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Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort Review

Review by Peter Flood - Photos by William Thuan

A great spot for a relaxing holiday with all your needs taken care of. Beautiful beach and scenery surprisingly close to the amenities and nightlife of Patong.

Tucked into a small bay between wild Patong and not so wild Karon lies this wonderful resort where everything’s perfectly just so (how typically French).

The bay is simply made for a hotel, Le Meridien are very lucky that no one else got there first.

Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort Review
  Patong Beach - Location Map

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Only 3km south of Patong and surrounded by jungle covered mountains on all sides, you can barely see the road (and can’t hear it). There are no other buildings in sight, only lush tropical greenery which gives a wonderful feeling of remoteness.

Le Welcome


Lobby/Reception

Arriving at the entrance of this hotel you’re welcomed by an oasis of calm not usually found at larger resort hotels. With a cool breeze flowing past the reception area an air of striking sophistication protrudes, attention is drawn to the somewhat unusual design which works. Well trained personnel who are warm and friendly, yet have a quiet demeanour greet with flowers. Check in is a mere formality.

Le Meridien is one of the world's premier hotel brands and it’s obvious why, the first impression is one of assured relaxation, it’s like you’ve been submerged into another world where life is always calm and quiet.

Le Rooms


Junior Suite

Aside from the suites, the rooms are all the same size, the differences between them being the views. Ours boasted a fantastic ocean view and was well decorated with a solid hardwood floor. I loved the small details - the drink's cabinet concealed in a drawer, complete with glasses, mats and a bottle opener; fresh tropical fruit basket; oversized bathrobes and slippers. Additionally, the balconies are generously sized and are the perfect place to enjoy something from the superbly stocked mini bar.

Bathrooms come with his and hers vanities with large mirrors affixed to sliding doors so you can have an ocean view whilst shaving or enjoying the power shower. Instead of a bath there’s a huge shower area, my wife commented that the lack of a bath makes it more difficult to wash a baby. For me the climate in Thailand is too hot for a bath anyway so the giant shower is most welcome. There is also the choice of having a standard shower or enjoying a ‘rain’ shower.

Le Beach


Le Meridien Phuket's beach

Mountains aside, this hotel doesn’t have ‘beach resort’ in the name for nothing, the beach is without doubt one of the best in Phuket. This magnificent bay can really claim to be ‘pristine’ and as the only access is through the hotel, use is exclusively for guests. Soft sand, warm water and green jungle covered mountains - thoughts of a deserted Pacific island come to the fore, astonishing that this dramatic scenery is so close to Patong.

Helpful beachguards told me in excellent English, that May to October there can be some larger waves which occasionally prevents swimming but the red flags aren’t common. Boogie boarding can be fun for children at this time of year. The rest of the year the water is flat and calm. Waterbabies can immerse themselves in the lives of colourful fish and other creatures that inhabit the reef and watch the daily goings on of a living reef that stretches out towards the northern point. Additionally, a full range of beach watersports equipment is available with tuition provided if needed.

Le Water

I have never seen such a huge pool outside of a water park, the Pakrang restaurant is even an island with the pool surrounding it! Even when the hotel is full the pool will surely not seem crowded. Stacks of foam lilos float aimlessly around waiting for occupants in need of their own giant water bed. The children’s pool is found smartly placed away from the deeper water of the main pool.

Le Fare


Wang Warin Restaurant

Innovative cuisine options include Japanese, a la carte Sushi and Teppanyaki, Italian with wood-fired pizza oven, Royal Thai delights and full Asian and International offerings. You’re spoilt for choice with 8 different restaurants open throughout the day. For dinner I decided on the seafood beach barbeque, which is a weekly themed offering from Pakrang restaurant. I’m very happy to say that the food was excellent, which can’t be said of all buffets. Freshly prepared food regularly kept the buffet topped up - the way a buffet should be.

My favourites were the seared Tuna with wasabi and sesame seeds and the chargrilled chicken wings (you can’t beat that barbeque flavour). Dining on the beach under the stars with the sound of the waves lapping the shore is what holidaying is all about. Midway through dinner the show started, dancers skilfully twirled and juggled flaming batons to the music, it looks very spectacular against the black sky. As Patong is so close evenings are unlimited, the dining options are endless with nightlife to match.

Asian, Continental and American breakfast selections are served either open air or air conditioned. I opted for open air in ‘the island’, Pakrang Restaurant, the buffet is never ending. You’d have to stay for a week at least to sample all the breakfast delights.

Le Facilities


The gym

I was very disappointed at not being allowed to use the gym, it was for my own safety and was my fault for not bringing proper shoes; because the gym is the best gym I have seen in Phuket - very well equipped with free weights, a good selection of machines and a large floor area.

The gym isn’t the only aspect of the facilities which are top notch, the list of sports offered is huge with a daily activities program that offers tuition and matches players together. For the little ones and also not so little, there’s a kids club which is well equipped with daily activities programs for children in 3 different age groups to keep them out of their parents’ hair.

Le Elephant

As we were checking out we bumped into Sawadee, a female 2 year old baby elephant accompanied by her Mahoot (keeper). Sawadee played the harmonica and happily performed on demand for the camera - my 6 month old daughter was in awe as were the rest of the crowd of children that had gathered. This was something amazing that their friends just weren’t going to believe without seeing the photos.

 
by Peter Flood
 
Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort
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Interview with The Hotel GM

Read the Interview with Mr Rudolph Borgesius, GM of Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

 

Photo Gallery of the Hotel



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