Hotel vicino a Santuario Bang Neaw, Phuket

Abbiamo trascorso alcuni giorni meravigliosi al Noku Hotel a Phuket e il ricordo di questo soggiorno resterà sicuramente tra i più belli dei nostri viaggi. Io e mio marito Giorgio cercavamo un posto dove rilassarci davvero, immersi nella natura, e qui abbiamo trovato esattamente quello che desideravamo. L’atmosfera dell’hotel è speciale: elegante ma allo stesso tempo molto accogliente, con spazi curati e una vista splendida dall’alto di tutta Chalong. La camera era bellissima, spaziosa e molto pulita. Ogni mattina svegliarsi con quel panorama green è stato un piccolo momento di felicità. Anche la piscina è fantastica, perfetta per rilassarsi e godersi il silenzio e la tranquillità del luogo. Un ringraziamento speciale va a tutto lo staff, sempre sorridente, gentile e disponibile. Ci siamo sentiti davvero ben accolti durante tutto il soggiorno. È uno di quei posti in cui ti senti bene e da cui parti con la voglia di tornare. Se torneremo a Phuket, sicuramente questo hotel sarà di nuovo la nostra scelta.

Tutto perfetto, bella ubicazione a 5 minuti da terra ferma collegata con speed boat ogni mezz’ora. Villa con piscina privata e giardino molto spaziosa, non manca nulla! Personale fantastico e sempre disponibile. Spa bella con ottimo servizio

Camera pulita e spaziosa, colazione con ampia scelta per tutti i gusti. Servizio ok

Ho già soggiornato qui. Bellissimo parco e camere spaziose. Buono è eccellente. La pista da bowling è fantastica. Vale la pena prendere un gelato dopo le 14:00. Bellissimo. Un'ottima scelta.

Even if it ended with a nice gesture, the receptionist handing me a keychain gift (not sure if they do that with all guests), with a written request to leave 10/10 review, sadly I couldn't ignore the shortcomings of this hostel that seemed like just a downgraded version of Marco Polo Poshtel (not sure which one came first, but from breakfast to ”funny” wall messages, there was a similar ”creative” signature). While I was initially attracted by reviews mentioning hostel's cleanliness, I couldn't say I shared the same opinion. Certain public areas were quite messy. The staircase to the first floor (where shoes are forbidden) didnt seem to be cleaned for some time. In the showers (which had a good water pressure), there was mold. None of the three handsoap dispensers in the only bathroom had soap in them. It just felt the staff doesnt have time or organizational skills to maintain everything in working order. But I was mostly surprised by finding a not clean (i dont want to call it ”used”) bed cover in my bed. It had some fresh stains, hair and crumbles (well, not just on bed cover), and seemed just to be folded after the guest before me (even the folding seemed messed up, so i really thought maybe the bed was forgotten). When I asked the housekeeping to change it, they initially approved. The younger housekeeper started changing everything, sheet included (which i believe is a good way to do it, when it is not certain if the bed was completely changed), but when the older one returned, she made her put the sheet back (the sheet that was thrown on the floor in the meantime), laughing all along. No, that wasnt really funny. Then instead of letting the young housekeeper put on the new bed cover she brought along, i noticed that the older one brought something that seemed to be the same old bed cover that i complained about (the duvet was already inside). When i asked if that is a new thing, she was convincing me it was. Already at that moment, i felt ridiculed. But i said, ”okay, if you say so.” After all was done, i came back to my bed, unfolded the bed cover and confirmed my doubt - all this performance of changing the bed, without them changing anything! The only difference was that the bedsheet was also on the floor in the meantime. This got me really frustrated, mostly because they lied to my face (what for?), and mostly because they invested energy in ”changing” everything while actually just stripping everything off and returning it (why? It takes the same amount of energy to do it for real). Feeling like an *****, i asked what seemed to be the problem? Dont they have clean bedding, or what? But they had. I asked them to give it to me then, and i would happily prepare the bed myself. Which they accepted. Lol. I dont know, with that poor breakfast, the visual mess, unpleasant ”toilet” scent at hostel entrance, and generally low level of cleanliness (you can see how yellow the pillow is once you remove the pillow case yourself), it felt that other reviews mentioning spotless hygiene were misleading. Or were my standards too high? In any case, i stayed in a dozen of Phuket hostels during my month here, but none of them tried to insult my intelligence. There are better places, and no, Dorm Hostel sadly doesnt deserve 10/10, to quote the request they tell everyone at check-out. I also tried to leave them space for hostel improvement, so instead of lowest marks, i left average ones, even if the experience was truly below average. P.S. When a guest asks whether a ferry with a pick-up operates everywhere in Phuket, a genuinely helpful answer would be ”yes”. And not ”no, it's only our hostel's pickup”. I understand everyone just tries to earn money, but it shouldn't be done by misleading guests who just trustfully ask for information.

Struttura con ottimo potenziale, la colazione offre un ampio buffet ma è solo sufficiente a livello qualitativo e troppo basata su gusti internazionali

Saii laguna is a good place to relax. Even though we had to walk far to the temporary lobby, we still love the service. They have teatime also from 2.30pm. I really appreciate it when the staff named ‘gift’ alerted me that the chicken sandwich is non halal and she made for me cheese sandwich instead. The breakfast also have halal options. The rooms itself is beautiful. The view of the lake is spectacular. Loved the shuttle boat too. Do take note that there are no shops nearby since its a resort but its a peaceful place for couples to relax.

Pros - super attentive staff and problems are resolved quickly  - Great views from room (see photos) - Huge private pool (though most is in the shade) - Outdoor hot tub Cons  - Not ‘luxury’ as the hotel name implies - old worn furniture in most rooms (see photos) though we were moved somewhere better very quickly after complaining. - Huge service charges and taxes - No beach - Villas so close together that you can hear families with children next door (we haven’t extended our stay for this reason)  - Restaurants and food are poor - no western breakfast (sausages/bacon etc), the stake house we eat at was glum to say the least. I’m actually leaving this place to get on a plane with diarrhea - Poor value for money compared to other resorts at this price point (JW, Four Seasons, Ritz etc)

Non avrei potuto chiedere una sistemazione migliore. La mia camera e la vista erano squisite. Il personale è più che disponibile e il bus navetta gratuito è fantastico. May alla reception è stata fantastica. Il cibo è davvero buono e la colazione gratuita ti fa venire l'imbarazzo della scelta. Ho fatto un'escursione all'alba, che è gratuita, con Tiki. È stata dura, ma ne è valsa la pena. Tiki è stato fantastico e si è preso cura di me, non in forma, a ogni passo. Consiglio vivamente questo hotel, mi sono sentito rilassato e ripreso e non ho voluto più andarmene. 11/10.

Buono. Bello. Rilassante. Pulito. Ordinato. Bel hotel. Prezzo accessibile. Colazione a buffet. Bello.