Let me start by saying: the staff are polite & efficient, the room rates a bit high, the food: ok but he horrible, constant smell of pig poop from the pig farm next to the hotel makes for a miserable stay. The beach is a ten minute walk from the hotel and not "on-the-beach" as they advertise, the local taxi's are a complete rip-off and last but not least....remodeling of the hotel, all day long - stay away.

My girlfriend and I stayed at Surin Beach Resort from February 2 to February 9 2006 and we cannot speak more highly of this hotel. We both agreed that Surin Beach Resort was the best resort we have ever stayed in and feel compelled to give it a good review. Before we booked our accommodation we read some good and some bad reviews of Surin Beach Resort. Of most concern were the bad reports of a foul smell coming from a neighbouring paddock containing either buffalo or poultry. I can say that we did not experience any such smell, however, there is a paddock containing farm animals 500 metres away, which only added to the feeling of being in rural Thailand. The resort facilities are first class and faultless. I have experienced accommodation with other hotels where you view fabulous photos of the hotel but are devastatingly disappointed when you arrive to find the hotel looks nothing like the photos. We did not experience this at Surin Beach Resort, the grounds are immaculate and the resort resembles a paradise. The pictures we viewed on the website and other review sites are exactly what the resort and rooms look like. One other note of concern we had before booking were the claims that the resort caters only for Swedish families. When we stayed at the resort we estimated that 90 per cent of the cliental were of Scandinavian background, however, it is completely false that the hotel only caters to Scandinavian tourists. We are Australian and we are not a family, but we found that we were treated like everyone else in the resort. The staff at the resort are all of Thai background, with the exception of about a handful of Scandinavian staff who seemed to be the managers of the resort (they also operated the kids club). All the staff were effective at communicating to us in English and we were able to have a conversation with every staff member we approached. But around Phuket and Thailand we did find occasions when we needed to use some Thai. Any traveller can get by on knowing only two phrases; “No” and “Thank You”. “No” in Thai is: “My Ao” (means “no” or “I don’t need” in a polite manner). Thank You in Thai for Women is: “Kop Kun Ka” and for Men is: “Kop Kun Krap” The restaurant within the resort is nice, with their breakfast buffet being the best breakfast I have ever eaten. There is a selection of several tropical fruits, several hot dishes, several pastries (my favourite), several juices, several cereals and more on offer for all the guests to choose from. Lunch and dinner are also available from the resort but I strongly recommend visiting one of the many restaurants along the beach or on the local road, or even heading into Patong. Surin Beach as a town is beautiful. It is very small, very realistic and quiet. However, what ever you would find in Patong you would find in Surin Beach, but just not as many. And if you want to go to Patong that’s not a problem either, as it is only 7 minutes away (300 baht by tuk tuk). They say that Surin Beach is where the locals come to relax and go to the beach, and now I can see why. Everywhere else in Phuket is jam packed with tourists and has lost its touch with traditional Thailand. The actual beach itself is the best I’ve ever seen, with aqua water and white sand and no one harassing you like when on Patong beach. The resort also offers a taxi service, which is much more comfortable than any other form of transport in Phuket. But their taxi service is more expensive than everything else and when in Thailand it is an absolute must to ride in a tuk tuk. Taxi Metres are the best form of transport, look out for the yellow cars and make sure they turn the metre on! I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to stay in Phuket that doesn’t want to be within the hustle and bustle of Patong book accommodation with Surin Beach Resort. It is not the best hotel in Phuket, but for value for money versus luxury resort comfort, Surin Beach Resort is possibly the most accessible luxury resort in the world. Michael and Chantelle Must do’s while at Surin Beach Resort! *Make sure to have a Thai massage everyday (only 300 Baht). *The resort pool is fantastic; everyone has to try the slide at least once. *Alcohol is dirt cheap in Thailand, so drink up. The bar staff at Surin Beach Resort are very entertaining to watch, I recommend a “Heart of the Andaman” cocktail at the pool bar. *The seafood is fresh from the sea, try the prawns, some are as big as lobsters. *Be sure to see James Bond Island on a Phang Na province tour.