Stayed in a "Benyada@Sea" room ... relatively big with a king-size firm, comfy bed. Paid an excellent rate of about USD120/night. Check-in was prompt and friendly. Receptionists were helpful with info on spas.

The Benyada Lodge is a beautiful hotel. They've thought of all the details, especially in the Thai-themed decor. However, I have a hard time recommending the location - Surin Beach - to anyone. The hotel is less than 100 meters from the beach, but it's a very crowded beach. Yes, it's much less crowded than Patong, but we spent some time exploring Phuket and realized that the farther away from Patong you get, the better. Surin beach does not have the secluded feel we were looking for, but if what you want is easy access to bars, restaurants, and massages while you're sun bathing, it's got lots of options. If you choose to stay in Surin, Benyada is a great option, and you can rent scooters next door to the hotel and drive 10 minutes north to Bang Tao beach. It's much more secluded feeling and a nice break from the busyness of Surin. The hotel restaurant offered delicious breakfast everyday, for free, and dinner at the restaurant was also very good.

Pro's:
1) Location, location, location! It was about 2 minutes walking distance from the white sands of Surin beach. Surin beach is definitely a peaceful alternative to the "Daytona Beach meets New Orleans Mardi Gras"-like Patong Beach. We were on the 2nd floor and supposed to have an ocean view, but because of the big palm tree in front of our window and the power lines, we really only saw a sliver of the ocean. I did not think it was a big deal since we spent very little time in the room anyways.

2) Boutique decor: simple, clean lines. Nice linens. The dining area was nice and there was live music each night we were there. Toiletries were good too--jasmine -scented soaps!

3) Very friendly staff! They were always smiling and eager to help. The housestaff was equally pleasant and very courteous.

4) Taxi stand directly across from hotel can easily bring you to Patong Beach for the nigh scene or to Phuket Town for some shopping.

5) Value was unparalleled. I'm not sure if it was a terrific group rate that can't be matched outside of a group setting, but our price was about $77/night.

Con's:
1) Because it's on a beach that is not one of the primary tourist destinations, it was hard to describe to some excursion vendors. The front desk typically was very helpful about arranging day trips, but one day the front desk worker spoke minimal English and minimal Thai. That made communicating extremely challenging! Nevertheless, he was very nice and when we directed him to find a Thai or English speaking colleague, he immediately did just that!

2) Poor water drainage: In speaking with some of the other guests from our group, it seems that some of the rooms (including mine) had problems with the shower drainage such that the bathrooms would flood if the water was left on for the entire duration of the shower. The shower in my "@ Sea" room was a curtained off corner in the bathroom with the drain in the corner. Either there was sand-buildup in the drain or the slope of the pipe wasn't steep enough to allow fast enough drainage. Regardless, the result was water pooling up beyond the curtain the bathroom so that water went around the toilet and to the sink [mind you, the bathroom isn't huge to begin with so water didn't have to travel very far to get to the sink & the toilet.]... Anyway, not all the rooms have this problem and when I used my friend's shower, drainage was great!

What you see on their website is what you get for real! It looks great
and it is GREAT! I stayed there together with my boyfriend from the
24th of December 2007 till the 7th of January 2008. This hotel is
situated on a small road in front of Surin Beach, 2 minutes walk, easy
access.

When you enter the hotel, you find the lobby, the restaurant/breakfast
area and the Internet area on the ground floor. It is beautifully
decorated with nice funiture and pillows in different colours.

The girls & boys at the reception were always very friendly & helpfull.
The hotel provides fresh beach towels every day, the only thing you
have to do to get one is to put your room number in a book and sign when
you return it.

The breakfast was simple but very good : fruits, cereals, juices, milk,
toast, croissants, pastries, eggs, pancakes, thai breakfast, sausages,
bacon, water, coffee, thee.

We stayed in a studio room with a king bed. The room was nicely
decorated with dark wood furniture and green accents on the walls. The bed
and pillows were extremely comfortable. We also had a large cupboard,
two small chairs, a desk and a television with several international TV
stations. The bathroom was semi-open and had an open shower with
curtain, a washtable & a toilet. The airconditioning worked great, which
was really helpfull sometimes :-). Everything was very clean and our
maid did an excellent job cleaning every day and refreshing the sheets of
the bed regularly.

The hotel has a roof top bar with a small pool and some lounge chairs.
In the evening they play some music and you can also eat on the roof.

The restaurant downstairs is always packed. They have a menu for every
taste. If you like to spend the evening with a live band, this is the
place to go to!

Next to the hotel on the right is a small market where you can buy some
stuff like drinks,... In the neigbourhood are some very expensive
hotels like Ayara, Amanpuri, Chedi and Twinpalms. On the beach, there are
a lot of good restaurants. For Thai food, NOK is very nice. If you
like romance and candlelight : Pla Seafood or Taste are the places to go
to.

Enjoy your stay!