NOVOTEL PHUKET KARON BEACH RESORT hotel (Phuket, Thailand) - review of a real tourist 2019

My husband and six-year-old son and I decided to spend the New Year holidays of 2019 not as usual surrounded by snow and frost, but the sea and palm trees. Phuket was unanimously chosen: in January, the high season, the flight to the sunny island direct and the feedback of friends who have been here repeatedly, also played a role. Since traveling with a child, one of the most important criteria for choosing a hotel was the availability of infrastructure and animation for children. Our choice fell on the Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort & SPA, located on Karon Beach.

Meeting and checking into a hotel

We arrived at the hotel in 30 minutes, met us warmly, offered refreshments. When checking in, a question arose about a deposit of 10,000 baht: the tour operator did not warn about this, so we took this information not too enthusiastically. They promised that they would withdraw money from the card, at the end of the holiday they would return it. This is done in case we will make some kind of spending at the hotel. After talking with the staff, we refused to pay a deposit - the staff did not demand a pretty impressive amount. Later we talked with other tourists - someone paid, but someone, just like we did not, had no problems with this. If there is no desire to argue, it is better to give the deposit in cash in baht, it will also be returned in cash. So you can avoid possible problems with the transfer to the card, conversion. The remaining baht can be spent on the return trip to Duty Free.

Modern design lobby and reception at Karon Beach Resort

Settled quickly - in about half an hour, despite the fact that about 15 people passed registration at the same time. Things to the room helped to raise the staff. As for the departure, the eviction rules are quite strict: after 12 noon they are allowed to stay only with a surcharge for the room. Although you can stay in the hotel, you just won’t be able to enter your room.

Location Novotel Phuket Karon

Karon was specially chosen: all the delights of the noisy Patong were available to us only on their own, and not around the clock. Karon Beach cannot be called a quiet province: there are a lot of restaurants, cafes, bars, discos for every taste. The hotel is located remotely from the main party area, but near the entrance to the territory there are several decent restaurants, many bars, massage parlors, convenience stores - all that you expect from the infrastructure of the Thai resort. Walk to the beach in about a couple of minutes. At 200 meters there is a convenience store - it saves if you want to eat at an inopportune hour. To get to the very center of the resort, you need to go about 15 minutes. We consider the location a plus: I did not want to live in the center of the party, and it was a pleasure to go out in the evening to find a cozy restaurant.

Location of Karon Beach hotel on map of Phuket

In fact, the hotel is between the first / second line, because it is separated from the beach by another hotel, located in front, and the road. It is the location near the highway that gives some inconvenience, because the traffic is quite dense, the noise from the road is heard in the lobby and in the rooms facing the side of the road.

Hotel Territory

The hotel area at first glance is small, but well maintained. There is a lot of greenery, but no living creatures were noticed on the territory and there were no rooms. The only insects that tried to fly into the room daily were mosquitoes. There are no mosquito nets or fumigators, they are not additionally provided: it is worth stocking up on funds from unwanted guests in advance.

Very well maintained and beautiful area Karon Beach Resort

The tracks are clean, every morning they are refreshed with a washing vacuum cleaner. If you walk deep into the territory, it doesn’t seem small anymore: it will take about 5 minutes to go from one end to the other. During the day, the territory is under the scorching sun, there are not enough shadow zones, it remains to hide from the heat in the premises. The hotel consists of several buildings, each one chooses according to its needs. Located closer to the center of the territory are suitable for families with children: nearby children's pool, other entertainment. Housings 4-5, located a 3-minute walk, are suitable for lovers of privacy. We first lived in the first, and then moved to the fifth, located at the end of the territory. Of the minuses - it is better not to forget things in the room, because then they will not want to follow them in the heat. Often there was the smell of sewage: not critical, but unpleasant.

Karon is considered the Russian zone of Phuket, but compatriots were not often met at the hotel. For the most part, Europeans are resting here, a few Indians, Asians. On the beach, especially closer to the center of Karon Beach, there are quite a lot of Russians - native speech is heard from all sides.

Pools at Karon Beach Resort

In total, the hotel has 3 pools, but actively all guests use only the central one. The water is clean and transparent, it doesn’t smell of chlorine in adult pools, but in a child’s pool this smell is a little felt. There is a separate children's pool and entertainment for children: a fungus and a small water slide. There is also a net in the pool - you can play volleyball or basketball, sometimes teams are typed, but this is rare. You can swim in the pools even at night, there is a highlight, although hotel guests practically do not use this opportunity. Nearby are tables for foosball and there is a mini golf course. Rescuers are on duty in all pools, which is important when resting with children.

Adult Pool at Karon Beach Resort

Of the minuses - the tile at the bottom of the pool is sharp, we have never cut ourselves, but sometimes it’s not pleasant to the touch. It is sharp due to the fact that the seams between the tiles partially washed, partially yellowed or acquired a hard coating from the water. The pool is cleaned using special pumps, which are not enough for such a large area. Because of this, the water in the pool is always hot - you won’t be able to refresh yourself in the midday heat. Cleanliness is also doubtful, since it is impossible to completely clear water from hair and other small debris with such pumps: sometimes it is cloudy.

Water slide and fungus in the Novotel Phuket Karon paddling pool

Around the pool there are sun loungers, some remain in the shade even in the heat - there is almost always enough space for them. Also in the shade during the day is part of the pool, which allows you to spend time in comfort. Sometimes at the height of the day there were situations when newly arrived guests wanted to find a free place, but the beds were occupied with towels - there were no people. Although this is a question for the vacationers themselves, and not for the hotel. Some sun loungers are installed directly in the water, which is especially comfortable in the heat. Through the water, the tan “sticks” faster, but the ability to sunbathe is higher, so this rest is worth dosing. Near the pool there are open pavilions with umbrellas and soft relaxation areas - they are busy almost all the time. Towels are issued free of charge - they are large and made of high quality fabric, you can also go to the sea with them. Once pretty old towels in bleach stains came across, some other vacationers also saw worn towels.

Entertainment and infrastructure

The territory has its own sports hall: my husband went to training a couple of times, he liked it, the gym works around the clock.

There are many simulators:

blocky and bench;
4 tracks for running;
a simulator for training the press;
exercise bike;
ellipse;
"iron" - barbells and dumbbells;
yoga mats;
balls for fitness.

There is a small spa area on site. Once I was there for a massage: a pleasant atmosphere, a professional masseuse, relaxing music, pleasant aromas. Everything is worthy, but the price is 2 times higher than in the nearest massage parlor on the beach. It is not as beautiful as in a hotel spa, but masseuses are also experienced and do their job efficiently. The bar has billiards.

Wi-Fi, which pleases, is free, and works well throughout the hotel. There may be problems downloading videos, but you’ll have enough speed to surf and watch social networks. Sometimes there were problems with access: unexpectedly, the Internet crashed, settings were lost and you had to re-enter the password.

There are several shops on the territory of the complex, including those with a beach assortment, where you can always buy sun protection products, necessary cosmetics and hygiene products, hats, bathing suits, pareos, slippers and other things you need to relax.

Bangla Road in Patong: walking with children is not recommended

Of the pleasant services - a free shuttle to Patong. Used 2 times, because an ordinary taxi in one direction comes out about 400 baht. The transfer goes to the Hard Rock Hotel, there is also an option to get to the shopping center, where you can buy household items and wander around the clothing stores. Since the shuttle service runs every 2 hours throughout the day, the time spent in Patong is unlimited. Those wishing to visit here in the evening should rely on a taxi, because the hotel shuttle no longer operates at night. In this area, there are many times more entertainment and the atmosphere is much more party. Many half-naked dancers, adult entertainment and obsessive calls, therefore, it is not worth going here with a child.

Animation and services for children

This hotel is definitely recommended for families with children. For them there is a games room with a bunch of toys, TVs, activity areas and a nanny. Children can be left safely - they like it, and you can relax and rest yourself at this time. The only thing is that the staff at the kids club speaks English, so if the child is not very good at contact and has difficulty communicating, he is unlikely to be able to find a common language with the teacher. Although children of different nationalities spent time in the game: the Chinese, the Russians, the British, and everyone managed to play together and understand each other. Sometimes in the kids' club they arranged costumed performances with the participation of life-size puppets - the children are delighted, especially those who are younger.

Games Room at Novotel Phuket Karon Beach Resort

For an additional fee, you can organize workshops for children. We chose the culinary one, during the lesson the child cooked pizza in the hotel kitchen with his own hands under the guidance of a cook. You can go to these courses for adults, while the dishes will be more complicated.

One of the most favorite entertainments of children is a pool with a water slide and inflatable toys, which is very rare for hotels in Thailand.

The sinks in the rooms and public areas are set low so that children can reach.

The bar and restaurant have a children's menu, and cereals and yoghurts are always served for breakfast, so there are no problems with food. I was glad that most of the dishes in the restaurant, even national ones, are not spicy, so the child could safely choose almost everything. For most of the hotel smoking is prohibited, which is also a plus for children's health. We saw several guests with baby strollers - they always walked freely along the paths and overcome obstacles in the form of doors without problems. But the road to the beach is not suitable for prams - there is a plot with rather steep steps. The child will have to pick up, so you need an assistant to transport the stroller.

Children's animation is also on top. A whole day for all ages spend a variety of activities: from foam parties to sporting events. All animators are friendly, it is clear that they are engaged with children with pleasure, always positive and at the same time they are very careful about safety. At discos and foam evenings, held 2 times a week, they also make temporary tattoos and face painting specialists work.

There is not much entertainment for adults: you can join the daily aerobics classes, where the main guests are young travelers. They conduct good yoga classes for adults, the instructor is friendly and professional.

Food and restaurants on site

Food is served in the main hall of the restaurant, the choice of dishes is always large, even towards the end there is always a full assortment. But it’s better to come before 9 in the morning, because then it becomes noisy and queues at the entrance accumulate. Once we came in the midst of breakfast: for about 10 minutes we waited until the seats in the hall were vacated. At 10:30, breakfast ends and the lights are turned off in the hall, even if people who are still eating their meals remain in it. Of course, it is still light there, but it looks rather strange. Inconvenient, especially with a child, in the morning full of energy and not tuned to a long wait. Breakfast is included and quite varied.

An appetizing and varied breakfast at Novotel Phuket

You can always find:

Fruits and vegetables - pineapples, watermelons, papaya and other local fruits, melons, bananas, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives.
Dishes from eggs are usually 2-3 species.
Snacks - cold cuts, bacon, cheeses, pickles.
Side dishes - rice, noodles, fried potatoes, stewed beans.
Meat dishes - grilled chicken, pork.
Sweets - donuts, muffins, buns, pancakes, honey.
Porridge - oatmeal, rice.
Flakes and milk.
Drinks - juices (not freshly squeezed, but also not "UPI"), tea, coffee beans from a coffee pot.

Sushi was served several times for breakfast - an unusual breakfast dish, but tasty. In the main hall of the restaurant there is a special zone for children, where they can have breakfast, and draw, and play in the company of the same perpetual motion machines.

Breakfast Delicacies at Karon Beach Hotel

You can also have dinner here, but for the money - 500 baht per person. Children under 4 years old can attend dinner for free, and up to 12 years old - for half the price. The food is delicious and served buffet style. There are always European dishes on the menu, plus every day themed dishes from the cuisines of the world. We dined in Thai, Pan-Asian and Italian - I liked it, but the price is unprofitable: more expensive than in street restaurants. Therefore, at lunch and in the evening it is worth taking a walk to the center of the resort and choosing an institution to your liking.

The pool bar serves ice cream, coffee, hamburgers and drinks to suit all tastes. A wide selection of cocktails, from exotic to classic, are all delicious. Prices are also higher than on the street. For example, a small ball of ice cream costs about 100 baht, on the street you can find 2 times cheaper.

Prices for drinks, especially alcohol, are even slightly higher. In addition, it is necessary to keep in mind a tax that is not included in the basic cost. Therefore, to any price announced in the bar, it is necessary to add another 17%. Quite affordable prices during happy hours, and the quality of cocktails remains high. It is especially pleasant to be here in the evening: bathing suits are replaced by evening dresses, live music plays. If you do not want to go out into the city, you can spend a cozy evening by the pool with a glass of your favorite drink. Since the public at the hotel is resting a decent and mostly family, noisy companies and drunken scenes we have never observed.

Beach: cleanliness, condition and arrangement

The beach is about a 2-3 minute walk and is removed from the main territory of Karon Beach, where there are always a lot of people and noisy. To get to the beach, you must first cross the road with active traffic. There is no equipped transition, but almost always there is a traffic controller who helps with the transition. He works around the clock and is very responsible for his work, so the road can be crossed safely even with young children. Then the road goes along the bridge over a narrow canal - it smells not of roses, so you have to wait 20 seconds.

The sand on the beach is slightly yellowish - but it is everywhere in this part of the beach, closer to the heat of heat, it heats up and becomes almost snow-white. The cleanliness of the beach is rated 4: cigarette butts and other rubbish are sometimes found, although smoking is prohibited on the beach. The water is just wonderful: warm, clean and unusual azure color, as from the pictures. The waves rose three times during our vacation, and quite strong, at that time only daredevils decided to swim. Of course, on such a popular beach as Kata, where we once took a taxi, it is much cleaner and more picturesque, but there is almost no infrastructure there.

Karon Beach near the hotel

There are not so many people as in the center of the resort area, so there were always free sunbeds. For 200 baht for rent for the whole day you can take a sunbed with an umbrella. You can leave the beach, leave hotel towels on the sunbed, then come back and continue your vacation. Also, when paying for a lounger, a check is issued, so you can leave the beach with a towel, and when you return, just present a check to the employee. On both sides of this stretch of beach to the sea runoff from the city, so it is better to be closer to the center.

If you go to the right side, there are significantly fewer people. In the distance is a good place for swimming with fins and a mask. And if you move to the left - the density of people increases: in this direction is the center of the resort. It is worth going here if you want to visit the cafe periodically during a beach holiday or taste dishes from the macaques. In January, there are a lot of people, quite noisy, sellers of various trifles and barkers of massage parlors walk past sun loungers. It is better to relax and enjoy the sound of the waves on the beach next to the hotel.

Room Overview Karon Beach Resort

First, we settled in the standard room in the main building, but, unfortunately, he did not live up to our hopes, primarily due to noise from the road. We addressed this problem to the staff, and - for which many thanks to them - for a ridiculous surcharge (about 3 times less than the real cost) we were moved to a "suite with a swimming pool". Tourists, vacationing here not for the first time, said that in the low season they can upgrade their room category for free - they flew last fall, and the hotel made such a present for them. And in general, if we talk about "not the season" - the occupancy of the hotel, as we were told, is very small - about 30-40%. We rested in January, there were enough people on the coast.

Despite the fact that we moved on the second day of our stay, I’ll tell you about our first issue of “standard”. As we found out later, the noisy ones are only those that overlook the road, the rest have a view of the courtyard. The room is quite spacious: the child has an extra bed, but we did not interfere with each other. Our son is already 6 years old, he was provided with a separate bed, but if desired, the child can sleep in the parent. And for children up to three years old, cots are installed in the room - they saw in the next room. There are family room rooms, they are larger in size, they have a bunk bed and huge teddy bears: it’s convenient for those traveling with two children.

Standard Room with Stylish Design

We had a king size bed: so comfortable that you can fall in absolutely any position and not interfere with each other.
The room itself is nice - no frills, but with the use of wood motifs and bright colors in the interior, the furniture and textiles are new. In general, we were lucky with this because some tourists complained that their rooms were already "tired", with old air conditioners and a little shabby furniture. There are also rooms with an adjacent door, so the audibility in such rooms, judging by the stories, is very strong - to the extent that one can distinguish between conversations of neighbors.

A panoramic sliding door leads to the balcony, the balcony is small and with the usual set of furniture - a table and a couple of chairs. There are smoking and non-smoking rooms. Therefore, if this issue is critical, it is necessary to indicate the type of room when booking so that you do not suffer from smoke and spoil the rest of others later. You can still smoke at the pools and elevators, in other places you can’t.

What is in the room of furniture / appliances:

air conditioning: it works perfectly, and, conveniently, even without an electronic card, that is, when you leave the room, it continues to cool;
desk;
two wardrobes - all suitcases and things for three fit without problems;
chest of drawers;
bedside tables;
kettle;
safe;
mirror;
TV set;
fridge;
hair dryer.

They also provide bottled water, coffee / tea, slippers and bathrobes, shower products - you can ask for additional ones at the reception or at the maid, they bring it for free. The set includes cotton pads, shower gel, shampoo and soap.

The bedding is high-quality, new, without stains, but the pillows disappointed - loose and "liquid". The mattresses are excellent - comfortable and quite firm. Noise isolation is not very good, if the neighbors are noisy - it will be heard.

The bathroom is for everybody: it is separated from the room by frosted glass, through which, though not in detail, but what is happening is visible. In fact, this is not comfortable, especially when the child is in the room. There is no door in the shower room, so water sometimes spreads throughout the floor: the drain does not always cope with a large volume of foam. The plumbing turned out to be rather flimsy: once the handle for adjusting the water in the shower came off. They repaired immediately after the call to the reception, but an unpleasant aftertaste remained.

Translucent bathroom door in a standard room

In the two-room "suite" the decoration is more refined: high-quality wooden floor, interesting in shape furniture and again there are forest motifs: cozy and harmonious. This room also had an ironing board, iron and two televisions, as well as a game console for children. It was even more spacious than the "standard" and generally more modern and comfortable.

But the main feature of these rooms is the exit directly from the room to their own small pool. Near the pool there is a rather spacious terrace with a table and furniture. They loved to spend evenings there when they did not want to go anywhere. It is also comfortable there during the day, because there is a lot of greenery around, it gave a shadow, you could relax even in the heat. Our vegetation was quite dense, so from the territory of our pool was practically invisible. But in some rooms it was many times less, so the pools were visible. There is no dryer in the room, so I had to get out and dry things on our mini-terrace, and before that on the balcony.

Private mini-terrace in room with pool

Housekeeping

The rooms were always clean, the maids cleaned efficiently. Our room almost always had time to clean up in the morning, but from the middle of the rest the maids' schedule changed a little, sometimes they came in at lunch or in the evening when we were in the room. Bath accessories are updated in a timely manner, towels and bed linen are changed every day. The only thing was that the pool was not cleaned every day, but about once every 2-3 days, so sometimes it turned out to be garbage from nearby plants, and the water stagnated.

Reception, service and friendliness of staff

What is impossible to complain about at this hotel is the service. All employees, from reception to waiters and maids, do everything possible to help and make guests comfortable. There are Russian speakers among the staff, so there are no communication problems. And they help not only with questions about accommodation, but also with personal requests: call a taxi, give the name of the medicine at the local pharmacy, book a table in a cafe outside the territory. At the same time, everyone is very friendly and always ready to help.

Even despite the fact that we had problems with changing the room, questions about the deposit and faulty plumbing, we did not notice any bias from the staff. On the contrary, all employees sought to solve our problems as quickly as possible and did it with a smile. Every day, one of the staff was interested in whether everything was in order and whether we needed any help. This attitude captivates and makes you close your eyes to minor flaws.

To summarize, I want to say that the hotel is definitely worth the money, and in many respects it even exceeds the stated stars, for example, in terms of service. You should not expect from accommodation options in Thailand the same infrastructure as in Turkey or Egypt. This country was created in order to leave the walls of hotels and seek entertainment in its unique flavor. This hotel is ideal for families with children under 10 years old, as the main energy of the staff and entertainment are directed specifically at young guests. For those who travel to Thailand for its authenticity or want a relaxing holiday without the hustle and bustle of young tourists, you can look for other options.