Phuket Emerald Beach Resort

Wonderfully, its ‘Turtles all the way down’, by which I refer to the Emerald Beach Resort’s lovable mascot, ‘Emerald the Turtle’ and the aptly placed sea and water world themed décor that defines, Emerald Beach Resort for what it is; simply a water world delight for all the family and arguably one of the best family resorts in Karon, Phuket. Whilst, turtles progressing to infinity, might represent a philosophical problem, at Emerald Beach Resort you can leave all your worldly issues at the hotel’s voluptuous and palatial entrance, from the moment we arrived, to the moment we left, staff not only catered to every one of our needs, they made us feel like family, which is ideal for a resort that pitches itself to the family sector. On arrival we were greeted by Natti, who runs the Top Travel Thailand, hotel tour desk, she was brilliant, baby-sitting, tours on family friendly boats to Phi Phi Islands, local eco-friendly nature tours, transfers you name it, Natti was on it. Then there was Resort management, with a special shout out to Assistant Guest Service Manager Chanida who was absolutely awesome; Chanida arranged for us to have adjoining rooms (connecting doors) so we could spread out the kids in one room us in the other, and when you are traveling with a 12- and 9-year-old this really makes all the difference. Indeed, Chanida was so amazing, that she proactively briefed the Wai Wai Restaurant and resort staff to specifically look after our daughter’s nuanced whims. It doesn’t sound like much, but believe you me, when your 12-year-old suddenly decides she’s hungry at 10 pm at night and wanders off, the peace of mind that comes with knowing a friendly face will cater for your child without question with a hot chocolate and dessert, is golden. Remember what I said about Turtles, Emeral Beach has thought of all possible contingencies when it comes to kids and follows through, without question. On the subject of Resort Staff, notable mention too, for all the staff at Wai Wai, including An, (who had both of our children’s favourite dishes memorised), Manager Lee and Omi, oh my gosh Omi always looked after us, thank you! Bas at the Café always there to provide us a morning coffee and of course assistant manager Minnie that helped out countless times too, unbelievable all of you, thank you. Regarding the resort itself and what tips and tricks I can part with, post visit. The waterslides and pool bars are an absolute hoot with the kids, but be careful not to run, (which the kids are told not to do). Daily room service is great, fresh towels, slippers, water always, more to the point, room service is efficient and when needed punctual. Sadly, one night our 9-year-old got very sick with a tummy bug, there was vomiting and, being 9, he didn’t make it to the bathroom; but you know what, housekeeping came and replaced all the bedding in the middle of the night twice! Without fuss, they just did it, and then the next day helped us source a local clinic where we could address our kids’ symptoms and get him back to pool swimming and enjoyment faster. Regarding the rooms, they were well appointed and spacious, with the higher floors offering a greater degree of privacy. I particularly rated the mattress and pillows for comfort; it was obvious these items were in new condition. The USB (A, B & C) ports were ample for charging of devices and avoided the need for bulky power adapters. Most plugs and power outlets in Thailand are the European style, so an adaptor, plus a native plug/lightening charger can stick out, whereas being able to ‘jack’ kids devices strait into the wall made for convenience and prevented device charging related warfare between the kids! Smart and once again kid friendly. Resort amenities included a kids club, (which we didn’t use) and a gym, however with one of Phuket’s best beaches and a swathe of spa, health and fitness services just at the entrance of the resort, guests are spoilt for choice. If there was constructive feed back to be had, the resorts check out/deposit return procedure is a bit cumbersome, in short don’t leave check out to the last minute as it can take 90 minutes to get to Phuket Airport from the resort and every minute counts. Whilst we didn’t stay in a pool access room, I’d have to posit, I’m glad we didn’t, sure, you can access the pool directly from your room, but so too can all the kids using the pool during the day, you’re also on the ground floor which means when you enter and exit your room, you’re on the access road level, more like a motel than a resort. In sum, Emerald Beach Resort Phuket gets 5 out of 5, simply because they do deliver on what’s in the brochure (online marketing), it is a family resort with all the amenities kids could wish for, located in central Karon (the best family beach in Phuket). You don’t feel isolated like you might at a resort or villa located out of town, you won’t pay exorbitant rates to house your family close to one another, but you will leave with a smile and knowledge that the holiday dollar (Bhat, Euro, Pound) can still afford a fantastic family resort experience. Thank you Emerald Beach Resort !