Hotel Review: Novotel Phuket, Patong Beach
Hotel: Novotel Phuket Resort
Location: Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand
Room: Family Suite, 1 king-size bed and twin beds (2 bedroom)
Perfect for: Families
Category: Upscale (4 stars)
Located 45 minutes south of the Phuket International Airport, at the base of Patong Beach in the heart of Phuket, you will find this affordable, family friendly resort – Novotel Phuket Patong Beach.
Walking distance to all of the hustle and bustle of Patong including fantastic daytime activities as well as the famous night life. We stayed at the resort for 5 nights at the back end of our holiday
Previously, we have been Platinum Accor Plus members which we have found super beneficial when staying at an Accor property and love the dining benefits in particular! We didn’t have our membership for this particular trip, but quickly regretted that decision. Since returning from Thailand, we have purchased our Accor Plus membership again, ahead of our upcoming trip to Singapore!
Click here to find out more about claiming your FREE night with Accor Plus and here to read more about the Accor Live Limitless ‘ALL’ loyalty program. Click here to go directly to their website.
Our welcome experience…
The staff were welcoming and ensured we were checked in as quickly as possible. Our room wasn’t quite ready, but we could make use of the facilities and enjoy a refreshing swim and a bite to eat while we waited for the room to be ready.
The Room…
We booked the family suite which consisted of 2 separate bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a small lounge room including a kitchenette. The space was incredible, we couldn’t fault the room and we were lucky enough to enjoy views over the beach.
The kids bedroom, fitted out with two single beds plus a wall length bench seat was the highlight for our son – complete with beautiful animal cushions, wallpaper and a TV – he loved it!
The location of our room was good – we were lucky enough to have a lift to take us directly to the bottom of the street and to get to the pool, it was a few flights of stairs to get to the middle pool area.
To take a walk through the room – check out our short video.
Meals…
The Coffee House – Breakfast: Buffet breakfast was included in our booking. There were plenty of options at the restaurant, including a fresh thai station. I would say it is suitable for a 4 star hotel, but didn’t wow us unfortunately. That being said, we had just come from a luxury 5 star hotel where the breakfast options were plentiful.
Herring Bar Poolside bar: We ate at the poolside bar for lunch on our first day. Again, the food was okay, but not fantastic. The prices were quite expensive and the food didn’t match the price tag, in our opinion. Again, we were comparing the food and prices to our previous 5 star hotel – but prices were similar but quality was significantly different, unfortunately.
Pinnacle Sky Bar – There is a roof top restaurant option at the hotel, we didn’t eat there as we went out for dinner each night.
To read more about Accor Plus and how to get up to 50% off your dining, click here.
Hotel Grounds
The grounds of the Novotel Phuket Patong Beach are really quite beautiful! Situated on the hills, overlooking Patong Beach, you’ll certainly get your steps up!
Pool Area
What makes this resort special are the three levels of swimming pools! According to my son, the three pool hotel was the best, he had so much fun. The bottom pool is for the kids to have fun. Complete with a basketball hoop and lots of opportunities to play some volleyball with the dividers. The pool depth was also suitable for kids of most ages too. All three pool levels have the beautiful ocean view over Patong Beach.
Getting around the grounds
There is a buggy that can collect you from your room or reception and take you down to the bottom of the resort. From there, you can walk or take a tuk tuk or taxi into the main part of town.
Alternatively, you can work off all of those Mai Thai’s and enjoy walking up and down the stairs and steep driveways to get around the resort!
Health and Fitness…
For those who like to stay active on holidays, there is a gym onsite.
Good to know…
Shuttle Bus: There is a complimentary shuttle bus that takes you to Jungceylon Shopping Mall. I would recommend booking the shuttle well in advance as it gets booked up fairly quickly. It is worth noting that the mall is very close to Bangla Road so a nice free way to get into the heart of Patong.
Convenience Store: There is a 7-Eleven a few minutes walk down the next street. Here, you can purchase snacks, drinks, fruit and alcohol. Important to note that alcohol can only be purchased during certain hours of the day – best to check this out to ensure you know the current available times to purchase.
Kids World: There is a kids club open from 10am – 4pm daily with lots of fun activities for the kids. It is worth noting that for children under 5, a parent must remain at the kids club.
Kids activities: Plenty of activities are on offer for kids including the Kids Party which is held on a Monday & Friday between 3pm – 4pm. This activity is complimentary and the kids had a great time! There are heaps of other fun activities which can be found here.
Activities that are a must during your time in Phuket
There are plenty of activities to do whilst in Thailand. I’ve pulled together some posts which details a list of things we did, including photos and videos. This includes fun activities like going to the Muay Thai Boxing, hiking down (and up!) to Freedom Beach, visiting an Elephant Sanctuary, enjoying the most amazing Phi Phi Island and Maya Bay and not forgetting the Canoeing at James Bond Island! See below for the link.
Checking out…
Check out was very quick and easy. They offered to call us a taxi for the airport, but we had organised our own car via Bolt (the local rideshare company!).
Above and beyond…
Nothing above and beyond to note here.
The not so good…
As I mentioned above, we weren’t impressed with the poolside menu. But, that’s a small problem to have!
The verdict…
If you’re looking for a family friendly hotel that is also affordable, the Novotel would be suitable. If you prefer luxury, then I would recommend one of the other hotels we’ve stayed at during our time in Phuket.
Avista Grande Phuket, Karon Beach
Pullman Phuket Arcadia, Naithon Beach
Thavon Palm Beach Resort, Karon Beach
Planning a trip to Thailand?
If you want ideas for other amazing things to do in Thailand or where to stay, take a look at all our Thailand posts here.
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