The Surin Phuket

Impeccable service. Every single staff member gave us gold class service with a smile. Buggy rides to your room. Nightly turn down service with fresh biscuits. Pool side service. Our room was incredibly comfortable, even when it was hot outside (the AC worked really well and didn’t sound like a jet engine). Zero complaints. I would love to come back to The Surin again sometime, especially in the rainy season, as it was quiet and it only rained half of the time we were here.

My mum recently died, and I buried her just 6 days ago. I am very tired and sad after taking care of her (after a long illness), so I decided to book a visit to Thailand to get some rest and solace. I am very happy that I started my 'getaway' at The Surin in Phuket. The staff are warm and welcoming. I was made to feel very welcome as soon as I arrived with lovely smiles and a 'no fuss' check in. The reception staff are very considerate and have an attentive and kind, gentle attitude. My room was ready immediately, despite arriving very early at around 9.30am. It is low season at the moment and the resort is quiet and chilled. There is a beautiful Thai restaurant at the end of the resort (on the beach) and I can honestly say that the Thai food there is the best that I have ever tasted in Thailand. The staff at the hotel beach restaurant are wonderful and willing to make recommendations from the menu. They serve with a smile and true warmth. I am travelling alone to get away from everything at home, so this is ideal. I feel very cocooned here and the hotel staff strive to make your stay a very enjoyable and relaxed one. The rooms are great. They have a large TV with Netflix and Youtube and there is enough space to spread your stuff out. The bathroom is spacious with a shower, toilet cubicle and double sinks. The bed is comfy and is about 6.5 feet wide. My bungalow is at the back of the resort and is hence very private. Perfect cocoons! Housekeeping is impeccable! They do a wonderful job on the rooms. Thank you. The beach bar is relaxing at night and the pool is lovely too. The beach itself is very quiet because it is only accessible via the hotel or a boat. The hotel guests have it to themselves. Just remember that if you are here in low season (May-Oct), the sea gets a bit rough, so you may prefer the hotel pool for swimming. The grounds are very well maintained and the coconut trees are tended to so that they don't drop everywhere. I was almost killed recently on Phi Phi by a falling coconut so its very important to keep the grounds well tended. Great work! The only real difficulty about the resort is the number of steps that you will have to negotiate. There really is a lot of steps, so if you have mobility issues, you need to ask the hotel about getting the most accessible room and the accessibility of the beach and beach bar. It's very important to find this out; even if you just have a temporary leg or arm or back injury, it could impact your stay. Overall, I love it here, sadly I leave tomorrow for Phi Phi island, but I will return. Thank you for being so kind during my stay

The Surin Phuket had been on my bucket list for years. With its stunning location and glowing reviews, we arrived with high expectations — but sadly, what we experienced fell well short of what a true five-star hotel should offer. From the moment we arrived, there was no bellboy, no concierge, not even a welcome greeting until someone from the front desk eventually came outside. It was a flat, uninspired start to what I had hoped would be a special stay. That evening, we went to the beach bar and was met with an unwelcoming attitude from a male staff member in glasses) — no smile, no eye contact, not even a basic acknowledgment. It made me feel uncomfortable, and the lack of warmth stayed with me. Throughout the stay, we passed the checkpoint staff multiple times, and barely received a greeting. While some staff in other parts of the resort were kind and helpful, the service overall was inconsistent and, frankly, disappointing. The cottage was okay in terms of design, but clearly dated. The bed was one of the worst we’ve ever slept on — extremely soft, sunken, and unsupportive. It was not what you’d expect from a 5-star resort. I left a note requesting a mattress topper, but no one followed up, and housekeeping didn’t even acknowledge the request. One day, after ordering room service, housekeeping placed the dirty dishes on the balcony during cleaning but didn’t take them away. I called the front desk, who said someone would collect them, but by 5 PM, they were still there. I had to call again. Worse, the placement was unsafe — strong wind and rain could have caused them to fall off and injure someone. Safety was another concern. The walkways between cottages are high up, but the railings are dangerously low — far below standard height. It felt unsafe just walking around the property. Breakfast was just okay. The selection was limited and far less than expected. One morning, when only two tables were occupied, four staff members were present — but not a single one greeted us, even though they weren’t busy. It created a cold, impersonal atmosphere. Having stayed at places like The Park Hyatt Bangkok, Intercontinental Phuket or Sri Panwa, where hospitality, service, and attention to detail are outstanding, The Surin simply doesn’t compare. Those properties make you feel truly welcome — here, I often felt like an afterthought. Yes, the location is beautiful, the beach is pristine, and the resort is surrounded by lush greenery. But service — the heart of any luxury experience — was missing. Sadly, there was nothing here that made us feel We’d want to return.