Hotel Review: Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach
Hotel Name: Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach
Hotel Classification: 5 Stars
Book this hotel: On Booking.com
The Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach is a 5-star resort located a few kilometres from Patong Beach. It features a private beach and snorkel area, 3 pools, 4 restaurants, a spa, a gym and much more.
I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights in December 2024. Read below my thoughts and review about my stay at the Marriott in Phuket!
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Please note: The below review summarises my independent thoughts on my stay at the Marriott Hotel in Phuket, Merlin Beach. This isn’t a collaboration with this hotel as I stayed there on my own cost. Also, the views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely mine, the content creator of Things Nomads Do.
Hotel Grounds
Lobby & Hotel Grounds
The hotel grounds are big - the whole resort spans almost 750 square metres. There are 414 rooms and suites spread out across the different buildings.
The Lobby has a simple modern, airy and open design, with the reception on the left side and in the middle a comfy seating area. I really liked the lamps that were hanging on the high ceiling - as shown above in the picture.
Another aspect I like was the lawn in front of the beach area. Just before getting to the beach there is a big grassy lawn, where you can also lounge on the bean bags, which I thought was a nice touch.
Even though the rooms are renovated, the hotel building itself did look a bit on the older side, which you could tell by the low ceilings and the older-looking tiles in some of the hallways.
Pools
There are three big pools on the hotel premises, the main and the biggest one being right behind the lobby. There’s also a kiddie pool, where children can swim and play.
I thought the pools looked quite old to be very honest. And I actually didn’t go swimming in any of them during my stay there.
The Beach
The private beach at the Marriott is definitely the highlight of this hotel in my opinion! It’s quite rare to find a hotel with such a beautiful private beach cove, even in a place like Phuket, which has ample gorgeous beaches.
Watching the sunset from the lounge chairs at the beach was breathtaking and another highlight of my stay at this hotel!
You can snorkel in the sea during the high tide and see loads of fish. The hotel provides also snorkel gear and swimming shoes, as the beach area is quite rocky.
Gym & Spa
The gym is a fully equipped gym with all the standard equipment needed for a good workout and is open 24/7.
There is also a spa where you can get massages, facials and other spa treatments. I didn’t try any treatment though, because I always think hotel spa’s are so expensive 😅
However, there is actually a local massage parlour on the beach, where you can get a cheap massage for around 500TBH.
Rating: 7/10
Room
The hotel room is spacious and I believe recently renovated, with modern wooden touches and a splash of turquoise here and there. The bed is extremely comfy, as expected from a Marriott bed.
I also loved the big balcony and what I thought was a really personal touch was the way they wrote a personal welcome message on the mirror!
The bathroom is also big, with both a bathtub and a shower. What I thought was slightly strange is that the shower didn’t have a rain shower, just a shower head.. Especially a big hotel chain like Marriott, I would expect to have a rain shower.
There’s loads of storage space too, as well as a shoe closet - which is something I’ve never seen before in a hotel room.
I always appreciate a hotel that has actual buttons for “Do not disturb” and “please clean room”, because I find the manual hanging of the traditional ‘do not disturb’ card on the door rather outdated to to be honest.
Another great & sustainable touch was the two reusable water bottles they provide, which you can fill up either in the room or in the various water dispensers across the hotel grounds. They said they have a no plastic policy, which I thought is commendable 👏
All in all, a great hotel room that was super comfortable!
Rating: 8.5/10
Book your stay at the Phuket Marriott Resort, Merlin Beach:
Food
I think food is where the biggest room for improvement is for this Marriott hotel. While the selection is big, the quality of the food wasn’t amazing.
We’ve had overcooked fish and meat and mediocre coffee (again, unless you enjoy Starbucks coffee) and the rest was fine but nothing stellar.
There were a few dishes I enjoyed: the Pad Thai at Merchant Kitchen and the grilled tiger prawns at the Beach Grill Restaurant.
Breakfast
There are two places where you could get breakfast: Merchant Kitchen, the main restaurant with a big breakfast buffet, and Beach Grill, which is near the beach and has a smaller breakfast buffet selection.
I preferred the restaurant at the beach, because it felt less busy and you could see the ocean while having breakfast outside.
Lunch & Dinner
There are 4 restaurants at the Phuket Marriott Resort in Merlin Beach:
D.O.C.G - serving Italian Food. I didn’t try this restaurant, so can’t say how the food is.
Merchant Kitchen - This is the main restaurant that serves all kinds of food, including Thai food. I tried the dinner buffet, which has a different theme almost every night, and it was decent - there was a really big selection of food.
Thai Pantry - a restaurant serving Thai cuisine.
Beach Grill - serving fish and meat dishes. The food was alright - we tried the salmon and it was too dry. The tiger prawns were pretty decent.
On top of the main restaurants, there is also an ice cream parkour and a cafe serving Starbucks coffee.
There is also a bar at the beach, called The Rum Shack where you can get a drink and watch the sunset.
Rating: 6/10
Service
The staff all around the hotel were friendly, kind and always all smiles, such as is common in Thailand.
When we were checking in, we were welcomed with a welcome drink and a long explanation of the hotel grounds and activities happening during the week (which was a lot). There were a lot of leaflets and pamphlets being given to us, which honestly, I think could be done a bit more condensed and more guest friendly.
But other than that, all the staff was extremely helpful and always friendly and ready to support.
Rating: 8/10
Location
This hotel is located about a 10 minute drive from Patong beach, so (thankfully) away from the hustle and bustle of the (in)famous part of Phuket.
As mentioned above, what stands out about this resort is the beautiful private beach, called Merlin Beach.
There is nothing really around the resort, so you do need to take a taxi if you want to go anywhere. The hotel has a shuttle to the Patong area and the nearby mall every hour or so.
Rating: 7.5/10
Events & Activities
For Kids
There is a kids camp where children can have fun with other kids at the Marriott Phuket, Merlin Beach and plenty of playgrounds as well as a kiddie pool. It’s definitely a more family-oriented resort, so if you are coming with kids, they will have plenty to do and play. There is also a dedicated kids activities schedule.
THE PROS
Amazing private beach, where you can swim, snorkel and relax. Watching the breathtaking sunset here was definitely a highlight.
Renovated and spacious room with super comfy bed
Plenty of restaurant options - and many cuisines to choose from: Thai, Italian, International and others.
Local massage parlour on the beach - in case you want to have a (cheap) massage while enjoying the sunset
Fully equipped gym with 24/7 access
Great hotel for kids, with loads of activities for kids, as well as a kiddie pool and a playground area
THE CONS
Some of the hotel amenities looked fairly old, like the pools, even though they seem to be very well maintained and most importantly, clean.
The food was decent but not a highlight and I think there is room for improvement here.
Coffee was quite bad (but I am a coffee snob), unless you like Starbucks coffee
