The only reason I can think as to why this resort does not rate much higher than it does is that it has a wide range of accommodation, some of which is set back some way from the beach, and perhaps that rates less well? The resort is almost split in two with reception and facilities in the middle, and the more expensive accommodation layered down to the beach with hillside cottages above reception. A fair mention is made of stairs and there are maybe 50 or so between reception and the beach, but we never found it an issue.

We had a beachfront cottage and a delux cottage both of which were excellent. There appeared to be little difference between them, other than the position, but the beachfront cottage had a bath in addition to the shower, and also had a Nepresso machine. The cottages are beautifully set in natural bush, have been recently renovated and whilst not up to the very high standard set by say Andara or The Shore, have a great deal of charm and are very much in keeping with the setting I was surprised to see that most of the cottages in the delux and superior category seemed to have some form of sea views, and often very good views. The beachfront cottages are of course well positioned but to be honest we spent so much time on the beach that it hardly mattered! All the lower cottages are close to the sea and you hear the sea at night!

The beach is the best we have seen in Phuket, about 300m long and given its geography shared only by The Surin and Amanpuri. There is no public access other than by boat or a tough climb over rocks. Effectively this is a private beach and we hardly saw more than 10-20 people in the water across the whole beach! This is not a beach with hundreds of umbrellas. The water is beautifully clear and clean. Sure, a few vendors who were so nice and graciously accepted every rejection; we were very happy to support them where we could. The breakfasts were excellent and the other meals we had were very good but at "resort" prices. We walked into Surin Beach most evenings for drinks and dinner, a 10-15 minute walk. One small criticism is that I think the hotel could run a shuttle in the evenings, people are going to walk to town anyway so why not add a service? We also used the spa and had a great experience. Staff were fantastic, particularly the watersport team. We also saw the manager around a fair bit, taking care of any issues arising.

Overall, this is the total package given the accommodation we had. We have been fortunate enough to stay in some of the best rated resorts in Phuket over the past few years and I would rate this as my favorite, with the private beach a fair contributor to this view. It is also very well priced compared to some of the other top rated resorts. Deserves a top rating and we hope to be back many times in the future after this, our first visit.

Spent six nights here at the end our trip to SE Asia. It was definitely the best of the trip and the days just rolled into one another and it was genuinely relaxing.

The principle advantages of this hotel are:

1. Great beach - semi-private, clean with a fun sized swell and a swimming platform.
2. Great design - Ed Tuttle who has designed many of the best Aman hotels designed this - it's walkways are similar to Amankila in Bali (my favourite hotel in the world)
3. Proximity to the Amanpuri at the other end - simply a fabulous experience for dinner by the pool in the evening.

The generous supply of water was appreciated as so many hotel nickel 'n' dime water - it was great to have housekeeping drop off 12 packs of water most days.

Many on TA have commented on the food - it divides opinion - whilst the food was not the best thai food in Phuket, we ate at the beach restaurant every day and found that we liked it. However, the service, location and personality of the staff elevated the place beyond the sum of it's parts. We did have to return a seafood laksa as it wasn't fresh, however they will make a chicken or pork laksa and other things off the menu if asked. We ordered pizzas one night for room service and they were surprisingly good. This shows a smart management tactic - guests (and kids in particular) love pizza, the margins on pizza are great and the GM is Italian I think - so it's logical as well as a good idea.

Breakfast was good (if you go early it becomes a bit of scrum by 9AM). Lots of good fruit - including mangosteens and passion fruit - and even my wife's requests for iced coffee was met with some creative interpretations.

Many have also commented on the beach service. There is a locals operation to deliver drinks, coconuts etc and we found this a good thing - they were super friendly and what's not to like about cool coconut water when it's 95 degrees? That said, we always sat away from the bar area as it was quieter and are not "wait on hand and foot type people".

The staff are intuative as well and will remember what you like to drink etc. - really apreciated. They were a nice bunch one and all.

Spa is also good - good quality massages despite having to wear disposable "bank robber" pants. We had two and I recommend those with an evening flight to have one before the transfer to airport - you can shower and change in the spa.

There is also debate about if this hotel is 4* or 5* - who cares, I genuinely loved this place and whilst I am not a big fan of repetition, preferring to seek out new experiences, I would most definitely return.

The only thing that slightly jarred - and this is no fault of the hotel - is that a lot of guests are from Northern Europe, so lounger bagging is rife and the Teutonic tribes are uber-keen to mark their territory - be prepared and go early if a prime spot in the same place each day is important to you.

It's excellent value and a well run hotel in a beautiful place - you won't want to leave.