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Reviewed January 22, 2007

The hotel is a couple of kilometres away from the frenetic Patong beach area in a private sandy cove. Tuk tuks or taxis are always available at 200 baht per trip to transport you to and from Patong. Take a tuk tuk for an exillerating ride as the roads are windy and hilly!! I survived to tell the tale. The hotel can also provide more luxurious transport - we had the hotel Mercedes to fetch us to and from the airport! The hotel is light and airy with a very warm welcome. Our deluxe room was very comfortable with all the things that you need and our bed was huge - 2 metres wide!! I appreciated the daily complimentary bottled water and the free safe. We had a super view from our balcony over the pool to the beach. The pools are the best I have seen for some time. There are three pools which have different depths and areas making them ideal to amuse children of all ages and adults alike (perhaps the swim up bar was a bigger draw for the adults) . The excellent pools compensate for the fact that the sea is too rocky to swim in, but the rock pools at low tide amused us for a while. Beach towels are provided free of charge. We did not require childcare, but it looked like it was being provided by TUI for other European holiday makers, rather than the British - check if you want this as I may be wrong. The hotel has three restaurants (Thai, Italian and Seafood) plus a coffee shop. We ate at the hotel on three evenings and were satisfied with the quality and choice of food, but to experience Thailand I recommend eating out in Patong. We had breakfast included in our holiday and it was very good with a lots of choice. There is a spa in the hotel which I felt was rather expensive for what you got, so why not try a massage offered on the beach. The hotel provides evening entertainment typical of such resorts. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and highly recommend it to others.

Date of stay: January 2007
19  Thank Paddy12
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 19, 2007

This is an excellent hotel to stay in Phuket! IThe great thing about this hotel is it is located about 3kms out of Patong. We found it a haven to come back to after the chaos of Patong Beach! We took our two teenaged kids along (17 and 15). They loved the madness of Patong, but agreed wholeheartedly it was better to be based away from Patong. The legendary pools are amazing and do have a drink at the pool bar, it is great fun. Our deluxe seaview rooms were fabulous and away from the band that rocked away every night.

I only have one complaint and it is the Thai restaurant in the hotel. It is the only restaurant we ate at in the hotel. We found the quality of the food to be pretty poor. It was also tweaked to suit the Western palate and I would recommend eating in Patong each night as it is much cheaper and definitely more interesting with much more variety.

As most of the reports online tell you, the beach is disappointing, if only because you cannot just walk into the sea and swim (other than at high tide). There are rocks everywhere and if you are looking for a beach like Patong or Karon or Freedom, then the Merlin is not for you. We are not great beach lovers and loved the pools as the water in the pools was definitely cooler than the sea.

Massages on the beach are a steal and so are the drinks. Another great tip; do not hand your laundry in at the hotel. We had a huge batch of laundry and sent it off and got quite a fright when we got the bill, almost NZ$ 40.00. The same ladies who give you a massage on the beach do your laundry for a fraction of what the hotel charges and I wish someone had told me!

Standard price for a tuk-tuk was 200 baht regardless of whether you took an actual taxi or a tuk-tuk. However whilst we were there they changed a whole lot of the main streets to one way (clockwise) in Patong and suddenly the price went up to 300 baht. To be fair tho, it is a lot further now they have introduced the one way system. An option is to rent a scooter for about 400 baht per day and then be independent. We did this on our last day and would do so again next time for a few extra days but be warned, the rental does not come with insurance.

The highlight of our trip was the trip to Phi Phi and I must disagree with some other comments online about not booking for your trip at the hotel. Some of the boats they take you on are not nearly as grand as the one we went on and our boat took pride of place every time we anchored. Also we got taken to all the spots ahead of all the other boats so just as the crowds arrived we would be moving on. The snorkelling was amazing and Ho Klang was just beautiful!! We will be back .

Date of stay: January 2007
20  Thank tweedd
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 18, 2007

My fiance and I stayed at the Merlin Beach for 8 nights in the low season. We were lucky enough to have it only rain once and have the resort not so full.
I had heard so many positives before I went and I was not disappointed. It is even better than in any pictures you see. The staff are very friendly, the pools are amazing and I loved the Thai huts on the beach for your local massage, peciure/maniucure and hair braiding - so friendly and so cheap.
Food was nice a a bit pricey compared to what you get in Patong. Happy hour has fantastic cocktails and an entertainment. We were a little disappointed at first with hos far it was from town - certainly not walkable but the shuttle runs are regular and very reliable not to mention entertaining.
I would highly recommend a holiday here for couples, famililes and groups - they have something to offer everyone.

Date of stay: September 2006
12  Thank EmMelb
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 18, 2007

we have stayed at the merlin beach hotel 3 times before and have always thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We loved the hotel because it was quiet, traditionally thai, and there wasn't many kids. The service was always spot on and staff were superb. However, we returned in november 2006 and were disappointed to find that the scandanavian holiday company blue village (like our thompsons) had moved in and taken over and were turning the hotel into a spanish holiday camp. There was a giant stage built where there had been nice gardens and reminders of blue village everywhere. I had emailed the hotel before our arrival and had asked for a room overlooking the smaller pool (the one with the kids section in it) because in the past this had always been the quieter side of the hotel. This was a big mistake because the aqua aerobics and other activities were in this pool along with loads of kids. This would have been ok except for the accompanying music blaring out and the total lack of regard towards other quests by the blue village reps. Then just to top it off, every afternoon just as you wanted to maybe have an afternoon nap, they moved the loud speakers to right under our balcony and had sombody playing keyboard with somebody else singing dodgy songs.(the most dodgy of all was the blue village anthem). The hotel in the past had only traditionally thai entertainment which is what you want when in thailand, but now the posters in the hotel say it all - Entertainment by scandanavian artists ! Hits of the 80s etc. Even the hotels staff had perplexed expressions on their faces probably because at times the entertainment was bordering on the embarrassing !
The level of service in the hotel is not what it was last year. Alot of the staffs time appears to have been taken over by blue village, and other guests forgotten about. You never had to ask for a coffee at breakfast in the past, now you're lucky if you get one at all ! When by the pool you were always asked if you would like a drink, now you're hardly ever asked !
Just when we thought things could get no worse there was an influx of blue village guests who were met by 2 people dressed up in giant teddy bear outfits dancing around. We thought we'd booked to go to thailand, not disney !
We did complain to the duty manager, and by the sounds of it there had been other complaints from other repeat guests, but at the end of the day it all boils down to money and blue village were filling the hotel and the manager said he had to let them do anything they wanted. The hotel was at 95% capacity this year whereas in the past it's been closer to 50%.
We found that the hotel was very much split in half with blue village guests on one side and everyone else segregated on the other trying to escape listening to that rubbish anthem.
This hotel has always in the past been our favourite hotel in phuket, and i am really upset that this has happened to it. I just hope more people complain to the management so that the blue village presence is toned down and the hotel reverts to a more traditional thai resort.

Date of stay: November 2006
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
    • Value
    • Location
    • Check in / front desk
    • Rooms
    • Cleanliness
    • Service
    • Business service (e.g., internet access)
26  Thank Sally069
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewed January 17, 2007

Great hotel in a fantastic location. All staff very friendly and attentive at all times. Three huge pools with choice of loungers ( our friends did not rise until 11.30, but still managed to get beds), More loungers by the beach, where the snorkelling is excellant at high tide, about 50 metres out. Only ate breakfast in the hotel, but this was excellant with a varied choice. The hotel is in a secluded bay, with the bars and restaurants of Patong only a short taxi ride away. Have been to Thailand many times, and this hotel is up with the best.

Date of stay: March 2006
10  Thank joeyMalton
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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