I’m back in my Phuket happy place at the Anantara Mai Khao Villas for our 102nd and 116th Thailand staycation.

OUR STORY

For the past eighteen months, while the pandemic has been grounded in Thailand, we have chosen a different hotel to stay at each weekend. Forty of these have now been completed within Phuket. I know, just call me the lucky one. Every night, I thank my lucky stars for Phuket. We only came for Christmas.

So when I say I love, love, LOVE these villas, well I’ve seen a few! When combined with the Anantara hospitality, amazing food, brilliant activities program, fabulous pool area, it’s a winner of a Thai holiday weekend for us.

Many of you cannot travel, and I hope this will inspire you for the bright days ahead. The Phuket Sandbox is a start, a precursor to reopening elsewhere in Thailand. So why not join me as I show you around the sala pool villas, starting with Mr Wren’s first-ever drone footage of the wondrous Mai Khao beach?

Reception at Anantara Mai Khao Villas

ANANTARA MAI KHAO VILLAS YOUTUBE:

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MY VERDICT

Location: 9/10

Found on the northwestern tip of Phuket, quite close to the airport, this property offers private villas hidden amongst the gardens. The resort itself is beachfront at Mai Khao. I would suggest some wheels to explore the island, but many people I chatted with were not planning to venture out at all. The Mai Khao area is quiet, but things are opening up, and you have the choice of walking to other hotels for dining. Find more at Phuket’s Top Delightful Beach Destinations.

Resort Design: 10/10

I’ve always been a massive Anantara fan. I love how each hotel and resort blend harmoniously with the natural setting site in each of their well-chosen destinations.⁣ Stunning wooden villas in a vast tropical garden setting on the beach – what could be better? Oh, and anything that has a Bill Bensley touch, as these gardens have, has me smiling with approval.

View of our private lagoon sala

Pool: 9/10

Check out the stylish beachfront pool area. I loved the sunloungers in the water. There is plenty of seating and it is well spread out. There is also a lovely swim-up infinity bar. It is a perfect area for happy hour to watch the sunset.

Beach: 8/10

A huge rustic beach in the National Park, the sand is deep powdery and golden so a good workout for runners. We have only stayed in the rainy season when it is unsuitable for swimming. Whilst it may miss a wow of a private secluded bay, you can wander easily in both directions. Further down the beach is the M Beach Club. You will find as natural and unspoiled a beach as any. 

Villas: 10/10

One of my all-time favourite villas!  It’s huge at 206 sq ms. The different relaxation areas in the Sala Pool Villa appealed to us. I love a good room, “wow,” they are here at every turn, including the over-watering, picturesque sala.  But my favourite was a night-time bath in the swimming pool under the stars. Just leave yourself plenty of time to fill the bath; it’s enormous. Oh, and that turtle tap on the outdoor shower! It’s all in the details here at Anantara.

Food: 9/10

We enjoyed all our meals at La Sala restaurant where you have the option of inside with air conditioning, or lagoon facing outside.  We can recommend the Afternoon Tea and the Thai Set lunch. Breakfast is an extensive spread and currently includes guests from their sister resort Avani + across the way. It was the most impressive breakfast buffet I have seen in this Covid era.

We ended our days with Happy Hour sundowner cocktails at Sea. Fire. Salt. I don’t mind sharing that Sapparod G&T is unique with the local Saneha gin.

Destination Discovery Program: 9/10

The activities program has a good range of fitness activities. We enjoyed cycling, yoga, a roller stretch class, and a bodyweight workout. In fact, one day, I did three hours of workouts. Plenty of people in the Phuket Sandbox are using their stay to get fit. The rollers are pictured below, in case you had visions of me rollerskating into the splits!

Service: 9/10

In my experience, the staff at Anantara is always a highlight. They are always super lovely and helpful, full of smiles and chatty in the restaurant. The Guest Relations and reception team are highly professional, while the activities team literally bends over backwards to ensure you have a good class!

It was interesting seeing the difference between stays in April and July when the resort was fuller with Sandbox guests. The response time for a buggy pickup is slow, but I could see how everyone is adjusting to fluctuating guest booking numbers and how tricky staffing would be in this new era.

Overall, Anantara is doing a great job of keeping everyone happy.

The staff bend over backwards for you!

Grounds: 10/10

The grounds and internal tropical lagoon are exquisitely maintained. I love the wildlife, including ducks, geese, birdsong, butterflies, and monitor lizards that paddle serenely past to impress the breakfast guests.

Overall experience: exceptional

We always book using our Anantara Discovery membership. And the great news is that the more you stay at Anantara, the more you benefit through their loyalty Discovery program.

What’s found around:

Turtle Village next door has a 7-11 Convenience store, a Coffee Club, and the Bill Bentley Pub showing sports. We enjoyed a Seafood Buffet at the nearby Anantara Vacation Club, which also offers a water park.

Top tips for an incredible stay:

Ask for the complimentary bikes delivered to your door, the grounds are huge with over 90 villas, but nothing is more than a short peddle away. You can always request a golf cart buggy ride, but we always prefer our own wheels.

If you like a turndown – it’s on request at the moment. I love a turndown, so don’t forget to let housekeeping know if you’re the same. I think there is something so uplifting in finding your slippers beside the bed – or is that just me?

Join in the fitness classes. Mr. Wren came to the early morning roller stretch class to find we had two other blokes in the class and it was just the four of us. Poolside early morning what a great way to start the day. He always thought classes were for the girls – wrong!

Don’t forget to cycle around Pru Jeh Son lake at dusk. It’s a 3.5km ride around the lake and lovely to be amongst the green of Phuket.

Final thoughts

Thank you, Anantara for another wondrous stay. I can wholeheartedly recommend this resort and these delightful villas for families, couples, and solo travellers.

You might also enjoy:

• Little Wandering Wren: Phuket’s top delightful beaches