We stayed at the Chedi as a break en-route to NZ. Having read a number of reviews we were concerned that the hotel might be a bit tired and we were also worried about the large number of stairs. We were upgraded to a beach front villa which had recently been refurbished so it is difficult to properly assess the hotel as a whole. The villa was very comfortable, but still gave the impression of being a bit dated, although there were some nice touches, like the ipod and sound dock. There are a lot of stairs at this resort. It wasn't a great problem as we spent most of the day on the beach, and our room was pretty close by, but I wouldn't recommend this hotel for the elderly or infirm. The other negative was the lack of a gym. We had to use the gym at Treetops, which is about half a mile away and at an additional cost of BHT350 per person per session. Those are the negatives, now the positives. The beach is superb - private, golden sand and a deep bay. Others have stated that it is the best on Phuket, and I can believe it. There were quite a few families with young children staying, but they tended to use the pool and the children were never a problem. The food is good, particularly the seafood restaurant on the beach. Service throughout the hotel is of a pretty high standard.
Overall we really enjoyed our stay and have booked again for next year - can't get a better recommendation than that really.

My partner and I are both experienced Thailand visitors and last year we decided to try Phuket (Which was a good choice) We both like evening entertainment/action but like to stay far enough out so you can have a tranquil peacefull night if required and The Chedi was perfect - The hotel puts on a free bus into Patong and back at 19:00 & 00:00 but if 00:00 is too early a Tuk Tuk is only 200/300 baht.

The hotel is different to any other hotel ive stayed in as its made up of small cottages scattered on the hillside which are fairly small but decorated in traditional Thai style (teak floors etc) They are clean and well maintained although my main complaint is the "turning down" service is at an awkward time to say the least, she caught me naked everyday for the entire holiday which I'm sure put a smile on her face..... :-)

The hotel is fab for chilling out by the pool which is black in colour (tiles) but very clean and best of all is the beach which is clean and the sea is lush in colour and temp etc. Well worth exploring down the coast over the rocks and see how the locals live.

Beware the hotel is not for the immobile with many steps but exercise is good, dont forget!!

In terms of food/entertainment the hotel does lack somewhat but dont let that put you off as just outside the property is about a dozen bars and restaurants (A wierd wine bar is one - give that miss??) 2 of the restaurants are fab, 1 we went everyday for lunch which is excellent value for money and the other is good for an evening meal (Try the seabass). (Sorry cant remember names so pretty useless info really) Spent most evenings down Patong where there is pretty much something to suit everyones taste - One major difference I found to Pattaya and BKK is there is only 1 seedy street Bangla road the rest is pretty normal so its not in your face constantly.

In summary then The Chedi is good, Phuket is FAB.... :-)


xx

My wife and I stayed at the Chedi from Dec. 24th 2007 until Jan. 1st 2008. Our room was a Deluxe Cottage (room 348), which stands on the second row from the sea, very close to the beach-restaurant.

Our feeling about the Chedi is very mixed. As we arrived directly from Bangkok, where we stayed at The Oriental (report will follow. An amazing stay. Our stay at the Oriental was the best hotel experience after One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives and Hermitage in Monaco), our expectations for the Chedi were pretty high.

For those not willing to read the full report, I would just sum up our experience by saying that:

We liked: the beach, the beach, the beach

We disliked: the shower place, the outdated bungalow and hotel lobby (the hotel is member of the self-attributed “design hotel of the world”….what a joke!), the invisible management, the food, communication problem with staff


Here are more details.

Hotel location: the hotel shares the beach with the Amanpuri, near Surin beach. This is a 30 minutes drive from shopping & nightlife (Patong), and 30 minutes away from Phuket Interational airport. There are taxis along the main road (5 minutes walk from the hotel entrance… be careful the small road that leads to the main road has no pavement and no lights…may be are they waiting for someone to be hit by a car before investing in some lights…or are they simply trying to discourage people from choosing private taxis instead of their limo service).

Beach: the bay is very nice, pretty small, even though you never feel surrounded by people. The beach is clean, the sand white and marvelous. A top beach!!! We have visited many beaches in Phuket and also took several boat-rides to near-by islands (Phi Phi, Krabi, Maya) and we can say that the beach is almost as nice as the paradise beaches mentioned here above. There is not much current and swimming is nice and with no danger at this period. The hotel does not offer any restaurant service on the beach, but if you dare walking to one of the restaurant, find someone available, get the menu list and place an order, they will deliver the food to you). Otherwise, there are many locals proposing fresh fruits and drinks on the beach at a very attractive price…do not hesitate..they are trustworthy and the fresh pineapples they sell are to die for.

Our Room (348): old design, size was standard. The bed (size, comfort) is ok, but airconditioning is very loud. The bathroom is a terrible disappointment. You would normally expect to find such features in a 2 stars hotel or YMCA. No windows, tiling with mould, strange smell…A part from that, the room offers standard amenities (small TV, safe box, sofa,…). We visited a standard room (317) and to our surprise we could not see any difference with ours…a part that ours was closer to the sea.

Room rate: we paid $700 per night….very expensive for a 3 stars hotel (especially as we just paid $500 in Bangkok at The Oriental, which plays several divisions above the shabby-Chedi).

Restaurant: the hotel proposes three restaurants. One by the lobby (weak point: as you come back from your day-excursion, tired and not dressed as smart as you would, you have to walk across the restaurant to get to your room….). During our 8 night stay, we only dined once (the first evening). Considering the price paid and, above all, the quality of the food, we quickly realized we could have much better on the island. We took breakfast every day at the hotel. The buffet is standard, nothing particularly stunning. Only three choices of juices (not freshly squeezed).

Swimming Pool: very nice and large pool. Nice playground for kids all day long. Others are advised to go to the beach. If you have kids, and wish to spend the day by the pool, wake up early to play the German game (ie: place personal items on your chaise-longue to reserve it for the day).

Late check-out: as our plane was departing at 6.40pm, we had asked from the first day if we could keep the room until 4pm. Their reply (to be repeated each time we did remind them of our request) was “we will confirm the day before your departure”. As you would guess, our request was finally rejected and we were offered a shower room, to be accessible one hour before departure. As we entered the room (a standard room), there were many indications showing that someone had just exited it. All towels were already used, on the floor or around the wash basin…No towels left for us…no staff had checked or cleaned the room ahead of us…not a quality service.

Life outside the hotel: the hotel is pretty quiet in the evening as most people go to Patong or to other lively places. The hotel offers a free shuttle (seating 12 persons max) to Patong, leaving the hotel at 9pm (to allow you to have dinner at the hotel…clever!), and returning at 00.30am. You can obviously go to Patong by taxi (cost 400-450 bahts) and take the free shuttle to come back (but you need to register before). We encourage you to go to Patong. Nice experience, great dinning experiences (count 600-1200 bahts for two persons). We also recommend day trips to Phi-Phi, Krabi and others.

Car rental: It is nice to discover Phuket island by car. Many things to see (and you will see that the hotel beach is among the nicest beaches). Note that hotel can arrange car rental, but it will refuse any responsibility if the rent a car company is then not respecting the terms of the contact (as it happened to us: the car broke down, the car rental company did not provide replacement nor did it accept a partial refund…).

Conclusion: We loved Phuket, but certainly not the Chedi. Will not return and would not recommend it to a friend.

After months & months of planning my perfect honeymoon... (i had high expectations & wanted the best) we decided on the Renaissance (in KOH SAMUI) for our 1st week & The Chedi (in Phuket) for our 2nd week. We loved loved LOVED the Renaissance - this is a top class resort which is absolutely faultless & trully world class - just perfection! The Chedi however, left alot to be desired. We arrived at night & the first & only thing we saw as we checked in was the reception - which is outdated modern (apparently the resort is 20 years old!): dark & cold looking (lots of heavy, dark stone etc..). A member of staff then took us to our room. I was a bit worried at the direction we were heading, as it was away from the beach & centre of the resort, & considering the money we paid - i was a bit upset already even before we got to the room. We seemed to climb (at a full vertical angle) about 10,000 steps (think Ace Ventura - Pet Detective, when he climbs up to the monk ashram), i nearly had heart failure at the ripe old age of 24 by the time i got to the top! We got to the room (Hillside Cottage) & i was shocked. It was tiny, old'n tired, creeking floorboards & on top of that... we had to share a deck with the next door neighbours - who mind you - were only about 4 metres away (door to door). This is NOT what i had expected from a hotel that was recommended by flight centre as a "great honeymoon resort" & looked NOTHING like the photos in the brochure!! I rang reception, who were helpful, & they said they could upgrade us to a beach deluxe room for an extra 4000 BHT per night. The next morning we checked it out & it was a better location, but still a long walk & still heaps more steps & the room was exactly the same. Not at all worth the $$ we were paying & then had to pay on top! We checked out that morning & looked at a few other hotels - including The Sheraton Laguna, Le Meridien, etc... We decided on the stunning AYARA HILLTOPS (formally known as 'Treetops Arasia'). Which is only 3 years old & the villas/suites are superb (although not directly on the beach which was disapointing) the had lovely views, private plunge pools & the suite was like a small millionaires penthouse!!

So, I would NOT recommend The Chedi to anyone - unless you dont care about the inside of the room you are paying for & like LOTS of excerise. We had breakfast there once & everyone seemed so glum & it just had a dark, unfriendly feeling & ambience. The whole resort is based on a very steep hill, & although the setting is lovely & on a private beach - shared with the famous "AMANPURI"(?) - the amount of stairs to get to anything in the resort is trully ridiculous & by the time you get too the top, you will just want to get to the bottom again (beach) just to cool off! sorry, i dont even have photos to share with anyone - we could'nt get out of there quick enough & i did not want to waste anymore of my precious honeymoon/holiday there.