Royal Phuket Yacht Club Hotel

We have stayed in 4 different hotels during our recent tour of Thailand and we're sorry to say that the Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club was the least attractive hotel of all. The location of the hotel is great: overlooking a quiet and pretty beach. The rooms are large and they have a wonderful and large terrace, complete with outdoor sofa and table, overlooking the bay. However the rooms look run down: cracked tiles in the bathroom, only 1 sink, the toilet seat clearly needed replacement ... The hotel also suffered in our opinion from a lack of Thai style in both the rooms and the restaurants. It is clear that this is more of a big-chain hotel rather than a Thai hotel. The swimming pool didn't look attractive and was too small for a 5 star hotel!! Finally, whilst staff was generally friendly, their English was not as good as in other hotels and they were not as committed to service as in the other places where we stayed. Also, we could not help but feel at a few occasions that they were trying to take advantage of us being tourists: e.g. they tried to talk us into hiring a car from a friend of theirs at 50% above the rate of the firm just outside the hotel (which probably was their friend anyway). We went to Thai Village by taxi (arranged by the hotel). When we arrived there, Thai Village was closed due to lack of visitors after Tsunami. You would have expected from the hotel to have known this! Actually, they couldn't give us information on any activities or excursions at all. The Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club probably was fantastic when it opened nearly 20 years ago, but unfortunately it is now visibly old and tired and it lacks charm and identity. Compared to the hotels that it claims to be in the same class in, the Yacht Club is definitely 2 notches lower. We next stayed at the Evason (just 5 miles away) and had a much better experience for the same price!!

After 30 hours of travel from Sacramento, CA to Phuket, we were beginning to wonder if Hawaii might have been easier!! Well the travel and jet lag were well worth our stay at Le meridien. After a long, hot and crazy cab ride, we were greeted with cold towels, leis and lemongrass water. The service and attention to detail did not stop there. We were personally escorted to our lovely room with fresh fruit waiting for us. At first we both thought our room was nice, but not huge. Then we realized it is half outdoors. I have never seen a hotel patio that large. A dining and living area in the shade and two chaise lounges in the sun. The balcony views of the flowers, beach, hills, water and sunset are spectacular. The beach rivals any that we have been to. No rocks or seaweed and just the perfect temp. The snorkeling is fantastic - we saw the same fish and coral on a whole day excursion! We also boogie boarded, kayaked and sailed the hobie cat. All free. I cannot say enough about the staff. It was my husbands birthday and the brought a cake, champagne and roses. The turn down service was lovely with orchids on the pillows. The beach and pool staff were especially fun and friendly. They take you to your chairs and towel them for you. As everyone says, a big smile goes a long way in Thailand. The food was good. We especially enjoyed Le Promenade for lunch, either at the beachfront restaurant or poolside. The breakfast buffet at the Quaterdeck has something for everybody. It was a perfect way to start our day. We rarely return to the same place twice, but I cannot wait to come back to the smiles of Phuket.

I'm afraid we had a different experience to the other travellers who recently reviewed this hotel. After 4 days in Bangkok we were looking forward to the relaxing part of our honeymoon before heading to Cambodia. The hotel is well appointed with a luxurious appearance and wonderful floral displays in the public areas. However, on check in we were sent to a twin room (on honeymoon!!)and walked around the hotel viewing 2 further twin rooms before the receptionist eventually offered us a double room, despite the fact that the hotel was only half full. The hotel also insisted on charging my credit card for the double room before moving our baggage. I have travelled all over SE Asia and have come to expect the usual excellent hotel service, we have never been treated so shabbily. The breakfast buffet was excellent, however the evening dinner buffet was, at best, tired. The alternative formal dining restaurant is Italian style with wonderful staff but the food is old fashioned, heavy, overly sauced and not suitable to the climate (classic 1970's bad hotel food!). The seafood dishes were passable but most of the meat was tough. It represented very poor value which is a problem when alternative locations are limited. La Promenade restaurant at the beach is a lovely setting and the food there was the best in the hotel, unfortunately during our 10 day stay it closed early at 17.00 and did not open for dinner (as it should in high season). Furthermore for the first week of our stay there was no hotel entertainment, (the bar, never busy, was always deserted and closed by eleven.)The lack of eating options and entertainment was not reflected in the rates which were increased on the 31st October, without a concominant increase in services provided. The room to which we were finally allocated, had a lovely view and sun terrace. Nai Harn beach is truly gorgeous although older patrons should be aware that there are 2-3 flights of steps down to the beach. The pool is very small and it is only possible to swim very short widths, but has an attractive waterfall feature. This hotel gives the impression of simply not trying that hard and suffers dreadfully in comparison to supposedly equivalent hotels of our experience in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Bali. All in all this hotel is comfortable, but far from 5 star. I could not recommend it as a honeymoon destination. The final insult was on our last night when the reception would only confirm the time of our morning airport pick-up with the local agent for a call charge of 120 Bht, surely this should be included in the 5 Star experience!

I've been travelling for 30 years and have never taken the time to review anything. But after taking advantage of the wonderful info on this site I simply must contribute to the next traveller considering the Yacht Club. Absolutely wonderful. Every concievable detail has been addressed. Ever have a rechargeable flashlight in your hotel room? Terrific location if you want a reasonably quiet, luxurious stay. Fantastic views, wonderful service, but within walking distance of a number of local restaurants and shops. Would return in a second. Happy travels!

We spent a week in this hotel and found the service to be outstanding, the rooms to be superb and the facilities excellent. The hotel overlooks a bay and has few steps down to the beach where they provide you with sun longers, towels and lounger covers. The food was also excellent. Recommended

Mt daughter and I stayed at the hotel for 3 nights after hectic Bangkok. We had arranged to be picked up by the hotel and we were met by a hotel representative on our arrival at the airport. From there on until departure, we didn't have to lift a finger with our luggage. All the rooms had an ocean view with luscious plants and coconut trees. With our room we had a veranda which was really appreciated. Also, the room was very bright and airy. The breakfast buffet was not disappointing and it was in a room with open views of the sea. We had a couple of treatments in The Spa which was lovely (however, my daughter was bitterly disappointed with the hair salon as they highlighted her hair with the wrong colour - apparently they used to have a stylist trained with international methods but the current stylist has limited experience.) The hotel is beautiful and luxurious. Nearest local beach is just a few hundred yards away. Cocktails very good value during Happy Hour! Staff very friendly and can't do enough for you. The only shame was that we only had a short stay at this wonderful hotel and wished that we could have extended our stay there instead of flying back to Bangkok for a further 4 nights. I would certainly love to stay there again!

We spent 10 days at The Yacht Club after 4 hectic days in Bangkok. It is the best hotel I have ever stayed in. The staff were very friendly, always smiling, with nothing being too much trouble. Our room was a standard room on the third floor with a fabulous view, huge bed and an extremely large, completely private terrace. The spa was wonderful - again beautiful views and a good choice of therapies. We ate in the hotel on a number of occasions. There was a varied menu which was well cooked and beautifully served. The only drawback is the price of the wine in comparison to other alchoholic drinks - this is the same all over Thailand, however, due to the Thai government's 300% tax on it. Never mind - the cocktails were lovely! This is not an hotel for people who wish to party but it is ideal for those who wish to have a quiet holiday or a stress relieving break. We arrived home feeling that we had been really pampered and look forward to our next visit.

We have just come back for a nice stay in this hotel, where we have been from the 14th to the 25th of August. The hotel is not so big, only 110 rooms, all with a superior view over the bay, the sea and the islands. Rooms are big, our superior room where 50 sqm with 20 sqm of an extraordinary balcon. About the service and amenities I confirm what the other reviewers sayd.. exceptional... you can feel 20 years of experience! I would recommend staying here for a Phuket visit, the atmosphere is special and also the location is good, in the extreme south of the island, 13 km from Patong (that you can reach in 30 mins if you want) and about 20 km from Phuket town. In this place you cannot see damages from the tsunami (in other places yes!), also the restaurants and small shops have been totally rebuilt.

I've stayed at the Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club twice, once in March of 2003 and recently in July of 2005. I have to say that this is one of my favorite hotels in the world (AND I've travelled to over 30 countries). The staff is what sets this place apart. There aren't enough words to describe how wonderful they are! They place great emphasis on personal attention. On both our stays we were upgraded to deluxe rooms, welcomed with wine and cake, and they even surprised us with a beautiful flower bath. During our second stay, we had suffered a motorcycle accident and the front desk manager called us every day to make sure we were recovering. The staff at the spa offered us treatment options that would better suit our condition. This hotel combines luxury, comfort, and attention to detail. It feels grand but at the same time it has that earthy, homey feel to it. It is located in a remote area of Phuket, Nai Harn Beach and it overlooks a beautiful bay. The place has a Mediterranean feel to it, with white washed buildings and terracotta tiled floors and bougainvillea everywhere. The rooms are large, comfortable, with breathtaking ocean views. Our balcony had a lovely seating area with nice wicker furniture and a spacious sun deck where one could lay out. At the edge of the balcony, there were large terracotta potted plants. It's wonderful to sit there during sunset and sunrise! Inside the room, we had a a large king size canopy bed with white bedding and Thai silk cushions and other accents. The bathroom had large wooden sliding doors and a lovely sunken bathtub, which they filled with orchids on our first night so that we could have a flower bath. The main restaurant, lobby, and reading room are located in open air settings, which adds a soothing effect overall. They serve the BEST Pad Thai in the world at the Royal Meridien Phuket (better than any restaurant in Bangkok, or Thailand or around the world!). The spa has luxurious treatment suites with an ocean view and the treatment menu is extensive, wonderful, and well - priced. When we went there this time, we got a free one hour massage if we booked a one hour treatment ($60), so I got an aloe vera wrap, which the masseuse recommended because I had a bad sunburn and bruises and scratches from my motorbike accident - and my husband got a free 1 hour Swedish massage. Quite frankly, I cannot wait to go back again and I truly look forward to my next visit!

We stayed at the yatch club, the service was the best we have ever seen. The hotel staff was very polite, the rooms were awesome we got upgraded to the deluxe ocean view room. The food in the restaurants was very good, breakfast buffet was awesome, I highly recommend it. If you want to party this is not a hotel for you, the hotel is situated in a secluded beach far from Patong beach where all the partying happens. Pesonally I didn't like patong beach it was very commercial, with street hawkers trying to sell you stuff all the time.