Mandarava Resort and Spa

Ilona Kostka

The hotel is beautifully located, surrounded by lots of greenery, with small streams and a view of the sea from the restaurant. Breakfasts were excellent – a wide selection, tasty, and there’s something for everyone (kudos to the staff – they have a tough job, but they do it really well). Tika and Milky gave us one of the best massages we’ve ever had! There’s a shuttle bus to the beach – it’s not that far, but given the heat, it’s definitely appreciated. Minus one star for the cleanliness of the rooms + some parts could really use a refresh. Overall the impression was good, but things like the shelf or the lamp in the bathroom (right at eye level) were very dusty, which made us question the overall cleanliness, even though everything else seemed fine. That being said – our stay was great :) *Note: The hotel is in a hilly area, which might be challenging for guests with mobility issues.

Thorsten Schulz

We had a wonderful time at the Mandarava Resort & Spa. The spacious, modern rooms are nestled in a beautiful, jungle-like hillside setting. Upon request, guests are transported to their rooms by buggy – a great service, especially after a long day. The Wi-Fi works excellently throughout the entire resort, and the grounds are very well-maintained and high quality. Everything is exceptionally clean and carefully looked after – from the rooms to the pool areas and common spaces, the attention to detail is impressive. We especially want to highlight the extremely friendly and attentive staff who go out of their way to fulfill guests’ wishes and even arrange special moments that truly make the stay unforgettable. The various pools are beautifully designed, offer shaded spots, and are spread across the resort. The food is also excellent: the menu features both delicious Thai cuisine and international dishes – there’s something for everyone. The hotel appears to be particularly popular with British guests. Unfortunately, some of them tend to forget their manners during Happy Hour at the pool bar and behave more like they’re in Magaluf. A word about the British national sport: Reserving sun loungers before Breakfast. The common issue of reserving sun beds is also present, but the hotel staff intervenes if they spot misuse – kudos for that. Compared to other nearby hotels, there are noticeably fewer Russian guests here, likely due to the resort being in a higher price segment. All in all, Mandarava Resort & Spa is a true recommendation for anyone seeking peace, style and high quality in a tropical setting.

Daniel Vigilante

Beautiful hotel in traditional Thai style architecture, nestled amongst the hills and luscious green vegetation, feels part of the landscape. Rooms are lovely and everything works well. Staff are friendly and inviting, service is great, breakfast buffet is incredible and the dinner restaurant is beautiful (sit outside before the sun fully goes down for the best experience, with wonderful views of the ocean). There are 5 pools, which is very indulgent, some more quiet than others, which gives you options if want to be more private. Relatively short walk into town/beach (though beware it's a bit hilly on way back), or can get shuttle bus. Overall an excellent 5 star hotel experience in a beautiful setting.

Rachel Mo

One word that describes this resort is simply wow. We stayed here for originally 2 nights but then ended up coming back for another 2 nights after being disappointed with the hotel after here. If that doesn't tell you how much we enjoyed our stay, then I don't know what will! Upon arrival, we were greeted with welcome drinks and the reception staff was very quick to assisting us with check-in - we didn't even have to go to the desk, they came to us! We arrived earlier than the check in time of 2pm so the room wasn't quite ready but we only waited for about an hour which was not a problem for us at all. We stayed in the panoramic deluxe double & the superior double room. Both were absolutely gorgeous, had ample of room and the rooms boasted a very large bed. The decor has clearly been maintained as the rooms didn't even look a year old! The bathroom is also huge with a big shower. I appreciated the aesthetics of the design of the rooms. The room was also very clean, as if no one else had stayed there before. The room comes with a fridge/freezer, coffee/tea making facilities and some drinks/snacks available (all of which are chargeable apart from the bottles of water which are free of charge - this is refilled everyday so you get 4/day). We were breakfast only at this hotel. The breakfast was lovely, there was a lot of variety which included both Thai/Asian cuisine and Western Cuisine so there is something for everyone. I particularly loved the noodle soup station and got this every morning! We never used the swimming pools or other hotel facilities so I'm not able to comment on that. The only thing to note is that due to the structure of this hotel i.e it was built on a hill, to get to the room required us to climb quite a few stairs which in 33 degree heat, was difficult at times. However, it's important to point out that a shuttle bus service is available to all guests which can transport guests to their room (this is used to bring the luggage to the rooms when guests first check-in). As I briefly mentioned previously, the staff here are 10/10. There was always a friendly smile from everyone that worked there, be it the cleaners, reception staff or security guards. They were so accommodating to our needs. We will return to stay at this resort again if we are in the area. I would highly recommend this resort, you will not be disappointed.

Stephen Anderson

We stayed here for 10 nights in April, and it was an amazing hotel. It's about an hour from Phuket airport, but once you arrive it's well worth it. The reception is really nice all open with seating everywhere, and where you are checked in with a welcome drink, all the staff were very helpful and informative and gave all relevant info about the resort. The room was large, plenty of space for 3 (we had our daughter with us) the main bed is huge, and there's also 2 balconies from which we had a nice sea view. The breakfast was fantastic with a huge choice of different types of food, local Thai, western foods fruit pancakes, cereals, a coffee bar and the staff where very welcoming especially Mark, who always had a big smile for everyone even when it was busy! There's 5 pools around the resort, 4 smaller, quieter ones, where each room has one nearby then the main one, which has a bigger bar and also serves food, all were beautiful. And the views around the resort were great. As per the other reviews it is quite hilly, but they have a shuttle bus that can take you to your room when you get back, I'm sure they would also pick you up if you called also, so it wasn't an issue. It's about 10-15 minutes walk to the beach and restaurants from the hotel, the last shuttle bus to the beach is 1800,but it's a easy downhill walk. You also have a fantastic massage place and mini market and restaurant about 5 minutes away. A really great hotel, with a lovely welcoming staff, who were always happy to help and always greeted you with a smile. We looked at a lot of hotels in the area and we were definitely not disappointed!