Sala Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort

Style

Sino-Portuguese perfection

Setting

Mellow Mai Khao Beach

You don’t have to die to go to heaven – you just need to go to Mai Khao Beach for Sala Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort, whose spa and wine are award-winning, whose pool glitters temptingly from a green lawn, and whose irresponsibly romantic suites and villas come with open-air bathrooms and tropical gardens where birds sing gleefully.

Facilities

Rooms

79, including 13 suites.

Checkout

Noon; check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast (buffet and à la carte options) and WiFi.

Also

Sala Phuket pleases crowds and critics alike – the hotel has notched up a cabinet-worth of awards, including accolades for its wine and spa.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Beach (public), three pools (two for adults; one for little Smiths), spa, gym, gardens, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, Bluetooth Speaker, mini-fridge.

Our Favourite Rooms

The Sala Pool Villas come with an amazing open-air bathroom with a merman-sized, egg-shaped bath tub and a private pool that you can swim proper laps in. You’ll have your own little tropical garden to relax in; inside, styling relies on white and wood, with a comfy king-size bed and oversized day-bed. For more space and a bigger private pool, splash out on a One Bedroom Duplex Pool Villa Suite.

Poolside

Even the most lazy landlubber will find themselves itching to notch up some laps, or at least splash around a bit, in the hotel’s gorgeous, sea-surveying main pool, which is sunk into the green lawn and positioned just a bucket-throw from the beach. There's also a lap pool and a shallow little oasis for children.

Spa

Have a treatment at the award-winning spa (open from 9am to 10pm): a silky skin body scrub, aloe vera gel wrap or Hyaluronic facial, perhaps. If you’re looking for the works, try a two-hour session with massage treatments, scrubs and facials.

Packing Tips

Something flowing for moonlit cocktails at the beach bar; swimming togs for the beach and pool; a healthy appetite for feasts in the restaurant.

Also

Leaving no little detail to chance, Sala Phuket sends guests a questionnaire to fill in before arrival.

Children

The hotel accepts children, and there are plenty of activities available from candle making to Muay Thai. Babysitting can be arranged (for an additional cost) and the hotel has a stash of travel cots, available on request.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

For a romantic dinner, choose a table on the outdoor deck, with uninterrupted ocean views and your feet practically in the sand. ‘Radiant’ Smiths can cool down in the icy inside dining area.

Dress Code

Take inspiration from the gorgeous white-and-cream interiors: waft around in ghoulish white layers, with patterned accents here and there. A dash of spicy cologne won’t go amiss.

Hotel Restaurant

Come here hungry – the food really is amazing. The sensible menu has hefty sections dedicated to Thai favourites and international dishes, making for a mouthwatering read. Standout dishes include: massaman lamb meatballs, Australian lamb cutlets, and wok-fired red curry with sea scallops, white snapper, prawns, coconut milk and kaffir lime. Earn brownie points with the chef by opting for his signature seafood platter, which includes: lobster brushed with herb butter and chargrilled over coconut wood, spotted grouper served with soy, ginger and garlic on hot river stones and a variety of tasty crustaceans. The beachside restaurant is an airy, relaxed space, with steel-grey seats and banquettes surveying the pool and beach beyond.

Hotel Bar

Kick off your flip-flops and climb into one of the hammocks, a fun setting for the Beach Bar’s inventive cocktails. We’d order another pink farang or chilli tequila-tini in a heartbeat. Of course, whatever you order is best enjoyed with a few small plates from the coconut grill.

Last Orders

Buffet breakfast starts at 7am and ends at 11am; the restaurant stops serving food at 10.30pm.

Room Service

You’ve got until 10.30pm to order your favourite dishes from the restaurant menu. The hotel also offers late-night snack menu from 10.30pm to 7am.

Planes

Phuket International Airport, which receives regular international flights from dozens of destinations, is 20km from the hotel (an easy 20-minute drive). For flights, try Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com), Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com) or Air Asia (www.airasia.com) if you're coming from Europe or Asia; from Australia, check out Virgin Australia (www.virginaustralia.com) or Jetstar (www.jetstar.com). Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) offers domestic connections.

Automobiles

Phuket is a 40-minute drive from the hotel, but you’re on holiday on an island – for the utmost relaxation, gad about by boat or on foot, instead. Taxis are pretty cheap, too.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Marvel at Phang Nga Bay’s sheer limestone karsts that jut improbably out of the glittering green water. Hop on a day-long boat trip around the bay, pausing to admire James Bond Island – immortalised in The Man With the Golden Gun – and Koh Panyee (the bay has 42 islands in total, plus many different species of mangrove); there are also plenty of untouched stretches of sand for you to wash up on. Snorkelling around here is dazzling, thanks to the coral reefs and kaleidoscopic resident fish. Back on dry land, the hotel offers a roster of free activities — from yoga and Muay Thai classes to guided bicycle tours to keep you moving between dips. Mai Khao is part of Sirinat National Park, known for its unspoiled milk-white beaches; go for a long walk along the sand, keeping an eye out for turtles and tropical birds.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .