Well we found heaven, we want to live there. It was all that we hoped for and more. We stayed for 14 days and could hardly fault the place. We had booked a Kelly Quarters Room but decided we would pay the extra to move into a Pearl Room and that gave us more room, a veranda with a bath but more importantly the veranda had a fan over the table & chairs which made it very comfortable to sit out there during the day which we did for some length of time each late afternoon. There was a problem with a light in the 1st room we were in and when it couldn't be fixed within a certain time frame that the resort has, we were promptly moved to another room. The food was fantastic, after eating a leisurely breakfast we never ate again until tea time. Even though the food was so good we both came home a few kilo's lighter! The beds are like sleeping in a cloud. The free internet is a bonus. In fact the only thing we found was the food is a little expensive to eat at the resort. But then we were on a bit of a budget. We ate every night pretty much at Ma Ma Mia's on the beach which was fantastic and really cheap. The other great thing about this resort is that it is only a short stroll to a beach that you can actually swim at. We spent the previous 9 nights before arriving at Indigo Pearl at Karon Beach and it was not possible to swim there comfortably due to the rough sea and strong under toe. Yes there is some debris from the sea washed in onto the sand but it is to be expected at this time of the year. We swam or just lay in the water every day for hours before then retiring to one of the pools at the resort to cool off, yes, the pools were cooler than the water at the beach. We come from Tasmania so warm sea water is not to be missed! The staff were without exception all brilliant. All were intent on making your stay the best it could possibly be. We hope to be able to go back to Indigo Pearl again.

On our next trip to Phuket our plans will include a stay at the Indigo Pearl. So many positives for this resort. First and foremost the staff are fantastic - from the airport greeting by Chan, to the staff serving food and beverage, to the folks working in the gardens, to the maintenance guys. There was always a genuine ready smile and a warm greeting.
We liked the style based around the "Tin Mine" concept, a bit industrial, not your usual resort look. Always a unusual detail to take notice of, from the large doors leading to the bathroom from the bedroom to the small things like the toilet roll holder.
We stayed for 4 nights in a Pool Pavilion room on the side of the resort close to the beach entrance. The bedroom was spacious, with slider doors leading to a good sized deck with a lounge area, table, two chairs, salt water pool and two sun lounges. Our private pool was a good temperature and nice for a cool off when we got too hot, but not really for proper swimming. The large oval/egg shaped bathtub was on a slightly higher deck with slider doors leading into the bathroom. Some may think twice about having a bath outside, but hard as we tried we couldn't see into our bath area from outside our suite. The bathroom large with a double sink and long bench opposite. The shower is large. The bed was so comfortable, the best of our trip, with only one other coming close, that alone would get us to return. I appreciated the separate spacious walk in wardrobe area for our clothes and bags, as it made it easy to keep the room itself tidy. The flat screen tv had enough channels to keep us entertained. Indigo provided a nightly turn down, leaving small gifts and treats on the bed. If you wanted you could also choose how you would like your mini bar set up, which I thought was a nice touch.
We took two massages at the spa and if there would have been more time we would have had more treatments. Spa area lovely and the masseuse were fantastic.
There are three pool areas to choose from and we spent most of our time at the adults only pool. The pools look good and we never had a problem getting a lounge chair.
We mostly ate at the the resort and enjoyed the meals, especially Black Ginger. We were lucky enough to have a nice non rainy evening and were able to enjoy our Thai dinner al fresco. I had a main of rock lobster with tamarind sauce and it was just delicious. The buffet breakfast had a great selection from Asian to western choices. The bread selection was very good and they even offered goat cheese (which I love). A cappuccino, no problem. Iced coffee, no problem. Rebar served some pretty good tapas and great cocktails. Of course there are cheaper eats on the beach, but we really enjoyed the ambiance of the various restaurants and lounges at the resort.
The gym is inviting, with a variety of equipment making it a pleasure to get in a workout.
Check in and out was quick and easy.
The only problems we had were ones of our own making, getting lost because we didn't take our resort map. Having said that, when asking how to get somehow we were often escorted and shown where to go. That is perhaps a plus of going "green season".
My only niggle was no in room internet.
The location of the resort was no problem for us as we were not there for a rowdy nightlife, but a place to relax and chill out. We really hope to return next year and after staying at a few other resorts during this holiday our initial positive thoughts were confirmed.

Just getting round to adding our short review after our week there in May 2009.

This was our second stay at Indigo Pearl, having stayed for a week in December 2007, which was a fabulous stay. It was a very unique resort, high attention to detail in every respect from design, service, food, bars, pools etc. We were pretty bowled over by everything about it, especcialy our daily visits to the beach bars just outside the resort.

This second trip was somewhat different and in some ways disappointing. The accomodation remains very much 5 star, the amenities still wow. However, the service and the attention to detail are beginning to slip. It is most noticeable in the reception areas, where the people working there appear rather jaded, a bit fed up and give of an air of reluctance and slightly off attitude. Having stayed there the year before and having just come from the Banyan Tree on the first leg of our trip, you very much feel the differences in service ethic.

We are not old school colonials or fussy middle agers - just a couple of thirty somethings that like to visit nice places and expecially love Thailand. Having experienced a rather perfunctory welcome, rushed through the check-in process and carted round to our room, we just shrugged it off as a bad day for Indigo Pearl and went straight to the pool. That was the next disappointment.

What was an amazing adults only pool, tranquil with a huge infinity pool and swim up bar had turned in to a packed 18-30 joint, mainly due to some corporate group function from USA staying at the resort, using up every bed, leaving only the broken ones (5 star?) and loudly enjoying their break time from their corporate, name badge function thingy. It was such a disappointment to see the Indigo Pearl like that and we spent the whole of the day and most of the next ones trying to get in to an alternative resort.

All respect to the deputy FOH manager who was very empathetic and professional in dealing with our disappointment, trying her best to secure a couple of (non damaged) sunbeds away from the crowds, offering room upgrade (no need as villas are gorgeous) and checking that we were okay, especially ahead of parents arrival to join us for an anniversary event.

It is still a fabulous location, a fabulous resort, stunning designs as every else will point in their reviews, it really wows on many levels. However, they just MUST re-focus on the service, especially front of house and re-install that special welcome and five star service that they used to have.

We had booked the "Simply Exhale" package for the Plantation Villa for 3 Days/2 Nights at 8,400 thai baht ++ on the hotel website. It was a "value for money" deal as it included:
- 2 nights stay in the Plantation Villa
- daily breakfast for 2 pax
- 2 way airport transfers
- 20% disc on all F&B
- 1 thai dinner including a glass of wine for 2 pax at the Black Ginger

We are a couple with no kids and were looking for a quiet weekend to rest and relax. Not big on the clubbing and drinking scene and we wanted a resort that would provide us the creature comforts and I would say Indigo Pearl fit the bill.

Reviews on Indigo Pearl:

1) Service

a) Reservation
Prompt response and attentive to details by their reservation department. I had mentioned that we are celebrating our 12th Wedding Anniversary and look forward to our visit as it also was highly recommended by a friend of ours who stayed there last year. The reservation supervisor was kind enough to include complimentary wedding amenities:
- Bottle of Sparkling Wine
- Heat Chocolate cake
- Flower set up in room

b) Food & Beverage
We had dined at the Tin Mine (Cafe), Black Ginger (Thai fine dining) & Underground Cafe (poolside cafe). I have to say the service was always attentive and even during their morning peak hours during breakfast, the staff really try their best to meet your needs. Kudos to the F&B staff!

c) Front Office
Reception was good and accomodating and we had a good experience with them as we had lost an iPod and had to lodge a Lost and Found with them. The Front Desk personnel was very helpful even though it was late in the night when we discovered our iPod missing.

Concierge service was satisfactory, they were functional but lacked some warmth in their service compared to the F&B staff. We were taking the hotel shuttle to Patong and being first time visitor was looking for recommendations for good local food but the information was lacking. Same service level when we checked out and had to leave our bag with them. The only plus points were the nice airport service we had and the plush van that picked us up.


2) Room
We had the Plantation Villa located around the Black Ginger, you can see the restaurant from your front patio but it has lush foliage to ensure privacy. You enter the villa and will be greeted with two loungers in the front patio. Upon entering your room, you will see the comfortable king bed facing the patio and there are adequate storage area for short stay of 3-4 days for 2 pax. The bathroom is a dream as they have all the amenities you can enjoy - rain shower, double sinks and an outdoor bathtub.

Only area of improvement would be:
i) towel hooks for your towels especially if you wish to recycle them
ii) a smallish awning to cover the outdoor tub to keep the fallen leaves, branches and ants away


3) Location
The resort is located at Nai Yang which is only 10 mins by car from the airport. It takes 40 mins to reach Patong and the hotel do provide shuttle service. However if you take the later shuttle service, it is only one way and you need to get your own taxi back to the resort which will cost you around 700-800 thai bahts. This resort is ideal if you are looking for a relaxing weekend and away from the hustle and bustle of the Patong area.

4) Facilities & Amenities

a) Pools
There are 3 pools to choose from and our favourite was Pool No 3 as it was an "Adults Only" pool and they have a bar that serves F&B and during Happy Hours, cocktails are 50% less. If you have kids, Pool No 1 would be ideal for families as they have a large pool that kids would love and the Underground Cafe is nearby and serve good poolside food.


b) Room
The room has all the amenities you can possible need. Their signature aroma scent is the White Champaka scent which was a tad coy for my taste and had it removed by Housekeeping. Scents are subjective and I just found it a bit coy thats all and there wasn't an alternative scent available. But it was a lovely touch I must say.

c) Others
There were other facilities that we did not get round to using such as the gym, tennis court, cooking school, diving center, spa and kids play areas. The gym looks good and I would definitely give it a try the next time I am there. The Library has 4 laptops that you can use and as there are no restrictions on usage duration, some guests tend to hog it and you may need to wait.

5) What I liked Best & Least about Indigo Pearl

a) Best
I like the service levels which was good and warm.
The rooms are really nice and sooo comfortable.
The pools are great and it was nice to just chill and relax and be pampered.
The food was great and set in a really nice ambience

b) Least
I would have to say the insects and the mosquitoes. I was a "walking buffet" and I came back with more than a dozen bites and half a dozen on my partner. I guess with such nice lush gardens, you have to bear with the insects and mosquitoes. The resort did provide a nice touch which was a balm for bites which was left by Housekeeping. I have to say I am prone to getting bitten by insects and mosquitoes.


Overall this was a really lovely stay and we had a relaxing weekend which was what we were looking for. The proof is when you go back to work and your colleagues remarked that you looked so fresh. :-)