The best luxury hotels in Phuket
An insider's guide to the best luxury hotels in Phuket, featuring the top places to stay for sumptuous private villas, stunning infinity pools, tranquil spas and incredible views, in locations including Phang Nga Bay, Ko Yao Noi and Kata Beach.
Sri Panwa Phuket
Panwa Beach, Phuket, Thailand
9Telegraph expert rating
With its contemporary Thai design, fashionable pool club, gorgeous rooftop bar and fleet of yachts, Sri Panwa screams glamour while at the same time exuding a fun, anything goes, vibe. The crowd are hip and international – British, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Russian – decked out in Burberry bikinis, Pucci kaftans and Breton stripes. The hotel’s beach is petite but extremely pretty – although the 100 or so stairs are quite the work-out. Alternatively, there are three turquoise swimming pools dotted around the resort, as well tennis courts, a gym (complete with Muay Thai boxing ring) and the aptly-named Cool Spa. Read expert review From £383per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Amanpuri
Phuket, Thailand
8Telegraph expert rating
The Amanpuri hotel was the first in Aman’s ultra-luxurious hotel empire. Nearly 30 years on it is still arguably one of the best hotels in Thailand, if not Asia. A towering Thai pavilion sits at the Amanpuri’s centre, fringed by lush jungle and facing onto a vast black-tiled swimming pool with a gasp-inducing view of the Andaman Sea. The hotel’s paparazzi-proof location and hushed atmosphere has been enticing jetsetters and celebrities (most recently Beyonce and Jay-Z) for decades, who come to perform yoga in hilltop pavilions, unwind on the beach and be pummelled in the spa, just like normal people. Read expert review From £580per night Check availability Rates provided by Mr & Mrs Smith
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Keemala
Phuket, Thailand
9Telegraph expert rating
Tolkien comes to Thailand at this sweet boutique resort. Creating the illusion of a imaginary village, there are soaring pillars topped with coconut-shaped pods, glittering mosaic walls, treehouses hanging amongst the foliage like giant Christmas baubles, and balconies jutting out between bursts of bougainvillea – all the prettier during the tiki-lit nights. The vibe is less flighty though; this is a sophisticated hideaway with a hushed atmosphere. Each villa is appointed with a host who delivers a tailored intuitive service. Elsewhere, you’ll find a lagoon-like swimming pool complete with waterfall and swim-up bar, a fully-equipped fitness studio offering daily complimentary classes – yoga, Muay Thai boxing, Tai Chi on the beach – and a breezy bar and restaurant. Read expert review From £441per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Six Senses Yao Noi
Ko Yao Noi, Phuket, Thailand
9Telegraph expert rating
With its swaying butterfly-filled gardens, honey-coloured beaches, swish hilltop infinity pool and Zen garden spa, Six Senses is a tropical island dream scene. Golf buggies nip guests up and down the hillside, while bicycles, kayaks and boats are available to explore local villages and secluded seashores under your own steam. Rooms are actually vast thatched-roof suites with huge private terraces, where mosquito nets fashioned from driftwood are suspended above huge beds and sensual indoor/outdoor bathrooms beckon. The ocean view villas are the ones to opt for if you can afford it, as the abundant light and island views give them a particularly special atmosphere. Read expert review From £813per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Point Yamu by COMO
Ban Pa Khlok, Phuket, Thailand
8Telegraph expert rating
The hotel is set on a craggy headland overlooking the islands of Phang Nga Bay (famous as the setting for Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun) on the barely-developed east coast of Phuket. There are 79 sleekly-designed rooms (and a further 27 private villas to come) positioned around the hillside. All have sea views, most have terraces and spa bathrooms, and suites come with private pools. The décor is striking, with texture and patterns playing an important role in the predominantly white spaces – you’ll want to run your hands over everything from the puffy beds to the cobalt blue cushions to the triangular wall tiles. Read expert review From £273per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Kata Rocks
Kata Beach, Phuket, Thailand
8Telegraph expert rating
Squared-off terraces clinging onto the cliff-side for dear life give this boutique hotel a dangerously modern vibe. The only real public area is the bar, restaurant and pool, a minimalist cube with lots of white-on-white action – white umbrellas shading white sunbeds beside a white-tiled pool – all very Ibiza-esque. The furnishings are sleek and Italian-made but there is no mistaking that you’re in Thailand with that attention-grabbing Andaman Sea view. Elsewhere, the Infinite Luxury Spa lives up to its name with eight treatment rooms housing everything from zany energy pods to light-emitting treatment beds, which combine beautifully with Ila products and traditional Thai wellness philosophies. Read expert review From £628per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Naka Island
Ko Naka Yai, Phuket, Thailand
9Telegraph expert rating
The resort, which feels splendidly isolated, is a peaceful and calming place to be. Other than the poker-straight pier, there’s not a sharp line in sight – curvy lines lead to a lagoon-like pool of the infinity variety, a serene spa with tinkling water-ways and tucked-away rooms. The neighbourhood can be explored by kayak or on a Schwinn bike, which is handily parked outside your room with its own personalised wooden plate. Villas are wrapped in clay walls and draped with jungle greenery so no one can see you skinny dipping in your private pool. Inside, there are smooth clay walls, netted beds and an outdoor bathroom suite complete with steam room – and maybe the occasional bright yellow tree frog. Read expert review From £334per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Trisara
Phuket, Thailand
9Telegraph expert rating
Trisara has taken the traditional Thai aesthetic – peaked-roofs, teak wood, open-air salas and ornate stone carvings – and lightened and brightened it to stunning effect, with creamy whites, swathes of pale stone and gently cascading pools. On arrival, guests are greeted with drop dead gorgeous views of the Andaman coast before being whisked away along flower-lined paths for an easy in-room check-in. It's a welcome that sets the tone perfectly for the warm and intimate stay ahead. A fabulous 45-metre swimming pool sweeps along the beachfront, where you'll also find a well-equipped watersports centre and a range of daily complimentary activities including boot camp, power walks and sunrise yoga. Elsewhere, there are tennis courts, a Muay Thai boxing ring and the heavenly Jara Spa. Read expert review From £526per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Anantara Phuket Layan Resort & Spa
Layan Beach, Phuket, Thailand
8Telegraph expert rating
The hotel sports a traditional Thai aesthetic – peaked roofs, wooden salas, gem-coloured soft furnishings – but with enough contemporary touches to keep it from feeling stuffy. Four bars and restaurants, a watersport centre, a couple of swimming pools and a hilltop wedding pavilion are artfully weaved into the verdant landscape. As with all Anantara Hotels, a sensational spa is part of the DNA, with seven lush treatment rooms, a salon and a host of visiting wellness practitioners dropping by. There are 30 rooms and suites perched on the hillside and 47 pool villas scattered around at ground level. All are spacious and breezily put together with soft cream walls, shining wooden floors and delicate oriental touches. Read expert review From £354per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
