After getting off my Singapore Airlines 737-8 Business Class flight to Phuket, my next stop was the Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites & Villas. Since I was only on Phuket for one night, I opted to stay in the Mai Khao area as this was fairly close to the airport, about 20min drive away. While there are other, more prominent brands around the Mai Khao area such as the JW Marriott and Renaissance, I chose the Avani+ for various reasons which I’ll get into below
Going into this stay, I admittedly knew very little about the Avani brand. In fact I only stumbled across it while searching on my GHA Discovery app. Reviews online of this property were also quite scarce, thus my only impression of it was based on GHA categorising this resort as “signature luxury”. Given my unfamiliarity, I didn’t really have much expectations.
It’s a bit hard to judge a property after just one night, but the stay overall was very pleasant. The room, service and breakfast were all of a good standard. While there was nothing truly outstanding about my stay, it was comfortable and it’s a resort I would not mind returning to. The only drawback was its location. While the location was convenient for my needs on this trip, if I were planning to spend time actually on holiday in Phuket then I would probably choose a different area to stay in. I would probably recommend this to travellers who are looking for quiet holiday and are planning to spend more time relaxing in the resort or at the beach instead of exploring about Phuket.
Avani+ Mai Khao: Booking
Since I had planned to only spend one night in Phuket, I had narrowed down my hotel options to the Mai Khao area/ Because the Thailand Test & Go rules were still in effect at that point, requiring airport transfer booked in advance and isolation while waiting for arrival PCR results, I wanted a seamless hotel option. The Avani+ was the only resort of the three (compared to the JW Marriott and Renaissance) that offered a Test & Go package inclusive of airport transfers. The Avani+ is also part of the GHA Discovery alliance, and I figured I was more likely to earn status with GHA this year rather than Marriott Bonvoy. The Avani+ also seemed to have some sort of mall across the road, whereas the JW and Renaissance didn’t seem to have much amenities around.
I wanted a sunset-facing room to have some view in the event my PCR results were not out by evening, so eventually I booked a One Bedroom Sunset Suite. The total cost of one night was SGD301.45, which included arrival airport transfer, diaily breakfast, 20 % discount on dining (excluding minibar, room service, alcohol) and 25% discount on spa treatments. A couple of days after I made my booking online, the hotel emailed to confirm the arrival pickup and request payment through a separate payment portal. I have no idea why they separate the booking and payment process since I had already input credit card details when booking, so that was a minor inconvenience.
Arrival
After completing the arrival testing, an airport staff with a loudspeaker enquired which hotel I was staying at and called out for the Avani+ staff over his loudspeaker. A lady in uniform appeared and asked me to wait while she called the car over. After about 5min, a very new-looking Toyota Fortuner appeared.
The driver informed me it would be a 15-20min drive to the resort. Sure enough, we soon arrived that Avani+’s rather nondescript driveway.
Although I arrived at the hotel just before noon, the room was ready and they could check me in immediately. (I was supposed to isolate anyway….) A welcome drink and cold towel were offered while the staff sorted out the paperwork.
The front desk staff informed that they would give me a call once the hotel received my PCR results. I also enquired about a late checkout for the next day, and they were able to give me a 2pm checkout.
Once the check-in formalities were completed, a waiting staff member took me back to the driveway where a buggy was waiting with my bags already loaded. Along the drive to the room, the friendly staff member pointed out the various dining venues and resort amenities.
The Room
A short tour later, we pulled out to the lift lobby of single low rise block of rooms. The buggy driver helped bring up my bags and also explained the various features and amenities in the room.
Upon entering the room, I noticed that I had been upgraded to a two-bedroom suite rather than the one-bedroom I had booked. This was not mentioned at check-in so it was a pleasant surprise, though it was unnecessary for my needs.
I was greeted by the kitchen to my left and the second bedroom to my right.
The kitchen is a full kitchen, suitable for a long stay. There was a 4-top electric stovetop and various appliances such as a rice cooker were also available. There was also a full-size fridge, stocked with various alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
On the kitchen island, complimentary water, coffee pods and other chargeable snacks were placed.
Across from the kitchen was the second bedroom, which contained two single beds. The second bedroom also had its own desk and TV. The window of the second bedroom opens out to the common corridor, so I would advise keeping the curtains closed at all times.
The second bedroom had an attached toilet. This toilet could also be accessed from the living/dining area, so not technically a true, exclusive ensuite.
Back outside, a 4-seat dining table separated the kitchen and living area. A couple of welcome notes and a rather unappealing bowl of fruits were placed on the dining table.
In the living room, there was L-shaped sofa. I didn’t spend any time in the living room, so can’t comment on the comfort of the sofa.
I much preferred to spend my time on the balcony, which overlooked the pool and with the sea just about visible above the tree line.
A choice of sitting was available on the balcony – I personally preferred the daybed, though finding a comfortable position required some shuffling around of the cushions.
Heading back in to the master bedroom, a king bed filled the space as expected.
The master bedroom also had a desk and TV, similar to the second bedroom.
The power outlets at the bed were universal, however the ones at the desk (as seen above) were not. The most obvious signs of wear and tear in the room were also around the outlets and switches at the bedside.
The master bathroom had as it’s centrepeice a large, oval-shaped tub. Above the tub was a, in my opinion, rather ghastly piece of “artwork”. It was definitely not a welcome sight for middle-of-the-night toilet trips.
The tub separated the his-and-hers sinks. Large shower and toilet cubicles were also at opposite corners of the bathroom. The Avani+ Mai Khao uses Malin+Goetz toiletries, supplied in large pump bottles.
Various standard amenities such as toothbrush, toothpaste, sewing kit, were available in a set of small drawers on the vanity top.
There were 2 large wardrobes flanking the entrance into the bathroom. Within were the safe, iron and ironing board, robes and an umbrella.
The master room had the same view as from the balcony, however there was no balcony of its own. With the windows directly exposed to the afternoon soon, I found that I could actually feel quite a bit of the heat coming through. In fact while taking an afternoon nap, I found I had to turn up the aircon power and close the curtains as the afternoon sun coming through was starting to raise the room temperature. Perhaps the windows could do with more glazing to solve prevent excessive heat in the afternoons.
In the evening, the sunset view was as advertised, though the tree line does obscure it a little.
Overall, I found the room comfortable for my one night stay, the weird choice of bathroom decor aside. I would be happy to spend a few more days in the room, and it certainly seemed equipped for long-stayers.
My only other gripe was the Wifi. As a GHA member, WiFi was free but required membership details to log in. Unfortunately the connection dropped a few times and each time I had to re-login, which was a tad annoying. Thankfully whatever issue sorted itself out after this occurred 3 or 4 times when I first connected, and didn’t recur again for he rest of the stay.
Facilities
The Avani+ Mai Khao has a number of facilities and amenities, mostly centred around the pool area. I didn’t use any of the facilities given my short stay, so I’ll just share some photos.
While the pool itself isn’t that big, there was quite a large amount of sitting set up around it. I never saw the pool get crowded while I was there, though I also suspect occupancy was not that high. The hotel only has 100 suites and villas anyway, a large number of which are villas with their own pools, so competition for space at the pool shouldn’t be that great.
A decent-sized gym was also available, which overlooked the pool.
There was also a small playground for kids.
Besides the facilities at the Avani+ itself, the facilities of the sister property Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas are also available for Avani+ guests. These include the gym, tennis and spa. Unfortunately, given my limited time I didn’t venture over to the Anantara to check out the property.
Food & Beverage
The Avani+ Mai Khao has three restaurants on its grounds:
- Talad
- Chop Chop
- Claws & Co
There’s a also a pool bar which serves light bites, however I don’t really consider a serious F&B option. Talad is open for breakfast only. Chop Chop is described as an “Asian beer garden” and is open 12pm-10pm (last order 8.30pm) daily. Claws & Co, as the name suggests, specialises in seafood and is open 12pm-12am daily.
The hotel’s website lists a few other dining options, however these are actually located at the neighbouring Anantara.
During my stay, I only breakfast in the hotel, at Talad. The breakfast buffet was fairly extensive, though I wouldn’t say there was anything particularly unique or special about it. Everything that I would expect of a good hotel breakfast buffet was there: selection of juices, fruits, breads, cereals, cold cuts, Asian and Western hot items. There was also a noodle station and egg station.
While the quantity was there, I found the quality to be a bit lacking. Most of the hot items were rather unremarkable, and the omelette I had from the egg station tasted a little weird. A decent place to start the day, but this isn’t a breakfast buffet that I would stuff myself at.
Service
As expected of Thailand, service was generally very good in the limited interactions I had. The front desk were able to quickly arrange a car when I decided to head out for dinner, and the rate was only marginally higher than what I saw on Grab. When I wanted to pick up some cashew nuts before heading to the airport, they were able to recommend a souvenir shop along the way. At breakfast, my used plates were cleared fairly promptly, which is something I tend to be more particular about at buffets.
The only slight hiccup was when my arrival PCR test results came in. When I received the email, the front desk never informed even though they said they would. When I called them up to confirm they had it received it too, the person who handled my call was unable to verify it. Eventually I went down to the front desk myself to confirm that they did receive the results.
Overall Thoughts
The Avani+ Mai Khao Phuket Suites & Villas is a perfectly fine resort for a beach holiday, if the main purpose of the holiday is to spend time in a resort or beach. The rooms, staff and F&B are all of a good standard, though not really outstanding.
The main issue is the location and lack of amenities around. As someone who likes to explore local food options, the Mai Khao area is just lacking and too far from anywhere else. On a long stay, I can imagine getting bored of the food options fairly quickly. Other than the Avani+ itself, the only other convenient options around are the neighbouring resorts such as the Anantara and JW Marriott. On the positive side, the mall opposite does have a big 7-Eleven, so at least there’s an option for essential supplies.
Does the Avani+ Mai Khao live up to it’s “signature luxury” on GHA? I would say it about qualifies for luxury, but it is perhaps missing something “signature” that would turn a good stay into outstanding.
Has anyone else stayed at the Avani+ Mai Khao? What did you think of the resort? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!