Tranquil and relaxing (Merlin Beach Resort (Phuket, Thailand))

Member Name: frankie1984

Product:	Merlin Beach Resort (Phuket, Thailand)
Date:	27/10/08 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Facilities, staff, price, private beach and size of pools

Disadvantages: Location for some but, you'd know this before booking anyway

When I went to Thailand as part of my work trip we stayed at a fair few different hotels. The Merlin Beach was one of them on the island of Phuket. A 4* superior hotel that is located on Tri Trang beach this is a good hotel overall and I'll give my opinion on why I think this.

The hotel:
The hotel is quite large with plenty of facilities to suit everyone and is also priced very well for the standard it is. The hotel is modern and has a unique location on its own beach area which, although it isn't a private beach is still a huge advantage.


Location:
The hotel may be set on its own but, this is really an advantage for this kind of hotel and if you do see location as a disadvantage, then this clearly isn't the hotel for you! The beach it is on is a big selling point for this hotel as even though it is not private, due to its location behind the back of the hotel you don't get anybody really going to the beach except for hotel guests. The hotel is set about 5 minutes away by car from the Patong area where all the night life is but, because it is not on top of it the hotel has a peaceful location to get a good night's sleep and also feel like you are much further away from the hustle of a large town than you really are. The best bit is the hotel operates a free shuttle bus back and forth to the Patong area so you do not need to pay out for taxi's all the time either to get between the two. Drop off and pick up in Patong is at the sister hotel named the Patong Merlin Hotel.


First impressions and Staff:
The hotel is quite large and on arrival you notice how big the entrance way is - it has a fountain in the lobby and lots of marble flooring and open spaces. When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by the check in staff who sat us down in the lobby while they took our passports to check us in and we were offered a cold drink and a cold towel although lots of hotels in Thailand do this and the cold towels are always scented of some kind which is very refreshing!. Once we had our room key we made our way to our room and within minutes the porter had called with our luggage.
The staff are very friendly, although you find this a lot wherever you go in Thailand and overall couldn't do enough to help. Everything is done with a smile and you really do feel well looked after no matter what.


Restaurants:
The Merlin Beach hotel has a variety of restaurants to suit a good range of tastes. Amazingly we only ate in one of the evenings we were there as most nights we did go into Patong. It's always much cheaper to eat outside of hotels but, what you should remember is that if you if do eat in the hotel restaurant, it's still normally a good price even with the upmarket hotels compared to eating in the equivalent in the UK. The restaurant we ate in was the Tri Trang seaside restaurant which was actually buffet style. There was a large selection of dishes to choose from and you could also choose to sit inside or on the outdoor terrace which is just set back from the pool area. The food was very nice and I would certainly choose to eat in the restaurant again if I was to ever return.
The breakfast room is the same area as the Tri Trang restaurant and in the morning's breakfast is done in a buffet style with a selection of hot and cold food.
The hotel has other restaurants though so if seafood isn't your thing they also have an Italian and a Thai restaurant. No matter which you eat in it is by reservation so remember to book a table.
They also have two coffee shops in the hotel with one that serves Lavazza coffee and has fresh sandwiches and other light snacks etc. Lastly, they have the lobby lounge which is in the main entrance area but set at the back. You can sit and look out over the pool and they have a live band on who sing a variety of songs in the evening - very chilled out and view is stunning from here as the pool is lit up beautifully in the evenings. It is open air as there are no windows either so the breeze blows through and it's just lovely to sit and relax in.


Rooms:
I stayed in a deluxe room which is the second room category up. I did go and see all room types whilst I was staying here so I will give a brief idea of each room type so you can compare - The categories they have are:-

Superior - base room type with either twin or double beds and they have view of pool. Good sized bathroom with shutters that can be opened to look into bedroom. All have balconies and a table for in room dining.

Deluxe - second room type up. Only real difference between this and superior is that these are slightly larger and also have an in room safe. These rooms have disabled access also.

Pool access - these are all located on the ground floors and hence the name, have a patio that leads directly into the pool. These rooms only have king size beds and there are no twins at all - they are kind of geared towards couples. They are also actually same size as the superior so you really are just paying more for the pool access but not size.

Merlin suite - this is pretty large room! It has a king size bed along with a sofa bed, two bathrooms and a whole living room area. Size wise, you are looking at double the size of the superior room types and so these are suited for a family or just somebody who likes to have a little luxury!

Presidential suite - This is the largest of rooms at the Merlin Beach and not sure how many of this category they have but the suite itself consists of a king size bed and sofa bed, two bathrooms and a large living room with full dining room and has a full DVD theatre system with surround sounds speakers. The bathroom in this suite also has its own jacuzzi.
Size is again jumping right up and is just over three times the size of a deluxe room type so it really is for those who want top notch! I don't think personally I would stay in the room long enough to need a DVD theatre system but, each to their own!

All room types have their own tea/coffee making facilities and a mini bar. All have a TV and telephone and hairdryers and all rooms have internet access through the telephone which you have to get a code and pay for at reception. Generally I was impressed by my room as it was decorated with dark woods and kept simple with wood floors and nice simple colours - it was big enough to feel spacious without feeling unnecessarily big and had everything I needed for whilst I was in the room - my big thing is bathrooms and this was a lovely one with a large tub and lots of space - I liked that I could have the blinds up to bring in natural light from the room area and I loved the way staff left fresh flowers in every time it was cleaned!


Other facilities:
The hotel has a few other things too that make it a good all round hotel. First off it has a children's club which didn't look that big but, had everything you'd need to keep little ones entertained!
The pool itself, just to give a bit more detail, is quite impressive. Each of the three sections were rather large and have shallow sections and deep sections and also children's area. The one to the right side and the one in the middle are linked by a bit that goes through the underneath of the two wings. It has a small waterfall in this bit that guests can either swim past or walk over a little bridge. The third pool is separate because this is where the pool access rooms are and this area has a larger waterfall so that if you are staying in a pool access room it's a bit quieter too as not as many guests go swimming here. You can go in this one even if you're not a guest in this wing although I found the other two to be more than adequate. I have to say overall this was one of the best pools I've seen in a hotel. The swim up bar in the pool was a pretty good one as it stuck out into the middle of the pool allowing for seats on either side so quite a lot of people can sit down at any one time.

On the beach there is a small stall where you can get your hair braided - not sure on costs as I didn't go over but again it's there if you want it. The beach is pretty quiet too and so it's nice if you want to relax with also very calm water and gorgeous white sand.
The hotel also has a spa - I didn't use as this really isn't my kind of thing but had a look in and looks nice enough. Very modern with lots of treatment rooms and a variety of treatments available
The hotel has a couple of shops on site where you can buy the usual bits and bobs which didn't seem too expensive but obviously will be more than buying goods from on the main street.

Price:
Depending on when you stay you can expect to pay from about £60 - £70 per night for a room which includes breakfats for two people. Supplements for upgraded rooms are not too bad for what you get but, personally the lower grade rooms are nice enough to not need to pay for an upgrade although if going for a special occasion you may want to do upgrade. An upgrade to pool access for exmaple is about £20 more per night.


Overall opinion:
I thought this hotel was really nice - the location means you can experience the best of both worlds and having the free shuttle bus is an added bonus. The staff are very nice and the hotel is modern, has lots of facilities and nice big rooms. The place may be large but it doesn't feel that big and the whole atmosphere of the hotel is very good with it seeming so tranquil. I would highly recommend a stay here if thinking of going to Phuket and I am sure you will not be disappointed!

Summary: a good all round nice hotel suitable for everyone