We just spent 3D2N at a Sri Panwa pool villa and the villa lived up to everything we expected - huge private space, gorgeous infinity pool and you get to wake up to a panoramic view of the beautiful sea. However, the service at Sri Panwa needs some improvement - when they are charging this price.

The check-in process was slow and we had to ask to have our arrival drinks served - which wasn't a terribly warm welcome. We tried their Thai restaurant (Soul Food) on our first night and found it to be overpriced and the food was very average - our pork curry was a pot of sauce with a few pityful shreds of pork swimming inside and despite requesting the dishes to be "not spicy", they all came too spicy for us to enjoy. We also tried to ask the front-desk staff (there isn't a dedicated concierge) to recommend a restaurant in the Patong area and he had to go away and consult his colleagues for 15 minutes - only to tell me that "there are many many choices there and you can take your pick". Breakfast was also disappointing - despite operating a "tick from a list" system, they still managed to mix up the orders - My husband's omelette arrived in the form of two ugly poached eggs and we had to wait around 20 minutes for them to arrive. The eggs benedict also came with this weird vinegar-y garlicky sauce instead of hollandaise.

The positives of our stay were that all the staff were welcoming (though not terribly experienced or competent) and the sound system in the villa really rocks.

I do hope they will improve their staff training as it would otherwise be a great waste of this beautiful property.

The good:
Rooms. We had a single villa with the swimming pool and I think is the best I've been so far. The swimming pool is big as well as the rooms. The layout of the rooms is excellent design, functional and gives you a lot of space as well privacy from the other rooms.
The average:
Staff. english not always can speak fluent english even the one for the room service. I am allergic to eggs and I ask a lamb burger with no mayo, we got one with, I asked to change because of my allergy and they changed the bun and wash the meet that still had some mayo on it. Usually when it takes 3 attempts you'd expect to have it for free especially after waiting 45 minutes. Not this time.
The poor:
Beach. We have a 10 month baby and we were looking for going to the beach and...small, dirty and no staff maintaining it. I found some pieces of glass, plastic bottles and dead bird. We rented a car to go on a beach were I could let my baby to go freely without fear. The pictures on the websites are way photoshopped.
Summary:
If you look for a place where you want to stay in your room and never go out is your place if you want to go on the beach definitely not!

We spent a week in a pool villa with our 10 months child during the Chinese New Year holidays. The resort is a great escape, peaceful and serene, nestled on a hill overlooking the bay.
The view is spectacular. We had a sunset pool villa and the view was splendid.
Villas are among the most spacious that I have seen in a luxury resort, the style of the room is superb.
Above all we felt that our child was really welcomed there, staff was most kind with him, we found complimentary baby products in the rooms and it was a real nice touch.

The only thing I wished was more clear from the start is that the beach is not suitable for swimming. The hotel has a very small private beach but being in a bay and in a proximity of boats cruising along the coast the waters are normally dirty. Also the beach itself is not looked after, we found pieces of glasses: not the ideal environment for a toddler to play. I think it is a pity that the beach is not looked after, it is just left there, abandoned. Also I think a luxury resort such as Sri Panwa should take care of every aspect of his surroundings.

Having a toddler we used in room dining a lot, it was normally very good and attentive. The kitchen also prepared some special food for our baby. Being my husband allergic to raw eggs we ordered a food with no sauce or mayonnaise on it, we got once a burger with mayonnaise and we sent it back. No biggie, mistakes can happen. The problem was that we received the same burger back after 10 min and it was badly ' cleaned' from the sauce and cold...As I said mistakes can happen , it is the way mistakes are solved that makes the difference between ' very good' and 'excellent'. In this case we complained again, the poor service guy sent the burger back , we received a new one after 20 min and we were charged for it as nothing had happened.

If you want to have one of a kind experience for your honeymoon I would say nothing beats this island & the hotel. The hotel is just sizzling with its scenic views and nothing is more soothing than waking up with a view of lake right from your bed.