Hotel was new & very clean. The staff were outstanding, very helpful, polite, friendly & there when you needed them to be. The restaurant you will probably find, as per most hotels, is a little more pricy than in the town (though we found that even if you did eat out & found a place which was nearly as good as the restaurant it would cost around the same), the food at the hotel was all cooked fresh & was excellent with a great outlook.
As a family holiday with kids we found at the time we went (July) the hotel seemed to be more of a couples retreat & not a lot for kids to do, although there are pools to play in & my lad & i smashed the table tennis everyday courtesy of the hotel (my lad is 12yrs & never moaned once whilst he was there, the free wi-fi is a massive winner for the kids), the beach is not too far from the hotel with the hotel putting on a courtesy bus on at various times of the day to take you to the beach or Karon town.
This is definitely a hotel we would go back to & outstanding on many levels.

We recently stayed at Mandarava for a couple of nights (was meant to be 3 nights, but aircraft issues meant a day's delay in arriving) before we moved on to Koh Samui. We were very pleasantly surprised at the standard of this hotel, especially considering the low cost. The individual "duplex" style accommodation- i.e. individual buildings of two accommodation units" ensured that one felt private, and was a clear cut above the usual banks of rooms so common. We were situated near the top of the hill overlooking the spa centre. The main pool was very nice, but the infinity pool near the entrance to the resort was wonderful, with never more than 4 other people using it. Staff were very friendly. Accommodation was very good, with large bath and shower in separate rooms. Bedroom area very large, well set out, and great beds.
A few minor negatives - there is only one restaurant (although dinner there was excellent), and the pool bar at the infinity pool was never opened during our time there. A shuttle bus does a few trips per day down to Karon Beach, but it drives past the shopping area and drops one at the desolate end of the beach opposite the Karon Beach "lake" - which is actually a large storm water holding area. However it is really only a 7 minute walk from the hotel to the shopping street.
A tip for travelers - we used the hotel transport to take us back to the airport at the end of our stay - 1200THB (vs 1400THB we were charged by the taxis at the airport to get to the hotel) - so check the rate before-hand - it may be better to arrange a hotel transfer.
Very highly recommended.

We have recently stayed at Mandarava for 3 nights during the long weekend holidays. Our room was next to the Mango Pool. The hotel exterior was beautiful. The over-looking view of Karon beach was magnificent. However, the surrounding was still underdeveloped. Therefore, to get around Phuket town, renting a car is highly recommended. The hotel staff was very helpful especially "Khun Pat", the guy at the concierge who always has a smile on his face. The room service was great - nice and clean. There are variety of breakfast choices ranging from western to eastern cuisine. Mandarava would definitely be our choice for our next long weekend get away.