Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa

The one clear plus was the lovely Maikhao beach nearby. Everything else made our one-night stay frustrating. We were five people in Phuket for four days and chose this Renaissance because it was near the airport, and we’d heard it was newly renovated. At arrival, nobody offered help with our bags or parking. We had booked two rooms through different channels and told reception at check-in. The rooms didn’t need to be next to each other, but one turned out to have twin beds, despite our Trip.com booking saying “King Room with Balcony and Garden view.” Reception said the bed type wasn’t guaranteed and there was no room to move us. Nobody asked our preference when we checked in. We expected the booked king room, and it felt as if we’d been made to accept something different. They could at least have told us ahead of time if they were overbooked and offered a choice. We also found one dead cockroach and another live one in the room. We cleaned them up ourselves because we were exhausted and didn’t want to spend time reporting it. Still, it says a lot about the room’s hygiene. Dinner at Takieng was another letdown. We’d reserved for five at 8:30 pm. Two of us arrived 15 minutes early and were told to wait beside a table that wasn’t ready. Once seated, nobody brought a menu or asked about drinks until we prompted them. The welcome snack came an hour later. We felt ignored. A street restaurant where we ate another night was much better and half the price. Takieng’s food was average: the braised pork was good, but the shrimp and fish didn’t taste fresh. Breakfast was poor too. There seemed to be enough choice, but the quality wasn’t there. The salad and fruit weren’t fresh, the egg dishes didn’t taste as good as they looked, and the waffles, pancakes and crepe weren’t crisp. The coffee had no flavor. We sat outside among lots of flies, then moved under shelter, but that didn’t help. The hotel’s service, facilities and cleanliness all disappointed us. When we left, nobody asked how the stay had been; later, we got a cold automated feedback email. I’d had a very positive impression of Marriott after an enjoyable stay at JW Marriott Phuket a few years ago. This Renaissance stay ruined our holiday mood, and we won’t return.

I expected a quieter, more grown-up resort after reading reviews that described the Renaissance as a private alternative to the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa next door. Some compared the feel to Vana in Samui or The Sira in Lombok. That wasn't what I found. The property is pleasant enough, with modern rooms, tidy grounds and generally good service. But the atmosphere is busy and mass-market, with a strong European four-star package-holiday feel. People leave towels on sunbeds for hours to save them while they're away. The pool is small and fills up fast. There's a separate kids' area and splash pool, but children still crowd the main pool, which makes it hard to find the tranquil, adult-leaning setting those reviews suggested. It's a decent hotel, just not the calm retreat I was expecting from the descriptions. Phuket has better choices if a peaceful, grown-up atmosphere is what you're after.

Five years ago, we had an amazing stay here. This time, everything was below average at best. Having also stayed at The jw marriot in Khao lak, I don't think the Renaissance compares. The jw marriot is better in every way. There are now more places to eat within walking distance in the evenings, and the hotel grounds are lovely. The gardeners work hard to keep them neat, and the pool is beautiful and very clean. Our standard twin, room 216, was clean, tidy and well looked after. Housekeeping gets 10/10 from me. Service around the beach restaurant needs a lot of work. There's hardly anyone available to take food or drink orders. At least once a day for the past week, I've had to fetch menus myself and go to the bar to order. The menu is very Western, mostly burgers and pizza. The food overall is average, though the battered sea bass fish and chips at the pool bar was really good. You could eat here for two weeks, but nothing else was worth getting excited about. One pool boy is rushing around all day trying to look after everyone. I hope they appreciate his effort. The cushions are filthy everywhere. At breakfast, we had to change cushions twice because they were ripped, and the pool bar ones were nearly disgusting. It's a shame the hotel has lost its personal, boutique feel. Even the coffee shop has been replaced by Starbucks. I wouldn't stay again. The recent reviews show the decline too.

The staff were kind and attentive, the resort was peaceful, and the beach was empty and uncrowded. We also really enjoyed the spa treatments and the privacy of our pool villa. The stay itself was good, but for a five-star hotel at the price we paid, we expected more. The full-board arrangement was confusing. They gave us a paper card with food “coupons,” but whenever we went for lunch or dinner, nobody seemed to know what the package covered. Food took about an hour and drinks around 20 minutes. Breakfast was repetitive, with limited choice, and the fruit basket in our villa wasn't replenished. We got bottled water in the room, but had to pay for it everywhere else. That seemed odd in a country where it’s usually 30 degrees. At Takieng, they charged us for a bottle of still water, then ten minutes later a staff member came and poured water from a jug.