Holiday Inn was the second leg of our 6 night stay in Phuket. I will write a review on the first leg (the luxurious Baray Villa) later, however for now, let's just say that I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the Penthouse suite. I do not think there has been a review done on the Penthouse as yet, so it would be my privilege to be the first.
I stayed in the Penthouse suite for 3 nights in early July 2009. With the Penthouse suite, you also have the option of booking the adjoining superior room which is a twin bed setup, which I chose to include. Reason for this is because I wanted to have my cousin (she flew in from Melbourne to holiday with us) located close to our suite. Price-wise (low-season), the Penthouse suite costs 18,000 baht per night (including taxes), and the superior room costs 4,700 per night (including taxes), so if you are not on a tight budget, then please read further!
The first thing you'll notice is that the Penthouse is located in the main wing, on the 6th floor (top floor) of the hotel. Contrary to what you may think, the penthouse does not actually take up a whole floor on its own (which is what I thought). It is actually the first suite (takes up the space of 4 superior rooms) that you see as you enter the 6th floor. The 6th...Holiday Inn was the second leg of our 6 night stay in Phuket. I will write a review on the first leg (the luxurious Baray Villa) later, however for now, let's just say that I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the Penthouse suite. I do not think there has been a review done on the Penthouse as yet, so it would be my privilege to be the first.
I stayed in the Penthouse suite for 3 nights in early July 2009. With the Penthouse suite, you also have the option of booking the adjoining superior room which is a twin bed setup, which I chose to include. Reason for this is because I wanted to have my cousin (she flew in from Melbourne to holiday with us) located close to our suite. Price-wise (low-season), the Penthouse suite costs 18,000 baht per night (including taxes), and the superior room costs 4,700 per night (including taxes), so if you are not on a tight budget, then please read further!
The first thing you'll notice is that the Penthouse is located in the main wing, on the 6th floor (top floor) of the hotel. Contrary to what you may think, the penthouse does not actually take up a whole floor on its own (which is what I thought). It is actually the first suite (takes up the space of 4 superior rooms) that you see as you enter the 6th floor. The 6th floor itself is lined up with many other rooms including superior rooms all the way down the corridor.
As you enter the Penthouse, you will notice that is has a very large combined lounge room/dining room/study area set up. Large plasma on the wall, beach themed decor around the room, strategically placed lamps, plus an ipod + ipod stereo station positioned in the middle of the room. I made very good use of this and really set the mood with some suave bossa nova music. Note - there was a selection of DVD titles next to the Plasma TV in the main dining/living room. Titles I recall include – the Kingdom (Jamie Foxx) and The Queen. Other titles were mainly action flicks with Dolph Ludgren in them. All up, about 8 or so titles to choose from. The fact that a DVD selection was provided, was pretty cool.
The main room is located on your right as you enter the suite. The room is a good size with possibly one of the most comfortable king sized bed and pillows that I have ever slept on. There was also a large plasma screen positioned nicely opposite the bed, with a different range of DVD titles to choose from. Titles this time included Dream Girls, Cloverfield, American Gangster… etc. Near the bed is a lovely vanity wall for the ladies, and perched up on the end wall is a large window capturing a picturesque view of patong beach (west facing) so you can enjoy some impressive sunsets if the weather is good. Another thing to remember is that the view from this room, although beautiful, is actually obstructed by some palm trees, and is physically located approximately 100 metres from the beach. So although the hotel itself is located across the road from the beach, there is actually the hotel pool plus a few hotel restaurants lined up between the Penthouse and the beach.
Shooting off from the main room is a reasonably sized walk-in wardrobe, and a very nice ensuite which includes a large set spa bath, two bathroom sinks, and a shower which has its own built-in light show. Yes, light show – you can actually choose the colour setting of the shower lights, then let it do its magic. If you turn off the main lights in the bathroom, you can actually shower in a disco-like setting whereby the lights change different colours, creating a unique glow in the shower. Colours range from blue, orange, purple, green, yellow and red. This made showering a fun experience and definitely a novelty for those who have not tried showering this way before. The third Plasma screen within the Penthouse is located in the bathroom, which means you can actually catch up on the latest CNN broadcast as you stroll into the bathroom. Aromatherapy oils etc are provided in the bathroom, as well as the standard shampoos and toiletries.
There are 3 balconies to the Penthouse, 2 are small ones that lead out from the dining/lounge room area. The 3rd is a large one that is connected to both the main lounge area and also to the main bedroom. The large balcony has 2 comfy banana lounge chairs and also a cosy 3 seater sofa. There are also 2 lamps which you can light up at night (candles) to create an intimate atmosphere while you lie back on the lounge.
Did I mention that you get a fully stocked mini bar that is complimentary? Well you would hope so with the money you are paying. Fortunately, there are enough drinks in there to keep you busy with at least 4 drinks per drink brand – i.e. Lipton ice tea, Heineken beer, Singha beer, Breezers, Coke, Sprite, plus some other thai beer, still and sparkling water etc. Unfortunately, there is no microwave in the kitchen. Instead, make sure to seek room service if you need anything warmed up. There are plenty of wine glasses in the cupboard, so if you love wine, as I do, you will not be disappointed. There is also a coffee expresso machine for you. Just press the button and watch it go! Complimentary tea (standard types from earl grey to green tea) are also available for those tea lovers.
The study desk is swish – pure executive style glass tables, nice lamp, candle holder, plus your very own wireless internet password - reserved purely for the Penthouse resident. We tested it out by walking into the adjoining superior room, which resulted in a lost connection. Move back into the Penthouse and the connection is restored. Great for updating your facebook or Twitter experiences.
In the evening, you can turn on the mood lamps, plus play with the soft glowing lights which splash a pastel colours throughout the ceilings of the main dining/lounge area, as well as the main bedroom. This creates an intimate ambience which is really relaxing.
A few little secrets to share:
- Holiday Inn itself is very family oriented, expect to see little kiddies running around all over the place, including the main hotel pool.
- Hang the old-fashioned ‘make up room/do not disturb’ sign on the door to indicate your preference. Do not rely on the switch by the door which also indicates these ‘make up room/do not disturb’ preferences. This is because once you leave the room, and take out your room card, the power which is supposed to electronically light up your preference, disappears. This means that the maid will not know what your preference is and will automatically assume that you give her a green light to come in and turn down your bed. If you do not want housekeeping to come into your suite while you are away, simply hang the sign the old-fashioned way.
- Housekeeping occurs between 9am to 5pm. Complimentary turn-down of bed 5pm-8pm
- Make use of your mini bar – indulge and enjoy
- The gym is located in another building in the hotel, it is about a 3 minute walk to the Busakorn Villa area. I found the walk annoying (I can be lazy sometimes) but the gym is stocked with decent weights – enough to keep me happy while on vacation.
- There are two seating areas for the buffet breakfast (nice selection of food here by the way). There is the small area comprising 6 or so tables reserved for Busakorn pool villa residents, and then there is the main area for everyone else. If you arrive around peak breakfast time (i.e. 9am-ish) seating in the main area can be hard to come by, and you tend to see many people lined up just waiting for seats. Fortunately, as the Penthouse resident, you can just stroll over to the reserved Villa breakfast area, casually mention that you are staying in the Penthouse, and let the waiter and waitress look after the rest.
- Location wise, the hotel is directly opposite Patong beach. It is a great location to base your Patong holiday. Simply stroll outside of the hotel, across the road to the beach, and you can find cool water sports activities on offer. I opted for the jet ski ride for 1500baht for 30mins, worth every baht, very fun! For those night owls who enjoy the neon lights, the alcohol and the decadence, simply turn right outside of the hotel and head straight for 10 mins – there you will find the infamous Bang la road, which is home to all the go-go girls, ping pong shows, and bars where many a girl will be more than willing to please, for a price.
Overall – would I stay again? Sure. But you can probably get better value by staying in say, a Garden Deluxe Pool View room which is a fraction of the Penthouse cost. The Garden Deluxe room wont be as big, but it may be in fact slightly closer to the beach in terms of view, thought probably not by much. If you prefer to best of things in life and just don’t care much about price, then consider the Penthouse. Try it, at least once, otherwise you will never know…More
- Visit hotel website
- 011 61 8 0076 0595
- Email hotel
- Free Wifi
- Free parking
- Pool
- Restaurant