Best Western Premier Bangtao Beach Resort and Spa

We just came back from the resort and it's fair to say that it hasn't been as good as I thought it would The main positive point of the resort is the staff, they know what customer service is Nan, sake,zun to name a few were superb Bedroom are spacious with all amenities you would expect from that type of resort Michael who is in charge of customer relation was also good to give us some tips of where to go and see but equally good to try and solved our discontent Foodie people beware!! At the time we were there, breakfast buffet style was ok (not really a fan of hot dog sausage though) then you have 2 restaurants but one of them was closed at lunch time therefore had no choice than eat at seafood restaurant, there are 2 different menu, a seafood one and one where you find some Thai dishes , and some European dishes like pizza, pasta, burger, etc, the downside is they use same menu for lunch and dinner therefore becomes boring Where I am disappointed the most is it shouldn't matter if within off season or not Customers should receive same level of service Once the F&b manager Eric was back from holiday and heard about the issue we had with the quality of the food he did everything he could to make sure it wouldn't happen again and it didn't So for that we are great full to him But sadly it leave a bitter taste as what it could have been if Eric would have been there from the start Overall nice quiet location with great staff(except chef) let down by the food experience

This is an extremely difficult review for me to write. I returned to the uk on Wednesday night having spent the most incredible two weeks in Thailand staying at BW Bangtao beach resort & spa hotel. Apologies in advance for this epic review! We travelled to Dubai from Manchester with Emirates on A380 airbus which was great, hundreds of movies to choose from and the meals were nice too. We then had a 2 hour transfer time which was mainly spent getting across the MASSIVE impressive Dubai airport- lots of walking involved as well as 4 lifts a TRAIN and an escalator too! The second leg involved an extremely uncomfortable flight lasting over 6 hours on the Boeing 777 in ridiculously narrow seats and cramped conditions. Found this plane totally unsuitable for such a long journey and I think it’s use needs reviewing ....but hey - wasn’t going to let that spoil things We arrived in Phuket early morning and were picked up by private taxi and hit the early morning traffic but this gave us a chance to get a flavour of life in Thailand. The hotel itself is in a quiet location down a bumpy road with a few street shops, a 7-11 store, restaurants, taxi service and loads of massage parlours. The entrance looked deceptively small but once inside the place opened out into a nice spacious well air conditioned reception area where we were greeted warmly and given a refreshing welcome drink and vouchers for complimentary breakfast. Found this a bit strange since we were all inclusive but I guess it worked out as a 15th breakfast on a 14day/ night stay. Even though you are AI you have to sign for everything food and drink wise at this resort.Breakfasts (and evening meals - unless you prebook the seafood restaurant) are in a lovely setting beach restaurant right on the Andaman sea. There are plenty of staff catering to you at this hotel each one as friendly and obliging as the next.Tea and coffee are brought to your table and breakfast choice from the buffet is decent quality and there is an egg/ omelette station where these can be cooked fresh to requirement. Everything looks reassuringly clean and staff are constantly cleaning down bench areas. Feeling refreshed but tired we returned to reception to complete check in ,collected our key card, towel cards and were given resort information including information how to access free WiFi ( an important thing to many) . Our bags were carried to room 1207 just upstairs from reception by the 24 hour luggage service boy who gave us a quick tour . We were greeted in the room with a lovely welcome note and fresh fruit basket. We were really happy with our spacious clean accommodation with its view over the pool and a partial beach view. The bed was (as many guests describe) quite firm but personally I prefer this to a saggy soft mattress. There is a walk in shower and plenty of complimentary toiletries (replenished daily) which serve as a back up if you didn’t bring your own, a hair dryer, safe, plug in mosquito repellant, a free supply of tea coffee and water facilities but you have to pay for anything in the fridge. The room has ice cold air conditioning but can easily be warmed up using the thermostat and is serviced daily - we always found standards to be high although a little extra such as towel art would have been a really nice touch. After grabbing a few hours sleep we set off to explore what is a deceptively decent sized beach side resort. There wasn’t much of a beach for most of the day since the water came right up to the edge of the rocks but any litter/ plastics washed up were immediately collected and despite the red flags warning not swim (no lifeguards) and warnings of Portuguese man of war jelly fish some people still ventured into the sea. There are two pools with plenty of sun loungers, however it was low season and since not very busy it would be difficult to give assessment of how adequate they would be when it was busy. There is a very small activities programme ( weather and numbers of participants permitting) I would recommend the hydro cycling which is at 11am - shout out to Tom- wish I’d had more sessions!!!! It was rainy season and most days had at least a small amount of rain so although it didn’t spoil our holiday it did disrupt some activities. Don’t worry about waterproofs - these can be purchased for minimal amounts for reusable ones at 7-11 store and each room at hotel is provided with a large umbrella . The lunchtime menu at the seafood restaurant is actually the same as the evening one. Hubby and I had only just commented how a lighter quicker choice would be when an additional menu appeared. All of the food here was delicious - the Thai foods as you would expect are amazing and I also particularly liked the grilled chicken breast with prawns. Some foods on the menu have a red sticker on them so you have to pay half their marked price even if you are an AI guest. Evening meals are of very high standard with choices from an appetiser, then soup or salad and a desert from the menu. Again as you would expect the Thai food is superb and the panaeng curry (choose your strength) is to die for. What this hotel does really lack is evening entertainment. A couple of singers play a set a few evenings but a programme at a set time each evening would keep guests better entertained than a bookcase and pool table. The space in the reception could be better utilised than just a few seats... these are minor things easily rectified and I think other guests would approve of. You can book a shuttle bus to take you to Patong or Phuket or there is taxi booking just outside. The mosquitos in Thailand are vicious. I discovered that dousing myself in my usual brand of tropical strength product only seemed to attract the little critters even more. A lovely couple we met gave us spare wristbands with supposed 340 hour protection but sadly they didn’t work so I visited the pharmacy and was given a roll on which Thai people use and proved effective. I also purchased antihistamine cream for bites and hubby needed antihistamine tablets too. We were disappointed that although our TUI rep Olli would visit at your request by e mail or telephone there were no set days/ times for visits and not even an information board! We eventually booked 3 trips ( see my other reviews) which were fantastic but disappointingly we were informed by other guests that the exact same trips could be booked at a fraction of the cost outside of the hotel. Also be aware that if there aren’t sufficient numbers for trips then they may be cancelled! Unfortunately on my way to meet the rep to book the trips I stumbled and took a heavy fall on the uneven twisting hotel path that runs along the seafront .it was just one of those things but you do need pay attention and not get too distracted by the stunning scenery! The hotel staff not only cleaned and dressed my wound but provided me with iodine and spare dressings and checked I was ok. The staff here are so friendly - some of the nicest we have encountered on our many trips and a real credit to the hotel - big shout outs to all staff but Teekor, Jen, Jun, Archie,Yanie, Christina and especially Gin ( who redressed my wounds and even brought me balm the following day to aid my healing) It was with heavy hearts we departed and faced the journey back to uk. Although we knew to expect the discomfort of the trip on the first leg after our outward flight Somehow the airbus felt very uncomfortable too. I felt a bit feverish and had a headache. We arrived back in Manchester slightly ahead of schedule and because we had a 3 hour drive home we opted to stay in an airport hotel to get a nights rest before our journey. However this was not to be and after an entire evening of d & v , shivering and sweating , headache and with a sore abdomen I was hospitalised. It’s unknown where I picked this up from and i won’t let it spoil the wonderful holiday but would use this opportunity to urge anyone visiting this country to take all hygiene precautions and drink plenty of fluids to ensure they stay well. Would I return? Definitely - yes- in a heartbeat! Thank you Thailand and especially BW Bangtao hotel Xx

We stayed at the Best Western Premier Bangtoa Beach in September for 8 days. This was a fantastic experience. The staff from the reception to the cleaning and restaurant staff were always friendly and polite. The rooms were very comfortable and spacious and we had a room upgrade which was very welcome. The breakfast food selection was good with options for all tastes. The hotel location is simply stunning with beach frontage and views of the bay to die for. You can rent a variety of boards for use in the sea. Overall a very satisfying experience.