Renaissance Phuket Resort Review

Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa is the ultimate, luxury retreat in Phuket. I spent five days in one of their pool villas and explored every inch of the property with Athena. Whether you want to visit for a family vacation or a couples getaway, we have some tips and advise for your stay.

There are several room choices at Renaissance Phuket. The property isn’t large though so regardless of which room you choose, you will have easy access to all of the amenities. I was traveling with a 3 year old and we appreciated the pool villa. We could swim early in the morning and I could let Athena play in the pool while I relaxed on the deck. Couples could certainly take advantage of the private pool as well. If you have a little extra money, use it for the pool villa. It’s worth the privacy, convenience and endless time options. I wouldn’t, however, suggest the oceanfront upgrade. All villas have a fence around the property so the ocean view isn’t completely oceanfront and the other villas are within eye-sight of the ocean anyway.

Please don’t visit Renaissance Phuket without experiencing Quan Spa. Even if you’re traveling with children, they can visit the kids club while you get a spa treatment. Once you step inside the spa doors, you are in a relaxing oasis of natural beauty. There’s a massive pool in the center of the building that leads to the treatment rooms. With lush greenery, a fish pond and waterfalls, it’s worth visiting the spa just to sip tea and be transported to another world. You’re in Thailand so I feel like it’s a necessity to have a Thai massage, but their After Sun Facial is a worthy choice as well.

There are enough dining options on-site that you would never run out of choices, but I’d suggest experiencing Sand Box Restaurant and Bar for the relaxed atmosphere. Athena and I both love a restaurant where you can wear your bathing suit and flip flops, or even better no shoes at all, and you don’t need to worry about feeling out of place. It’s located on the beach in the sand and only a few feet from the pool. It’s the ideal family restaurant or laid-back atmosphere for couples to have a drink by the pool. I’d suggest trying the R Style pizza and one of the fruit smoothies. (All of the smoothies are delicious so take your pick.) If it’s strictly friendly service you’re after, go to Loca Vore and you’ll feel like the staff are part of your family. Takieng is the only restaurant that requires reservations. We tried it once to enjoy delicious Thai fare, but usually stuck with Loca Vore and Sand Box.
We could have spent all of our time at the kids club and the kiddie pool. It’s fantastic. They offer complementary classes for children like bracelet making, mocktail making, fancy masks and origami. There are three different rooms at the kids club with books, toys, games, movies and puzzles. Athena loved the circular reading nooks and she read at least a dozen different books while curled up inside. Children ages 4 and up can stay at the kids club without parents and under four require either a parent or a scheduled babysitter. The kiddie pool, next to the kids club, has a water slide, a waterfall and different depth swimming sections. The kiddie pool was all families so I was comfortable being a big kid myself. It’s surrounded by lush green trees as well so it has both privacy and beauty.

The resort is the perfect setting for a wedding. On our first day, we noticed employees setting up a gazebo dressed with beautiful white linens and sheer fabrics. The water and sky were the most alluring blues and the waves crashing on the shore left a gorgeous line of white along the shore’s edge.  Every time we visited the beach, we had miles of sand and water to ourselves. It’s just the start of the busy season, but it was a good indication of the privacy at the beach.

If you want to explore the area outside of the resort, check with the concierge in the lobby. They are a wealth of knowledge and will happily book a tour for you at no extra cost. We decided to do a full day tour and the hotel made all of the arrangements for the same price that was listed on tour website.

One of the only negatives of the hotel is the distance from several major attractions. We had to drive for over an hour to our adventure with Siam Tours, several of the best beaches are much further south and the city center is quite a drive as well. Transportation is provided to Phuket Town, Patong and Central Festival for a small fee but be prepared to spend an entire day visiting each.

The other small issue we found with the resort was how dark the paths are at night. They are lit but it is dimly and many slugs and bugs use the paths as well. We would have liked to see where we were stepping at all times rather than guessing what was around our feet. Everything is close enough to walk, even at night, but we thought about using the golf carts a few times because of the darkness.

Renaissance Phuket was a dream experience for us. I’ve been traveling a lot lately and not spending as much quality time with Athena as I would have liked. We spent our time at Renaissance Phuket playing, laughing and sharing together. We had alone time and time to socialize with others. It’s a casual, luxury vacation where you can let your hair down and connect with your family or friends. Although many great things are just around the corner for us, we’re sad to leave tomorrow and we”ll be dreaming about our time at Renaissance Phuket for years to come.