Sunwaree Phi Phi Resort

It’s peaceful here, though evenings aren’t fully quiet because music and noise carry from the beach bars, even with some distance between them and the place. I visited in 2017. The atmosphere is very good, the staff are helpful and polite, and the views are amazing. You can rent a canoe to visit nearby beaches like Monkey Beach and Nui Beach. A free boat transfer is provided to and from the place, or you can take a forest path that’s about a 20 minute walk from the busy central area. It feels lovely and close to nature.

The resort has amazing views, but that’s the only good part. We were told the kayaks were free, then after two days they tried to charge us. I asked four times to have the room cleaned and was basically ignored every time. There was no wifi in our room, and the bathroom constantly smelled awful from the drains. Reception was no help with any of our problems. When we were checking out, they tried to charge us for the kayaks again, knowing we had a boat to catch and couldn’t stop to argue. Avoid at all costs.

The main drawback is the walk to the resort, especially with all your luggage. Get the free boat there and back. The standalone rooms are raised off the ground in the forest, with good sized beds, air-conditioning, and a fan. There are great views from bed, and the bathroom was nice compared with most in Thailand.

The beds were comfortable, breakfast was adequate, and the laundry service was convenient. Staff did try to help, but they didn’t seem trained for reception work, and customer service didn’t feel like a priority. They focused instead on handwritten rules that kept changing. The amazing view is hard to enjoy with the bay noise. It doesn’t feel like an idyllic rustic resort when it’s so loud. The hotel also seems unsure who it can comfortably accommodate. It’s too far from the main beaches for people wanting to dive or party. The shuttle used to seem to run for most of the day, with one review reporting service until 10pm, but it has been reduced to hourly trips from 8.15 til 5pm. At low tide boats can’t go, and the long walk back is difficult to find. We got terribly lost. I thought it was ridiculous that reception didn’t check the tide. I was told to wait for the water to rise before taking a water taxi to catch a ferry, even though the tide was going out. Google shouldn’t be more competent than the reception staff. They need to run the free long tail for more hours so the hotel is accessible. There are mosquitoes and insects, but the hotel does little to prevent or deal with them. Repellent in the rooms or for sale at reception would help. The bathrooms are unnecessarily rustic and dirty. The toilet was fine when we arrived, but smelled badly by the last day. Fixing that would make the stay much more pleasant. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel and would rather not stay here again.