Banyan Tree Phuket

The Banyan Tree staff provided excellent and thoughtful service, even helping with a floating breakfast. However, since the hotel is over 30 years old, there are some minor issues, like the mattress being too soft (which isn't good for your back) and the air conditioning being too warm with uneven airflow. Overall, it was a great trip, and the hotel has many beautiful spots for taking videos.

I definitely won't be coming back here again! The facilities are old and rundown. The power kept tripping every time it rained – it's been happening for two days straight! The breakfast was awful, with hardly anything edible, and the coffee was absolutely terrible. While the service was quite enthusiastic, they're clearly understaffed! Waiting for the buggy took ages!!!

The room was spacious, surrounded by lush greenery, and very quiet. The pool was exceptionally clean. We were just a minute's walk from the beach. The staff at Banyan Tree were incredibly friendly; they would even flag down a taxi for us with a small red flag whenever they saw us getting ready to leave. In the evenings, they'd specifically remind us about the risks of swimming in the sea. We had three meals at the hotel, costing around 900-1000 RMB, and they were delicious. One evening, a chef of Chinese descent even came to chat with us, which was a nice touch. The restaurant manager greeted us warmly both morning and evening, making us feel right at home. Everything, from the facilities to the service, was wonderful. It was so good that I felt a bit out of place when we moved to the Peninsula Bangkok afterwards. I'll definitely book this hotel again when I go back to Phuket; it's truly value for money.

The rooms are visibly dated, but well-maintained. The pool and sun loungers are great, but the room size is a bit small. Adding an extra bed for the kids made the space feel cramped; I wish I'd booked one of those two-room options instead. The overall hotel environment is excellent, with good ecology – snails, geckos, and birds are everywhere. You can bike around the hotel grounds. It's a 90s hotel, but it doesn't feel outdated, which I really like. The public beach is fantastic, clean, and has trees. You can grab towels and water before heading out. It's amazing when the weather is good, making the Rawa side seem quite ordinary in comparison.

Having had excellent experiences at Banyan Tree Yangshuo and Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur before, my choice for this Phuket vacation was a no-brainer: the very first Banyan Tree ever, Banyan Tree Phuket, as our home base. As soon as we arrived, the hotel's concierge staff warmly greeted us, helped with our luggage, presented us with beautiful welcome bracelets made of fresh flowers, and escorted us to the lobby seating. They also brought us delicious and thoughtful welcome drinks and snacks. I didn't even need to go to the front desk to check in; I just relaxed on the comfortable sofa, taking in all the beautiful scenery. We took the buggy to our two-bedroom villa, and the kids were ecstatic, finally able to play freely without worrying about disturbing others or suppressing their natural exuberance. Since there were four adults and two children, the front desk staff thoughtfully asked if we'd like an extra bed. The interior design is generally understated, and while some facilities show their age, everything you need is there. The pool is large, 1.3 meters deep, with a constant temperature circulation system. There's a smaller pool with warm water, perfect for the kids. Overall, we were very satisfied, but there were a few minor drawbacks, some of which were quite disappointing. The breakfast wasn't as extensive as I'd imagined, and there weren't many options suitable for a Chinese palate. While they featured various types of eggs, Western, Japanese, Indian, Thai, and local Phuket specialties, the Chinese breakfast options were very limited, and there weren't many hot dishes. I walked around and genuinely couldn't find much I wanted to eat. Then there's the room service, which needs improvement. Several times, I called customer service and waited two or three minutes without anyone picking up. Once, I called for a buggy and waited twenty minutes, even though they normally arrive within ten. I understand hotels can be busy sometimes, but for a hotel of this caliber, this kind of situation is unacceptable. Also, there were quite a few mosquitoes in the room, but I couldn't find a mosquito repellent. At night and in the morning, I noticed a lot of light leakage, and I can't sleep with any light, so that was a problem. Finally, I suggest that for room delivery services, they could implement a QR code scanning system for guests to choose what they need and have it delivered to their room. Otherwise, every time you need something, you have to call customer service, and the staff doesn't speak Chinese, so communicating in English often leads to awkward misunderstandings due to pronunciation. Guess I need to study English more!

I'll definitely be back to Banyan Tree. The hotel environment is absolutely wonderful, especially for family trips. For parents like us who prefer a peaceful setting over noisy places, all we need is to wake up naturally each day, see greenery, enjoy the water, and have things to do. If the kids are happy playing, then the parents can truly relax and unwind. The hotel's ecosystem is fantastic; there were even lizards swimming in the water, haha. During our stay, we tried all the hotel's restaurants, and the food was delicious. The staff provided excellent service, always attentive and accommodating.

The hotel's facilities are top-notch. Although there's no shuttle service to the airport, a taxi ride only takes about 30 minutes to reach the hotel. There's a small shopping center and supermarket about a 10-minute drive away where you can buy daily necessities. The only downside is that the breakfast selection is a bit smaller compared to other hotels in Thailand.

1. The hotel housekeeping was very diligent, cleaning twice a day, once at noon and once in the afternoon (though this didn't prevent finding bugs on the bed). We tipped 200 daily, but they never made any towel animals or anything similar. 2. Despite their diligence, there was a spiderweb on the first day of our stay, and it was still there when we checked out three days later. 3. On our first day, the toilet light was broken, and so was the door leading to the bathtub. No one even apologized. We checked in around 8 PM, and they finally came to fix it the following afternoon. 4. The breakfast barely changed over three days. It took 20 minutes to get a chair, with several staff members passing the buck. 5. Overall, compared to other hotels, the Banyan Tree Phuket felt unfriendly towards Chinese guests. This was for my husband's birthday trip. On our first night, we arrived around 8 PM to a broken toilet. On our last day, due to a late flight, we requested a 2-hour late check-out. The front desk initially said they'd 'see,' and then flat-out refused when we asked again the night before departure. I then went to the front desk, brought up the issues with the room, and argued that a late check-out wasn't an unreasonable request. After waiting for over ten minutes, they finally agreed. In the end, we packed up and left an hour later than the original check-out time. This Banyan Tree hotel was the worst part of our trip. The biggest difference was the perceived treatment between Westerners and Chinese guests. There was no one at the front desk who spoke Chinese during our entire stay (though someone did go around asking Western guests at breakfast about their dining experience). P.S. The shuttle bus staff were all very polite.