Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas

The room is very spacious, with gentle decor and a well-thought-out layout. Over the past two days, many lotus flowers have bloomed, adding a lovely natural feel. The hotel staff are all incredibly warm and welcoming, and the restaurant food is quite good too. Although the beach is shared by several hotels, it wasn't crowded at all. We were lucky to experience both sunshine and rain, seeing Phuket in different lights. As for bugs, I personally didn't find them to be a big issue, and I didn't see any inside the room. I would definitely come back again.

The room was fantastic, and I got a complimentary upgrade! The resort staff were very professional. The welcome amenity was a nice touch too! My only regret is that the salt for the salt bath wasn't replenished promptly.

This hotel experience will undoubtedly be unforgettable, for all the wrong reasons. Let me start with the extremely negative experiences. The dinner we had at the hotel on our first night gave both of our children **food poisoning**. My son suddenly vomited before lunch at Turtle Village the next day, which was incredibly messy and embarrassing. We also faced disgusted attitudes from the restaurant staff. My daughter had already complained of chills and nausea on the first night, thankfully, we had brought our own medication for the kids. It wasn't until my son vomited that I realized my daughter had probably also suffered **food poisoning**. I felt incredibly guilty for being so careless. After falling ill, both children stayed in the room recuperating until the third day, and my husband and I were constantly worried about them throughout the nights. We believe it was an undercooked sunny-side-up egg from the restaurant that made them sick. What was most infuriating was our encounter with Manager Beth during check-out. She responded to us with an extremely arrogant and cold attitude, stating that the company would investigate the batch of eggs and even questioning if my children had food allergies. I felt absolutely no apology from her. After the children got sick, we kept ordering in-room dining because they needed to rest. Perhaps it was a communication error, but when I asked if the in-room dinner for the second night would be complimentary, she condescendingly claimed I had never mentioned it, as if we were trying to cheat her. We really wouldn't care about a few hundred Hong Kong dollars for dinner. Another terrible issue was the master bathroom shower, which wouldn't drain properly, and the shower column fell, nearly hitting me. We had to keep calling for maintenance. Despite these awful experiences, I must commend the other staff at the resort. They were all warm and friendly, especially the check-in staff, the Muay Thai instructor for the children, and the restaurant staff. On the third morning, when I was having breakfast alone, a lovely restaurant employee even asked why I was by myself and showed concern for my children's condition, which made me feel particularly warm. I kept reassuring my children not to be afraid, but my daughter was so uncomfortable that she wanted to return to Hong Kong immediately. What was supposed to be a wonderful trip, I tried to face optimistically and remained friendly, only to encounter an arrogant and cold manager. I am truly disappointed and furious!!! My 'poor service' rating is solely for this manager. The other staff were excellent!

The room layout was pretty good; I really liked the very Thai-style decor. The hotel's Japanese restaurant 'Treehouse' had a unique atmosphere, and it really felt like a treehouse! You can borrow bikes to cycle around, and the surrounding amenities are quite complete. I even saw an elephant on the beach in the afternoon, which gave me quite a fright!

On my last day in Phuket, I moved to the Anantara Villas, where 'The Lotus Casebook' was filmed. As soon as I entered, I was stunned by the vast lotus pond. The hotel is new, and they've even set up signposts at all the filming locations. Many guests were taking photos at spots featured in the show – it's incredibly photogenic! Being just 15 minutes from the airport makes it an excellent choice for a holiday.

This was our third stay, and it's perfect for a family vacation with kids. My child absolutely loved it from their first visit last year and kept talking about coming back. The rooms are spacious and clean, the pool is beautiful, and the service attitude is top-notch. We stayed for five nights, and on our departure day, since we had a late flight, the front desk lady proactively helped us extend our check-out until the afternoon, which was amazing! Breakfast was good, too. After eating, we'd stroll to the beach; even with big waves, it was quite comfortable for a walk. The only downside is that the commercial area in 'Turtle Village' is a bit small. Taking a taxi to a mall is a bit expensive; a one-way Grab to Central Festival was nearly 200 RMB. But then again, we came mainly to relax at the hotel, so we'll probably be back next year.

It's very quiet, and there's a 7-Eleven right outside which is super convenient. My kids absolutely loved the private pool.

The hotel upgraded us to a connecting room for free and waived the deposit for any in-hotel spending. The room was incredibly spacious and spotless, and the extra-large 2-meter bed was super comfortable. The hotel staff were all really warm and approachable, always smiling and providing excellent service. A special shout-out to one of the ladies in the hotel restaurant – she's a basketball player! She was full of energy every day, walking with a spring in her step like she was on a runway. The restaurant food was also delicious and reasonably priced, on par with what you'd pay back home. The hotel shuttle took us to the beach, and the scenery there was beautiful. Overall, it was a fantastic experience!