Phuket : Royal Phawadee Village Resort

3rd August 2011. Written by Xin Li and Vinleon.
Phuket, Thailand
Located only a street away from Patong beach, Royal Phawadee Village Resort is embellished by lush greenery and Thai-style furnishing. The first thing you'd notice upon entering the lobby area is the small swimming pool and the warm welcoming smiles of the receptionists.

Checking in took quite a while but this cooled off with our complimentary drink and (cold towel wrapped in plastic). Instead of making us carry it to our room to drink, they should serve it either in the room itself or while we were checking in, a tiny service detail they should take note of.

The whole resort was designed to resemble an idyllic 'Thai' village. The walk to our room was akin to taking a stroll through a park, there was plenty of greenery and flowers along the pathway to our room. There is also a swimming pool but having the water was quite salty (hurts the eyes).

Each room has a private deck outside where we had a nice time lounging and having afternoon tea (until the mozzies came).

We booked a Superior Room (2500 THB). The interior décor was fairly simple. As such, it lacked the royal atmosphere that we expected from the resort. It felt more like an upscale chalet.

Nonetheless, the expansive bed was comfortable and the shower room is very spacious (the toilet and shower room were separate).

There is also the usual mini bar, the 5 THB Seaweed Lays cost 10 THB. I like that they provided us with an adapter.

Towels were folded in an artistic manner.

Breakfast is served at the Cafe de France, one of the three highly priced restaurants in the hotel.

The croissants and venoisseries were really good. The butter, jams and honey were imported from France.

You have both Asian and Western options here.

However, the quality ends there, the rest of the breakfast buffet were a disappointment. The scrambled egg looked weird, the cold cuts have a strange aftertaste and the cheese was pungent. The coffee was very heavy and excruciatingly sharp (as expected from French coffee).

Xin Li: I liked that they provided the conveyor toaster (though the settings were off at the beginning resulting in the wastage of bread as they got burnt) and that they offer whole fruits for the guests to eat.

In contrast to the food, the ambience fared much better, we love the alfresco seats where you could people watch or just enjoy the abundant greenery around the resort.

There were plenty of facilities including a business center, gym and swimming pool. The pool water is odd though, it seemed rather salty and hurts the eyes.

Overall, I have mixed feelings for the Royal Phawadee Village Resort. I felt that it lacked the royal feel (but that is personal), its breakfast could have been better, the swimming pool water needs some attention as well. On the other hand, I love that there were plenty of greenery, the laid back atmosphere, its excellent location as well as the comfortable rooms it has to offer.

Royal Phawadee Village Boutique Resort
3 Sawatdirak Road, Patong Beach, Kathu, Phuket, Thailand, 83150.

Tel: +66 (0)76 344 622
Fax: +66 (0)76 344 621