is crystal clear and clean now, looks to be all new tiling. It is lovely. The room we stayed in (penthouse) was really great! Clean, spacious, comfortable and safe. The air conditioning worked perfectly. Breakfast was delicious with hot omletes, hot coffee, a range of fruits, croissants etc. Very delicious. Our staff were attentive and I found it very easy to communicate. I noticed some reviews spoke about the "English being poor', but this is not England and maybe that person should learn some Thai if its that easy to learn another language. The staff tried very hard to communicate in another language and we appreciated that. Yes the hotel is a bit tired and needs some updating but at least they are working on that.

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“Not a great situation made great by great people”

I will start by declaring we only stayed for one night of our planned 10 night trip. I want to still submit a review as I believe that the way a business handles their customers in a bad situation is often a very good reflection on the business. So here it is. We arrived at check in to find the p... more

I will start by declaring we only stayed for one night of our planned 10 night trip. I want to still submit a review as I believe that the way a business handles their customers in a bad situation is often a very good reflection on the business. So here it is. We arrived at check in to find the pool was completely empty due to works being completed. The work also meant the the rooftop bar and breakfast areas were closed also. We had booked the 3 bedroom apartment with rooftop Jacuzzi. The roof top area is nice and a fabulous view but the external spiral staircase to access it meant it was not accessible for my mother and a little scary with my 2 young children. We also had an issue with a water leak in the main bathroom. I can tell the hotel will be fabulous when they have finished their upgrades but I suggest you call and check before booking. I was disappointed with the work going on but it is low season so is the best time for the hotels to do these things and while prior notice would have been great it was the flexibility and helpful nature of the hotel that I want to say was fantastic. We stayed one night and had a fabulous breakfast brought to our room in the morning. That morning I spoke to the lady in the front office about my concerns with no pool or meals area at which time she did not charge us for the full 10 night stay that we had planed and she even helped us to find an alternative hotel and arranged transport for us to relocate. (We had a great time in Karon beach still and thanks to the Phunawa report for making what was a tricky situation much easier)

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