"We recently stayed at Banyan Tree Phuket in a two-bedroom pool villa and unfortunately, the experience did not meet the expectations of a 5-star resort at this price point.
The villa felt outdated, particularly the bathrooms, and overall lacked the level of comfort and refinement we expected. Basic details were missing — for example, only one bath towel per person was provided, and pool towels (both in-villa and at the main pool) were very worn, with visible threads coming out. The toilet did not work.
Service recovery felt inconsistent. After raising concerns about breakfast, we were offered a much nicer, quieter alternative location for “special guests,” which was excellent — but it was unclear why this wasn’t offered from the start. Similarly, after further complaints, we were offered to move villas for the last two nights, but no proactive support was provided to facilitate the move, making it impractical for our family.
Food quality was another disappointment. Room service and poolside options were very basic — for example, chicken nuggets appeared to be of low supermarket quality, with poor presentation.
The main pool is beautiful, but sunbeds are outdated with worn mattresses and old towels. The beach club requires a shuttle and felt crowded and loud, lacking a relaxing atmosphere.
Overall, this stay fell significantly below our previous experiences with the Banyan Tree brand (such as Bali and the Maldives), and did not reflect the level of luxury we expected.
"