DARA HOTEL

The hotel was quiet and peaceful, and the counter staff were patient, friendly and helpful. Our room was clean and well looked after, with daily housekeeping, fresh towels and regular refills of the shower amenities. We paid to upgrade to a balcony room, but it faced a residential apartment, so we kept the curtains shut most of the time for privacy. There isn’t much around the hotel, and reaching attractions or shopping malls meant booking a Grab. During busy hours, several drivers canceled regular bookings because of traffic, so we ended up getting rides with Grab Premium at a higher price. Even so, the cost of the stay made this acceptable, and we were happy with the value.

The WiFi worked well, but after a three week stay, we wouldn’t come back. The hotel feels like it should be much better. Staff were reasonably friendly, though their English wasn’t as good as I’d expect at an international hotel. A lot went wrong: a staff member rang our doorbell at 4:20am, said “sorry, wrong room,” and walked off. Lunch took 45 minutes to arrive, and two smoothies took 30 minutes. Room service brought cold food, and breakfast was cold too, including stone-cold eggs. The breakfast tablecloths were filthy. We ordered a hot cappuccino and got a cold one. Smoking was allowed in public areas despite the no smoking sign, cigarette butts floated in the pool, and loud music by the pool made it impossible to relax. Would we stay again? Nope.

Gem (Narongrit) made our first Thailand trip feel special before we’d even arrived. He sent suggestions for things to do, including the Old Town Walking Street, which we visited on our first night and loved. When I mentioned in an email that it was my wife’s birthday, he arranged a decorated room for our arrival. She was thrilled. The staff kept helping us find places to eat and things to see, and their suggestions felt personal to what we wanted. The whole team seemed to care about making our stay good. Dara Hotel was a perfect choice for us, and I’d recommend it to anyone visiting Phuket for the first time.

You get what’s shown: the rooms and pool matched the pictures, and the buffet was nice. Staff were friendly and courteous, and the hotel has a good vibe and decor. For a three-star place, it delivers a lot for the price. Cabs and tour operators know it well, so they use it as a pickup and drop-off point. I gave it five stars for the staff, atmosphere, and decor.