All Seasons Naiharn Phuket

The pool area was lovely, and SUN, one of the waiters, was great. Reception staff were also excellent, and the rooms and housekeeping were good. Breakfast had a great selection, but NORM, the woman serving bacon and eggs, was extremely rude. We were 11 guests staying for five days. Restaurant service took a very long time, while staff stood around chatting in Thai about guests. I speak Thai and understood what they were saying. The Wi-Fi was extremely poor. We couldn’t book the shuttle at all during our five days because it was supposedly fully booked, and the free 15-minute massages were also unavailable. It felt as though all the free services were conveniently booked up.

The food was much better than I expected, and getting to the beach was easy. The staff were really friendly and accommodating. It’s inexpensive and a bit out of the way, with rooms that aren’t very nice. The air-conditioning failed in two of the rooms. For the price, it’s good value, but expect a three-star stay rather than a five-star resort. I’d still recommend it to travellers looking for a budget option without the all-night drunken frat-boy scene around Patong.

The pools were great, though I think they only go to about 1.2m deep, so don’t quote me on that. A shuttle runs into karon, kata and patong, and it’s comfortable and convenient. The rooms have good soundproofing, international power outlets and safes. You can keep your towels for another day by hanging them on the rack instead of putting them on the floor. We ate at the restaurant for lunch or dinner only a couple of times because there are lots of other restaurants nearby, but the food was amazing. Staff dealt with questions and problems quickly. The Wi-Fi needs an upgrade, as it was slow and unreliable. The free street Wi-Fi was literally 10 times faster, 160mbps compared with 16. I preferred using mobile data, though, since AIS and DTAC both get over 100mbps, and 1500 baht buys unlimited data for a month. There’s a health spa and fitness centre, but I didn’t try either. We paid around $60 AU per night in high season, and at the right time in low season you can get it for under $40 au. I’d stay here again, especially if I found a special.

The beach is great, and the area is quiet. There are small restaurants and a simple market right outside, but this isn’t the place for a hectic nightlife. The hotel is made up of connected bungalow-style buildings. It’s clearly not new, though we liked it a lot. Each room has a terrace on the ground floor, and while some spots smelled a bit like sewage, ours didn’t. The other guests were very nice.