South Sea Karon Phuket, Phuket

We where very happy with the hotel and will return next year. The hotel was design was pleasing to the eye and the rooms where nice and clean and the view to the pool was good. Everyone was courteous and ready to help. The only grip I have about the place was that the internet cafe was open but with no employee inside the first evening to help us and the cost of internet was high.. we found a smaller cafe 5 blocks inland that was 1/3 the price.

if you want to live the beachlife than karon south sea is a good choice as basis. surrounded by big chain formula hotels it is a smaller resort, better called hotel. the pool is nice, as are the rooms in the new section of the hotel. food though in the hotel and its restaurant are relatively expensive and of modest quality. outdoor food is much better. staff is not very friendly. but if you know what you want or dont want it is ok. one real dissatisfaction is the charge for internet connection in your room. but if you are fine to go to internet cafe around corner or just dont want internet at all, you will not experience it as such. karon beach is nice. the hotel is literally at the doorstep. just cross the road and enjoy the blue water and white sand.

Absolutely loved every minute of it. I didn't think 20 hours in Phuket would be long enough to relax before we headed off for Beijing and then on a trekking holiday, but it was! From the moment you enter the resort, and receive an ice-cold glass of apple juice and a cool refreshing towel, to getting to your room and discovering that it is clean, cool, spacious, with everything you could think of (as mentioned before, the minibar, robes, sandals, plus toiletries, fluffy towels, a great view, and even frangipani flowers on the bed and in the bathroom). The pool is the perfect temperature, warm enough to enter without doing the whole "do I just jump in and brave it or do I inch in and get used to it" dilemma, but cool enough that you don't feel cold when you get out or sit at the swim up bar. The cocktail menu is long enough to find something you like but not so long that you spend hours deliberating - although the bartender was happy to make up any cocktail we could think of. There's a gym on the rooftop, fairly small but with enough machines to get a workout if you are a gym junkie, although I'd recommend going across to the beach and enjoying the outdoors. Theres also a shop with clothes, and a place to book tours. The day spa was heaven, and although a bit more expensive than other places in old phuket street, the experience was fantastic, with a lovely setting and calm music and masseuses which you don't get down the street. The sunset view from the rooftop garden is well worth it, and the daybeds up on the roof were a great way to chill out and read a book for a while, as was the courtyard in the centre (with a small foreign book exchange too). The restaurant had plenty of seats and a happy hour that lasted three hours (don't get that in Australia!) but we didn't eat there - we ended up wandering just down the street to eat at one of the many smaller restaurants down the road - the view of the beach from the hotel restaurant was better.