It was killer deciding what to do with our last 2 nights in the magical beach paradise of Phuket!! We had already booked 5 nights at the Holiday Inn Express Patong followed by 2 nights at the Phi Phi Erawan on Phi Phi Island. In the name of blogging, we decided not to go back to the Holiday Inn Express and instead try another hotel in Patong.
Okay, to be completely honest, it wasn’t all in the name of blogging. I was looking to end our trip on a luxurious, relaxed note in preparation for our flights back to real life a.k.a home. Imaan recommended the Burasari to me as she really enjoyed her stay there (check her post here) and the free mini-bar sounded like a great deal. As I’ve said before, looking for accommodation in Phuket is overwhelming as there are so many options and it just helps to have someone you know and trust recommend a place. So we went a little less budget and booked a Mood Suite.
With the many tips on Tripadvisor, I requested a pool view room.
Check in (delays)
We were pretty exhausted after traveling from Phi Phi Island and catching the Andaman Wave Cruiser and their shuttle back to Phuket. We had an early morning and we were hot, tired and grumpy. The shuttle dropped us at the hotel at 12pm. I knew check in was only allowed at 2pm so we wanted to know if we could leave our bags at the hotel and grab lunch.
My first impressions when walking into the Burasari was light, open, airy and filled with greenery ( shade is always good) . Trees meet buildings in an urban jungle infusion. From the reception I could see guests enjoying the swimming pools. Luxurious, eastern and modern. I felt instantly relaxed.
We were welcomed with a cold drink and cloth. I felt like I had walked into the lap of luxury. We were asked for the norm (passports and credit cards) while they tagged our bags. We were treated really well and were asked to return at 2pm for check in. I knew that was coming and asked if we could leave our bags there. They agreed.
Noon in Patong at that time of the year is searing hot. We walked around, saw that the Burasari was 2 minutes from the beach, close to Hooters (if that’s your thing) and had a tourist market just up the road. I wouldn’t recommend that market though. Prices seemed inflated.
After a painfully hot 2 hrs and 15 minutes (it was 2:25 pm), we made our way back to the Burasari, eager to finally check in. We were asked to take a seat and we were informed that they didn’t have any pool view rooms available. They said they didn’t want to put us on the side of the hotel that faces the road as it can be noisy. Instead, they put us in a suite that faces another hotel. I was a bit disappointed.
After about another ten minute wait, we were asked to come back in an hour as the room was not yet ready. They offered the street-view room (but we were just told it’s noisy!). Instead of calmly accepting as I would usually do, I was getting annoyed. I told the staff member that I know it wasn’t his fault but I was hot, tired from traveling in the early morning and I was really just counting on being able to check in on time at the Burasari. There was also a PMS situation going on so he caught me on a very bad day.
He quickly said that we could use the pool. I said ‘yes’ before he completed his sentence. He meant the pool bar – have a complimentary drink. Anyway, he gave us a voucher for 2 and and we were pleased to find a swimming pool where we could dip our feet in the cool water. Unfortunately, the bar woman was not particularly friendly or nice. By the time we pulled out the voucher, she looked even less impressed.
I was keen to swim but didn’t want to ask the bar woman for a towel. We tried to connect to the wifi and chill to the music. Finally, at past 3pm, the nice hotel receptionist re-appeared, apologised profusely and lead us to our “Tropical Home Mood Suite”. My bad mood lifted as I was filled with excitement and I felt a bit bad for the little hissy fit.
Tropical Home Mood Suite
When the door opened, the first thing I noticed was the beautifully mosaic bathroom. My husband was freaking out and I soon realised why, the room was much bigger than any of the rooms we had in Thailand! There was an (incredibly comfy) king sized bed decorated with rose petals. There was also ample charger-space on both sides of the bed (score!).
Check out the video we shot of the room:
There was a modern flatscreen TV with DVD player, a coffee stand that offered a variety of exotic Dilmah teas, a complimentary bar fridge (with 6 cans of EST, 2 Chang beers, 2 packs of Oreos, 2 waters) and complimentary gummy sweets, peanuts and 2 packs of chips. That’s pretty amazing to be able to use all of those and have it all replaced the next day at no cost. That is service that you don’t get everywhere.
There was a straw bag filled with the largest beach towels I’ve seen – perfect to walk to the beach with. The bathroom shower had two showerheads (rain shower and a normal one).
There were extra toothbrushes an toothpaste, the nicest coconut shampoo, conditioner, body cream, loofahs and silk robes.
There was a relaxing straw bed next to the bed. Around the corner was a couch and space to work. All of it decorated in a beautiful, modern, east-asian design.
The balcony outside, while not having much of a view had a daybed (perfect for drip drying after swimming in the pool), a table and a drying rack. Most important was the enclosed jacuzzi bathtub, complete with white dreamy curtains, comfortable head rests and candles. It was wonderful lazing in the jacuzzi on the warm nights. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more relaxed!
We were over-high with happiness and so impressed with our room, all thoughts of going on a tour that day were out the window. Room service also delivered a delicious chocolate brownie.
I noticed a door and tried to open it and found it was locked. It seemed to lead to the room next door. I didn’t think much of it at first but this door would become a major thorn in my side later! During the first night, I could hear the woman next door lightly coughing and it didn’t bother me too much.
On the second night (our last night), we were getting ready for our trip back to SA. We tried to have an early night as we knew it would be an exhausting trip home. I was fast asleep when I was woken up by what sounded to be a party going on next door. These people were trying to open the door between our rooms and making a hell of a racket. Worst of all, they seemed to be South Africans as we could hear their Afrikaans clearly! What are the chances??? I managed to fall back asleep but every now and then would be woken by cackling laughter next door. I was annoyed but didn’t know who to be annoyed at – the loud drunkards next door or the hotel that would build an adjoining room where sound could clearly travel through?
Breakfast
Our first morning we slept in a bit late and went to breakfast to find a rush of people trying to squeeze in their extra calories. No one seated us or asked us for our room number – it was a bit chaotic. The second day we came to breakfast earlier and it seemed a lot more organised. The concierge directed us to our seats and asked for our room numbers.
They had a wide variety of things. You could order an omlette, there were salads, noodles, fruits, savouries (cinnabons and yummy croissants), pancakes, french toast and so on.
The selection was impressive and would definitely suit all their many clients from all over the world.
The only thing I wasn’t impressed by was the coffee. There was a similar machine at the Holiday Inn Express but this machine only gave one option for coffee. No big deal though.
Pools
The pools at the Burasari are pretty beautiful – many rooms have direct pool access and the pools have many shady spots. Obviously using so much space for private pool access limits the surface area in general. There was very limited seating for guests. A lot of the guests in these pool access rooms leave their rubbish, cans, bikinis and towels lying around so it looks a bit messy. The pool itself is also surprisingly cold!
Other hotel amenities
The Burasari has popular restaurants and an award winning spa. Wish I had more time to check these out but they looked really nice.
No doubt, the Burasari is a great place to stay. The suite was simply amazing. I wish I could design my bedroom in the same way! Unfortunately, it was let down by the lack of noise control from the room next door. The complimentary bar and other free gifts seems a step above many other hotels and shows that the Burasari are putting in extra effort to keep their guests happy.
– Rif
http://burasari.com/BRR/index.html