I am telling everyone I know about this place and the people who work here. It is amazing, and everyone is so friendly and eager to please. The scenery (being directly on the beach) is stunning.
the location is brilliant. far enough away from the craziness of patong that you can escape it, but close enoguh to catch a tuk tuk in there when ever you feel like it. 5 min walk up the beach to Karon for very reasonably priced restaurants and shopping.
The breakfast buffet in the hotel was amazing, the range was exceptional, you have all the regular western stuff you can imagine, from bacon and eggs, to pancakes, pastries etc... but some of the asian soups, curries and breads on offer were what really got me going!!... I really had to try hard to control my morning eating sessions!! The rooms are gorgeous, and the pools are great fun (especially the swim up bar), and although I am a grown man, i couldn't help but repeatedly take advantage of the water slides!!
Happy hour at the various bars is fantastic, 2 for 1 cocktails!! I highly recommend having a massage on the beach in front of the hotel just before sunset, and then enjoying a raspberry caprioska while watching the sun set from the beach comber bar. I did this 2 days in a row. If you know of anything more relaxing, I'd love to hear it!
I've seen a few negative comments about this place, and they actually had me quite concerned before we arrived, but I'm happy to say, I could not see one thing to complain about.
I saw a couple of complaints about having hard beds, they are not rock hard by any means, they are firm, which is nice, but they also have mattress toppers on them to make them supportive, but fluffy at the same time (oh and i think the king size beds over there are even slightly bigger than the ones at home!!... awesome)
I did get sick towards the end of our trip (although this was NOT from the hotel, it was from me not being quite careful enough outside the hotel (remember people: hand sanitizer and bottled water only!! very important!!)), and we had to extend our stay, change our flights and make a whole bunch of emergency arrangements, and the hotel staff were so super helpful, they were falling over themselves to make everything as easy as possible for us under the circumstances (even though they knew it was not their fault and had no obligation to do so), I can't speak highly enough of them.
we went as a couple, and even though they cater heavily towards families, we didn't feel overrun by kids. I would happily go there again as a couple, and similarly I would recommend it for families.
we did so much in the 6 days we were there, from elephant trekking, para sailing, snorkeling, boat trip out to phi phi island, shopping, visiting pa tong... there is so much to do.
It is truly a tropical paradise, and we can't wait to come back.

This hotel was exceptional from the beginning of our stay till the end.
We arrived late at night and were given a welcome drink on arrival and had our room upgraded from a Delux Seaview room to A private plunge pool room - also with ocean views at no extra charge.
The breakfast buffet was amazing and catered for all tastes - would suit even the fussiest eater.
My husband and I were there as I couple and even though this resort caters to families as well, we didnt feel like we had children in our face all the time. The pool was amazing, was great waterslides and jumping rocks too - great for a young couple. And the swim up bar, what can I say, the staff were fun and helpful and great to have a chat with.
Staff throughout the resort were so friendly and helpful.
The only thing I could find a negative with were the dinners - they have a themed dinner every night and we found these meals to be over priced for the quality you received but the Italian restaurant they had was great....The spa was also overpriced, as you could walk to the beach or into Karon town and get massages much cheaper - but thats pretty typical of any resort.
Will definately stay there again should we return to Karon.

We (family of 5) stayed at the resort in June/July this year. We spent 10 days here. The first 5 were beautiful and then the next it rained non stop virtually. The pool area is magnificent and you could just sit there for hours relaxing. My youngest 14, had a great time on the slides etc. We ate mostly out in Karon either walking or Tuk Tuk ride in as this was inexpensive. Rooms were great. A bit of a stuff up with the booking. I had booked initially for 4 of us through Sawadee, then late in piece my older son decided to come and I emailed the hotel this directly.
Unfortuneatly they could not provide an extra bed so we had to make do with couch in the room.
Not that comfortable but we had to make do. Asked several times for fold up bed to no avail.
Apart from this we all enjoyed the resort thoroughly. Breakfast in the Cove each day was fresh and lovely with lots of variety.
The floors were a littkle bit slippery in some sections when it rained but there were signs around to notify guests of this.
Overall, I would not hesitate to go back to Centara Grand but hopefully when the weather was more consistent.

I think all the reviews cover most of the information/advice on offer very well. All I can say is, this was my 3rd visit to Phuket and our 6th visit to Thailand, so it is obvious that we love the culture/country. I can not fault our stay in any way shape or form, everything was excellent, to a high standard, many thanks. We were invited to the "Managers cocktail hour" where we met the management team, they strive very hard to maintain and improve on their service. The reception area is quite small, however I do not go on holiday to sit in the lobby, and it functioned well. Yes the TV in English is limited (there is news & film in English), again I do not go on holiday to watch TV. The hotel and room were cleaned everyday to a high standard,nothing was too much trouble for the staff, a note to the management, you have an excellent workforce of which you should be proud as they are a major asset to you. Would I go back, simply put yes, why not, it ticked all the box's, we enjoyed it and found it impossible to find fault. We used the small local restaurants a 5 minute walk from the hotel, they were well priced,great value for money,clean,great menus and best of all grateful for your business. To finish off, there is nothing to worry about at this resort, perhaps my expectations are not as high as some people, my advice, Go, try you will not be disappointed.