Baan Puri Apartment by PIPS

We spent a little over a week in apartment c36. The complex was clean and well maintained, and the apartments were a decent size, with room for up to six adults. There's a big pool and an on-site restaurant with reasonable prices. The walk to bann tao beach takes around 15-20 minutes along the road. We only discovered the shortcut across the waste bit of land with two days left, which was frustrating but did help us walk off the mojitos. That route cuts it down to about five minutes. The beach itself is lovely, with lots of bars and restaurants, and in our experience they were never rowdy.

The staff were attentive and friendly, and did all they could to make our holiday enjoyable. You can also rent a car through the hotel if you'd like to explore farther afield, at rates better than we found at other rental shops. The apartments are spacious and have well equipped kitchens. The area is quiet at night, yet a quick five-minute walk down the lane brings you to the beach and the action. Surin beach is close enough to walk to as well. There's a large pool for kids and adults, kept at a comfortable temperature day and night, with attractive lush greenery and palm trees around it. We had a great stay and highly recommend it for a relaxing holiday.

Baan Puri (Phase 1) is a hotel-managed condo development in Surin, Phuket, Thailand, about 0.6 km from the beach. Completed in November 2005, it has 56 units across four floors. Facilities include an on-site restaurant, swimming pool, fitness center, bar, clubhouse, 24-hour security, reception and lobby, and car parking. The large main pool runs between the apartments and the reception and clubhouse, with a separate section for children and less experienced swimmers. Apartments are designed to feel modern, bright, and airy, with open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas. Kitchens have an oven, hob, and extractor fan, and are finished in marble or granite. Standard apartments are 100 square meters, while deluxe units are 120 square meters and penthouses are 150 square meters. The homes are privately owned and available to rent under Phuket Island Property Services standards for furnishings and service. They're fully furnished with linens, cutlery, crockery, and glassware, and decorated to a high standard. Each includes at least satellite TV and CD, DVD, and VCD facilities. Air conditioning is standard throughout, and large sliding doors and patios overlooking the pool give guests the option of fresh air.

The place itself is nice, but the customer service was among the worst I've experienced. We booked through an agent who added 20,000 baht to the original price. The electricity bill was also doubled to 8,500 Baht. Then they wanted 500 baht per bed to change the sheets. It felt like they were taking money from us at every turn.