Pullman Hotel Phuket Naithon Beach
My co-workers rave about this place incessantly so I simply had no choice but to fly down and see what all the fuss was about at the Pullman Hotel Phuket. I definitely was not disappointed.
Location: B+
This really depends on what you want in your Phuket vacation. If you want a quick, relaxing beach getaway from Bangkok, the Pullman is an A. If you want a more adventurous, partying, exploring type trip, the hotel is a bit far out from all of that. The hotel is perched dramatically above Naithon Beach, with views that make your jaw drop around every corner. The price here is that the hotel can be difficult to walk as it is very steep but there are buggies you can call who will whisk you around the property. Naithon Beach itself is considered to be one of the better beaches on Phuket, its just a matter of if the weather complies. At its best, its an idyllic, crystal clear beach with all the snorkeling and surfing you’d expect at a rich man’s Waikiki. But for us, we had some shit weather, so we had a lesser version of this. Granted, the water was still warm and felt lovely.
Rooms: A-
We got a standard room with no view, but we actually ended up with a wonderful ocean view from our patio anyway! This was a wonderful surprise. The room itself is laid out brilliantly, with a sort of modern cottage vibe that balanced the cute, colorful cottage with the minimal modern in seamless fashion. There is plenty of storage (something I value highly in a hotel room), and the bed was simply next-level comfortable. The ONLY slight downside was the sink area was a bit too small and the faucet was on the side so it was all just a bit too awkward.
Dining: B+
We had the afternoon tea at the hotel which we certainly enjoyed but still felt quite hungry afterward. The afternoon tea is a nice little mid-day snack to go along with a wonderful selection of teas (700 THB), but don;t go into it thinking you’ll be full afterward. We ended up getting some Pad Kra Pao to finish ourselves off a few hours later. We also had the burger by the pool on our last day which was solid. Nothing special to write home about, just a good burger by the pool, which is hard to mess up. There is an Italian restaurant perched above the pool, surrounded by water, with immaculate views that also looked divine (and my co-workers also rave about it) but alas, we did not have time.
Amenities: B
There are two pools on the property. One is a smaller, more intimate pool up at the top of the property with sweeping views over the hotel and Naithon Beach below. The lounge chairs up here are probably the most plush lounge chairs I have ever seen. In general, this pool felt to me like a more luxurious pool. The other pool was much larger, with a curved shape and some fountains, shallow areas, etc. Having the option of two pools was certainly very nice. The gym is nice but for a hotel as large as the Pullman, combined with COVID rules, it was far too small which made me cut my workout short. The spa also felt outrageously priced, so we did not try that out either.
Service: A-
These guys were on top of their game. Everyone had a smile and a nice balance of professional and personable. The occasional delay in getting a buggy was SLIGHTLY annoying but its island time, no stressing.
Scene
International. And shockingly so. We hadn’t seen so many foreigners or heard so many languages in a long time. In a way it was refreshing. In a way it felt too disconnected. But with that said, there wasn’t any sort of pretentious vibe to the hotel. It’s a great value (I paid about $80 per night) and great luxury, so you get a balanced crowd as a result, which I always appreciate.
