XAYA Pool Access Resort - Phuket

The room was spacious and very clean, with most of what we needed for a comfortable stay. The bed was huge and one of the most comfortable we’ve had on our travels. WiFi was good, and the shower had strong pressure and easy temperature control. There were no power points beside either side of the bed, though. The resort has two nice pools for cooling off and splashing around, but they’re too short for laps. It doesn’t serve breakfast. They used to provide a toaster and free bread, but that has stopped for some reason. The complimentary coffee is quite good, but only available from 8 to 10 am, and the machine is switched off right on time. A wider window, say 6 am to 11 am, would suit early flights and people who sleep in. Arrive at 10:05 and you may miss out. XAYA sits in the foothills of the Big Buddha, on the quieter side of a small village. The busier area with a mini Big C, 711, and plenty of restaurants is a bit too far to walk. Getting a cab to come out can take 20-30 minutes, and I’m not sure why. It’s a shame there’s no complimentary tuk tuk shuttle like at many other resorts. Reception service was mixed. Some staff didn’t even greet us, which felt unusual for Thailand. At check-in, nobody helped with our luggage. We were shown to the building, told our room number, and left to find our way upstairs. One evening our food delivery arrived without cutlery. When I asked to borrow some, the front desk said no, but offered to sell plastic spoons and forks for 10 baht each. You can buy beer, soft drinks, and snacks at reception, but prices are two to three times normal retail. Given how isolated the resort is, that feels like poor business practice and customer service. Smoking isn’t allowed on the balcony, with a 5,000 baht fine. I’d never encountered that in Thailand before. Smokers have to make a 100-200 metre round trip to a shabby smoking area across from reception, which gets very hot in the afternoon. There’s also a 500 baht per day room deposit, which I believe is capped at 5,000 baht for stays of two weeks or more. The most we’ve paid elsewhere was 2,000 baht. We enjoyed the stay, but management has some things to work on to meet customer expectations.

For a 3 star place, this was a great stay and good value for the price. It’s a little farther in, but that also meant it was quieter and less busy. Cleanliness was great and the staff were friendly.

The rooms were roomy and the beds really comfortable. Staff were so friendly and helpful: they carried our bags upstairs and even brought us an iron. We also got fresh towels and room cleaning every day. It is a bit far from town, and you have to pay a cash deposit, which were the only downsides.

The location below the big Buddha is near Chalong and Chalong pier. I had no issue with it being a bit out of the way since I rented a car. The room was clean and the bed comfortable.