After the crazy long haul's from the East coast of the US and an exhausted overnight in Bangkok, it was an absolute breeze to take the short flight from Bangkok to Phuket and be picked up by the Trisara folks. The small Volvo SUV wouldn't have the panache of the rides our other properties would provide, but it was a brand spanking new comfy ride. Water and scented towels were provided for the trip to the resort. We travelled in late June, and folks, the island is DEAD. Most of the shops and restaurants we passed were shuttered.

Finally, we arrived at the resort, tucked into a hillside. There was an upper level check in, but as it was occupied when we arrived, we were taken down to the another lobby area where the hotel's main amenities are located. Check in was a breeze, and the little tour of the restaurants, library, pool, etc. was a welcome way to get our bearings.

We booked the least fancy room category, the ocean view pool room, but were told upon arrival that they would upgrade us after the first night. Honestly? Did we need the upgrade? NO! The pool room was GORGEOUS and very large. Of course, the resort was no where near fully booked, but we felt the room was very private. I can believe that if you had noisy neighbors (or plan on making a ruckus yourself), you might prefer one of the private villas, but we would have been fine.

That said, we didn't turn down the upgrade to the pool suite, which had the exact same bedroom/bathroom, with an additional living area and spa bathroom and a full size pool/deck. Gorgeous.

Views from both pavilions were breathtaking and nearly identical... Not sure that I would desire one of the ocean "front" villas--not sure what kind of a gain that would be. These villas at the top of the hill seemed to have better views.

Restaurant was very good, but not excellent. Breakfast was the best part of the day. Were we to return to Phuket, I would want to go during a busier period so that there were more places to dine around the area. Service was EXTREMELY friendly but seemed ... I've struggled to put the right word to it. It's not that they were poorly trained, or poorly managed... Perhaps they have poor instincts? Or are too shy? Sometimes it seemed like they were afraid to come over and refill your water glass. This took away from the experience a bit.

We spent most days at our villa pool, but did spend a bit of time at the resort pool. It couldn't have a more gorgeous setting; however, it was much hotter down there than it was up on the hill at our villa. Also, again, the service? Severely lacking. Had to chase down our own drinks and staff to help with umbrellas, etc. It was decidedly peculiar how people acted, as if they didn't want to offend you by bringing you a drink. Made me wonder about previous guests! The beach was a bit of a disappointment. It was beautiful, certainly, but up close, oh MY was it littered with trash. The staff, in this case, was doing a phenomenal job, raking all the time, but they just couldn't keep up with the amount of litter coming in from the sea. We had NO desire to sit on the beach, much less swim.

Our favorite time was spent at the villa, and we had a number of meals there. The room service was very speedy and in some ways provided better service than the restaurant.

I highly recommend the spa--very unique experience. The spa suites are at the very top of a hill and entirely private. The views are incredible--something amazing about taking your steam and having tea on your little patio overlooking the sea. Facial, massage, and exfoliation were all well performed and left me feeling pampered and relaxed.

All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing experience. If you are looking for luxe privacy in SE Asia, this resort should top your list. Should it be a destination in and of itself? Not from the East Coast of the US. If you just want a beach/island vacation, you can have a similarly lovely experience in the Caribbean.

Trisara hits it right out of the park, every time! Rarely do we revisit a property (no matter how much it wowed us) as we feel there is always something new to explore! For the first time ever, we found ourselves drawn back to the magical kingdom of Trisara for a repeat visit. And, before we departed, we already booked our third! Need I say more? I thought I bestowed all accolades possible in my FIRST review of Trisara but I find myself needing to bestow even MORE the second time around! The moment you make your way passed the gate, you are enveloped into a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors, beauty and perpetual smiles. It captivates you in a way that is hard to describe. The service continues to be as exemplary as it gets. Set at such a high level, it will be hard to replicate. At all times, the entire Trisara team display such a genuine and heartfelt focus on your happiness, they make it near impossible to infiltrate back into the "real" world.

I won't bore you with another lengthy review as I have now learned, no amount of literary praise will ever articulate the captivating and exquisite experience of Trisara. You have to live it to know. I hope this review propels you to find out for yourself. You will thank me.

Oprah Winfrey is well known for posing the question, "What do you know for sure?" If you are fortunate enough to indulge in this slice of heaven, you will return more than once! This I know for sure! :-)

p.s. I must mention the private boat tours offered by the resort! They are outstanding! Dalen (recreation manager) and Loh (captain) will provide the most memorable days ever!

It's been a few years since we went but i've been so busy and just sold my business so we are planning another trip to thailand. I'm looking at hotels in phuket and nothing seems to come close to what we experienced at Trisara. It's a gorgeous resort that we fell madly in love with and I honestly can't think of a single thing wrong with it? We usually don't like to go back to the same place twice but we are thinking of going back to Trisara again. We even just finished building our dream home and designed our backyard and infinity pool like the ones at Trisara!! We stayed in an ocean view villa which is huge and probably way more room than anyone needs but wonderfully decadent and luxurious. They have beautiful views and sumptuous beds and furnishings. The food was to die for! Best pad thai I've ever had! The massages and spa were worth the trip from Canada alone! They treated us like Royalty in fact princess beatrice and eugenia ( I think that's their names? fergies daughters?) were there when we were there. The only bad part was when we left the resort. Our friends were staying at Mom Tri's which I didn't think was nice at all? We rented a car a few times and drove down there and it was really stressful driving there, totally chaotic and the beaches down there were so busy and packed. Totally not our scene at all. We couldn't wait to get back to the peaceful bliss of Trisara. We even looked at the residences there considering them for a vacation home because it's so stunnigly perfect!

My wife and I have just spent a week in what must be the best luxury beach hotel we have ever stayed in. The hotel is set in spectacular, lush tropical gardens that grow right to the beach. The rooms (especially 407) are magnificent and the views and sunsets we saw from our private infinity pool are beautiful, peaceful and inspiring. The food - breakfast, lunch (on the beach) and dinner are superb! The staff are far too attentive, always obliging, always pleasant and they all know you from day one. Everyone, including the "room turndown" staff wished me happy birthday - how did they all know? We have travelled from Tahiti to Alaska and Trisara must be one of the best places we have ever had the privilege to stay at.
From the moment you arrive at reception and are met, your time to relax and unwind begins. Check in is done in your suite and takes a few moments. After that we were shown around our amazing huge suite and whatever we wanted was provided with a smile. Anthony and his staff looked after us as if we were the two most important people in the world. We will return as this has been one of the most relaxing and wonderful weeks of our lives.