Ban Thai Beach Resort in Phuket

Near perfection on Patong

Nattaporn Luangpipat

The Nation

Midway down Phuket's Patong Beach, the BanThai Beach Resort and Spa is surrounded by shops, but once your purchasing power is sapped, tranquillity awaits.

You can clear your mind and calm your wallet in the resort's lofty lobby and the amicable Starboard Bar. Guests amble about among smiling bellboys.

Once you receive your key card, the elevators will take you as high as the building goes, the fourth floor, though it can be a long walk down the corridors to your room. The staircases might be an easier route.

Guests are welcomed warmly with a fragrant orchid, and there's a fruit basket daily in the room.

The 35-square-metre superior rooms are decorated in contemporary Thai and have balconies overlooking one of the three pools and a lush garden.

The air-conditioned rooms have telephones equipped for IDD calls, in-room safety deposit boxes, hair dryers, TVs with satellite, coffee-tea-making facilities and refrigerators with mini-bars, beach towels, bathrobes and slippers.

It's interesting to find the washbasin set just outside the bathroom with a basket of toiletries. The bathroom has just the toilet and towels. It's an odd arrangement, but it might be convenient for two people sharing.

The showcase accommodation is the Villa Suite, a massive 350 square metres, with two bedrooms and a living room. As well as the television, there is a DVD player, stereo system, ADSL Internet connection and a pantry.

The capper is a spacious balcony that steps down to an en-suite bathroom with a three-by-six-metre Jacuzzi and a private pool, plus direct access to the main hotel pool.

The resort comprises two buildings around 18 years old and a new one. There are three large, freeform pools with swim-up bars, the Port Restaurant and live entertainment at night.

Elsewhere on the grounds you'll find Spanakarn, with 17 treatment rooms offering various therapies, and a fitness centre that also has a Jacuzzi along with steam and sauna rooms.

Shoppers can head down the beach road to a nearby plaza, and everyone else will be piling onto the sands of Patong Beach itself.

If you love to be in the centre of things, this place is for you, with entertainment and relaxation all day long.

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The BanThai at a glance

High points: Close to the shops and beach; a lovely open bar in the airy lobby; good service

Low points: Long walks to the rooms; hard-to-spot front entrance

Find it: 94 Thaveewong Road, Patong Beach, Phuket 83150, Thailand

Pay for it: Superior rooms are Bt5,200 or Bt5,500, deluxe Bt6,200 or Bt6,500, deluxe pool rooms (direct pool access) Bt7,200 for singles and Bt7,500 for twins, superior suites Bt12,000, deluxe suites Bt17,200, the Grand Suite Bt30,000 and the Villa Suite Bt50,000.

Phone it: (076) 340 850-4

Browse it: BanThaiPhuket.com