Hotel Review – Amatara Wellness Resort Phuket
The Amatara Wellness Resort has become one of my favourite resorts in Phuket, Thailand. I have stayed there three times: The first time in 2016, then again in 2017 and recently went back for another relaxing weekend. I already loved my first time there but I decided to only write a review if my second stay was as nice as the first one. And here we go, even after three stays, I am still in love with this hotel.
Location
The Amatara Wellness Resort is located in the South-Eastern part of Phuket called Panwa. It takes about 45 minutes to get there. Nevertheless, the drive is worth it because you will be in a secluded resort far away from the crowds. I recommend booking the hotel’s airport shuttle. (For more info about transport in Phuket, check out my Phuket Guide).
The Rooms
The Amatara has six different types of rooms: Bay View and Sea View Suites, Ocean and Pool Pavilions and Bay View and Ocean View Pool Villas. I have stayed in a Pool Pavilion twice and in a Bay View Suite. Therefore, I am going to share the two in more detail below.
Pavilions
Most of the rooms of the Amatara Wellness Resort follow a villa or pavilion concept. When we first stayed at the Amatara, we chose a Pool Pavilion with a beautiful view and a small private pool. The second time, we stayed in a Pavilion which was identical to the Pool Pavilion except that it had no private pool. We chose it because we spent most of the time at the beach or at the other pools at the resort (plus, there were quite a few mosquitoes around the private pool – I guess because of all the greenery around it).
I can highly recommend the Pavilions. All the Pavilions are really private and the greenery around them allows you privacy. However, greenery also means mosquitoes… If you would like to avoid that, try the Bay View or Ocean Cape rooms (see below).
If you have a bigger pocket, the Ocean Pool Villas look amazing! I walked around the resort to get an idea about where all the different types of villas and rooms are located. I recommend booking everything with “Ocean” in the name. It is a bit confusing because you might go for “Seaview” but the “Ocean” rooms offer a nicer view in my opinion. Nevertheless, the rooms with “Bay View” are also very nice. (I guess you cannot go wrong with any type of room at the resort.)
Bay View and Ocean View Suites
The Bay View Suite is very spacious and bright. right at the entrance there is a seating area.
The beds were very nice (the mattress was not too soft).
There was also a freestanding tub behind the panel of the TV.
The gem of the room is the balcony. It is perfect for in-room breakfasts and overlooks the bay area.
I personally prefer the Bay View Suite over the Pool Pavilion. It felt brighter and more open. Furthermore, there is less greenery and, hence, fewer creepy crawlers.
Pool Areas
The Amatara Wellness Resort has one major infinity pool area right behind the reception. The view is truly beautiful. However, I found an even better place – because it was more quiet and I basically had the area for myself: at The Retreat, there is a small infinity pool and the view is also stunning.
I think a lot of guests do not realize that there is another pool in that area of the resort because it is not marked in the hotel map. There is a restaurant right next to the pool with a great lounge (see below).
The Beach
The Amatara has its own private beach.
I think the pictures speak for themselves. 😉
Dining
The resort has five restaurants. The main one is The Restaurant which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Retreat is a lounge with a view over the sea and is open for all guests for lunch and dinner. The concept is healthy fusion cuisine. If you stay in a Pool Villa or if you are a guest of the Wellness Retreat, you can also have breakfast there. The Pool Terrace and The Beach Table offer snacks during the day. Two lounges – The Library Lounge and The Grill Lounge – offer drinks. The Grill is the resort’s fine dining restaurant (check out my restaurant review).
Breakfast at The Restaurant
As Pavilion and Pool Pavilion guests, we had breakfast at The Restaurant.
The breakfast is a combination of buffet, live stations and an à la carte menu. I highly recommend the à la carte dishes – especially the eggs and the pancakes.
There is Western and Thai breakfast as well as fusion dishes and pastries. If you have special wishes or dietary requirements, the courteous staff will help you out.
My personal favourites from the buffet were the chocolate and almond croissants and doughnuts.
I really had troubles not to over-order. Everything looked so nice!
Lunch / Afternoon Snacks
When we arrived before our room was ready, we decided to have lunch at The Restaurant. I highly recommend the crispy fried calamari.
Most of the time, we had a snack at The Pool Terrace.
You have the choice between Thai and Western cuisine.
Of course, you can also order most of the dishes to your room…
… but you will miss out on the beautiful view then.
My favourite place for coffee is The Retreat.
If you prefer healthy eating options, The Retreat has a very nice selection of guilt-free dishes 😉
Drinks at The Grill Lounge and Dinner at The Grill
Head for drinks at the lounge on top of The Grill and enjoy the beautiful view. I really liked the seating concept with big cushions and cute lanterns. The drinks are very nice as well. Head there during sunset (at around 6pm). Make sure to bring mosquito repellent if you decide to have drinks after sunset.
My personal dining highlight was The Grill: it is a beautiful fine dining experience paired with a view of the Andaman Sea. Check out my review about The Grill here.
Gym & Spa
There is no visit to Thailand without massages and spa treatments. The resort has a beautiful spa with a wide range of treatments. I did a body scrub followed by a traditional Thai massage. Both were very nice and I really enjoyed the beautiful setting and the attention to every single detail – from the bathrobes, to the disposable underwear, and the “pyjamas”.
If a run outside of the resort to explore the beautiful area is not enough, the Amatara has a really nice gym overlooking the sea. Hotel gyms can be tiny with limited equipment. But the Amatara gym is spacious and has a lot of equipment for various types of workout. The hotel also offers daily sessions, such as Pilates, Yoga, Thai boxing or TRX.
There is also a small boutique where you can buy souvenirs and postcards but also really nice beachwear. I bought a really nice beach tunic and dress there.
If you travel with kids, there is also a kid’s club. In general, I did not see too many families with kids there and I had the feeling it is more a resort for couples (which was perfect for us).
Activities
Upon your arrival, the staff will give you an overview of the activities you can book through the hotel. I would recommend to do some research before you come to Phuket and see if you would like to book in advance. You will then have an idea about potential trips and can see if the hotel options match your expectations.
The hotel also offers shuttles to Panwa Beach and some tourist attractions. (As I am not a big fan of these big tourist places, I have not tried them. Hence, I cannot give you a review here).
At the hotel, you will also find some kajaks and surfboards.
Outside of the Resort
I always go outside of the resort and explore the area. The Amatara is in a quieter part of the island. Nevertheless, there are some smaller local eateries right outside of the hotel. If you turn left at the entrance, there is a nice Thai restaurant. It really depends which food you are used too. If it is the first time for you in the tropics or in Asia, I would stick to vegetarian dishes without eggs. There is also a 7-11 shop (turn left when you leave the resort) where you can buy snacks, drinks or toiletries you might have forgotten at home (the selection is small though). If you turn right and walk up for about 500 m, there is a bigger selection of eateries and small shop.
If you do not like to walk in the heat, the small shuttle bus of the hotel can take you to the entrance. And I am sure if you ask them nicely, they can also bring you to the area with the bigger range of restaurants.
Check-In and Check-Out
The check-in time is 2 pm and you have to leave the room for check-out by 12 noon. If you arrive early, you may call the hotel in advance and ask for a potential early check-in. On one trip, we arrived at around 12.30 and as our room was not ready, we had lunch. However, the staff speeded up the process and we could go into our room before 1.30. Last time, we arrived at around 10.30 and got our room right away. (Maybe this was because we were returning guests.)
Last year, we left in the evening and after the check-out, the hotel offered us a temporary room (without any additional charges) where we could shower and chill out after the beach.
To sum up this review about the Amatara Wellness Resort in Phuket, I would like to highly recommend this beautiful hotel. Whatever wishes we had or issues we encountered, the staff was extremely courteous and helpful. For example, we had a gecko in our room and within minutes, two staff members were sent to remove it from the room. Furthermore, you will be offered some of the most beautiful views in Phuket.
More about Phuket
Restaurant Review – The Grill @ Amatara Wellness Resort
More about Thailand
Top 20 Things to Do in Bangkok
My Favourite Coffee Places in Bangkok
Review of Bangkok’s Glass Skywalk
Chocolate Making Class @ Chocolab (So Sofitel) Bangkok
Personal Hotel Review – Phor Liang Meun Terracotta Arts Hotel Chiang Mai
Article pubished in 9/2017, updated in 8/2019. All information as of the date of publishing/updating. We cannot accept responsibility for the correctness or completeness of the data, or for ensuring that it is up to date. All recommendations are based on the personal experience of Elisabeth Steiger, no fees were received.
Love this! Phuket is so great for splurging on a nice hotel! I stayed at the Westin Siray Bay, which was similarly secluded and I barely left the resort. Didn’t need to! However, the Amatara beach looks nicer, ours was basically a mud flat once the tide went out :/
Thanks, Leigh, for your feedback! I have stayed at the Westin as well – it was nice but I actually prefer the Amatara as it is a bit smaller and more private.
Looks heavenly! I have to visit some day 🙂
You would totally like it, maybe we can do a girls trip one day? 🙂