HOTEL REVIEW: Amari Phuket!
November 14, 2017|In #asia-stay, Asia, Asia Reviews, Phuket, Thailand|By paraphernalia.coShare This
Watch the sunrise from your private balcony by a lush hillside forest. Embrace 270° views of Patong Bay and its surrounds.
Table of Contents hide Watch the sunrise from your private balcony by a lush hillside forest. Embrace 270° views of Patong Bay and its surrounds. See the sunset from an open-air bar with your favourite sundowners. Spend the day snorkelling from a private jetty or swimming at the secluded beachfront. Does such a haven exist? At Amari Phuket, you’ll have all that and more. Shall we take a look around? The Entrance. The Rooms. The Clubhouse. The Restaurants. The Bars. The Spa. Other Facilities & Services. The Verdict.
See the sunset from an open-air bar with your favourite sundowners. Spend the day snorkelling from a private jetty or swimming at the secluded beachfront.
Does such a haven exist? At Amari Phuket, you’ll have all that and more. Shall we take a look around?
Located at the southern end of Patong Beach, Amari Phuket has both resort tranquillity while enjoying close proximity to the action of Patong.
Blending with the landscape, Amari Phuket is one of Phuket’s only resorts to claim private beach access and hillside accommodation with magnificent views. Established in 1984, Amari Phuket is also one of the longest standing resorts on the island.
Instrumental in providing access to Patong from the southern end of Phuket, Amari built the Coral Bridge with little disturbance to the fishing village located in the canal. From the bridge, the entrance to the resort’s open-air reception area is accessed.
The Entrance.
On entering the vast reception area, the dramatic birds’ nest ceiling installation may stop you in your tracks.
Handcrafted from rattan, an important item in local daily life, the installation signifies Phuket’s importance as a stop-over for migratory birds and home to many unique species.
With a total of 380 accommodation options across superior, deluxe and Ocean Wing suites, the resort’s scale model in reception will help with your bearings. A map is also provided for wandering the stunning grounds.
The Rooms.
197 Superior and Deluxe rooms and suites of the original hotel are reached directly from reception. Each room has a private balcony with ocean views. Private sun terraces, additional space and views of Patong Bay are offered in the suites.
The 183 unit Ocean Wing on the hillside comprising 1 and 2 bedroom all-suites offer outstanding views and facilities. Complete with kitchens, laundries, dining areas and large double balconies, the Ocean Wing all-suites include exclusive Clubhouse benefits.
The Clubhouse.
Designed to offer enhanced privacy exclusive to Ocean Wing guests, the Clubhouse features 270° views from the lounge, infinity pool, sun deck, even the fitness centre.
Breakfast at the Clubhouse combines a daily á la carte menu with fresh tropical fruits & juices, yoghurt, charcuterie, cheeses, bread & pastries, and a hot buffet including real pork sausages and bacon!
Complimentary tea, coffee and light snacks are available throughout the day and for sundowners, complimentary cocktails and pre-dinner canapés are served from 17:30 to 18:30.
Ocean Wing guests are, of course, welcome to use the resort’s other pools, fitness centre, bars and restaurants. Buggies make accessing your hillside Ocean Wing suite stress-free but if a little exercise is needed the 230 vertical steps from reception to the Clubhouse will help with that extra holiday baggage.
The Restaurants.
At Rim Talay, relish in the sea breeze while indulging in delicious Thai classics and International favourites. An all-day dining venue adjacent to the main pool, Rim Talay’s á la carte menu is joined by daily theme night buffets and live cooking stations.
La Gritta’s authentic Italian menu sits comfortably in Trip Advisor’s top 10 Phuket dining experiences. Inspired by Chef Patrizia Battolu’s homestyle cooking and the use of fresh local produce, La Gritta’s menu covers all the antipasto, pasta, risotto, grilled seafood and meat options.
Chef Patrizia’s “Discovery Tour” of 6 courses of Italian flavours is recommended. Leave it to the expert, we say!
The Bars.
Samutr is Thai for ocean so where better to enjoy ocean views and a cocktail than Samutr Bar. Open on 3 sides a level lower than reception, sunbeds allow you to loll about here all day.
With 2 Happy Hours a day, (5 – 7 pm and 9 – 11 pm) and a daily entertainment program with live bands and DJs, the call from downtown Patong is almost nonexistent.
The Pool Bar serviced by Rim Talay also has daily Happy Hours, 2 – 3 pm and 5 – 7 pm. You can hang out by the pool, inside Rim Talay or park yourself on the deck with a cocktail in hand overlooking the bay.
Jetty Bar is reached via a forest-canopied walkway past a waterfall at the edge of Amari Phuket’s private cove. Complete with views of the ocean and 3 beaches, (Patong, Kalim and Tri Trang) Jetty Bar has a stunning location.
At the end of the jetty, schools of colourful marine life hang out at the coral reef. There’s no need to go island hopping to snorkel when you can do it right here.
The Spa.
Hidden on the hillside immersed in the trees you may spot a glimpse of “salas”, open-air Thai-style pagodas. These are Breeze Spa’s treatment rooms. Open to the breeze, the spa is aptly named. Indulge in body scrubs, mud packs, massages, facials and more with the sound of the ocean and resident bird life lulling you to sleep.
The Phuket Coco Mojito Package is highly recommended. 2.5 hours beginning with a footbath, followed by a honey and oatmeal body scrub, full body massage with your choice of oil and a mini facial. Divine!
Other Facilities & Services.
In addition to the main pool adjacent to Rim Talay and the exclusive Clubhouse pool, a lap pool at La Gritta restaurant makes a third.
FIT Centre, open daily from 6 am to 10 pm, offers daily classes. Yoga, Pilates, Circuit, Cardio and weight training are joined by specialised classes of Fit Ball, Core ABS, Dumb Bells, and Muay Thai. Stretching classes to help prevent injury from all this activity are also scheduled.
Check the Sport Centre for Badminton, Tennis and Basketball tournaments.
A complimentary shuttle bus to Jungceylon Shopping Mall departs 3 times daily and to Kata Beach in the morning with an afternoon pickup.
Thai cooking classes can be arranged, there’s a Kids Club for 4 to 12-year-olds and a babysitting service for parents needing a break.
As if all this isn’t enough, there’s also Voyager Lounge. Offering complimentary use of showers, lockers to store carry-on luggage, computer games, a library and light snacks on request, it’s a lifesaver when you have a flight at odds with checkout.
Access to Voyager Lounge allows you to check out, have that last swim then shower and relax before heading to the airport completely refreshed.
The Verdict.
Going the extra mile, guests are taken care of to the last farewell at checkout.
Staff are well trained, remembering guests’ names and preferences, and empowered to make quick decisions within their portfolio.
The management team communicate respectfully and efficiently with their team members and this is evident in the service provided.
To ensure guest satisfaction from the outset, a survey is delivered via email after the first 24 hours of your stay. Any concerns are expressed and rectified long before they become an issue at the end of your stay.
Amari Phuket offers a 5-star experience at far less than a 5-star price.
Amari Hotels are the centrepiece of the Onyx portfolio of hospitality brands. With properties in Bangkok, Buriram, Pattaya, Samui, Krabi and Hua Hin, they’ve spread their reach past Thailand to Malaysia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, China, Bangladesh and Qatar. Rumour has it a property in Hoi An is on the horizon.
To keep up with Amari Hotel’s expansion and the other hospitality brands in the Onyx portfolio, join Onyx rewards.
Being blown away by the level of service, stunning aesthetics and genuine hospitality of a resort: it’s a thing we love….
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