Thavorn Palm Beach Resort — Hotel in Karon

Posting this almost a year late, stayed July 2024.||We’ve been travelling Asia for the past month and this is the first resort where we’ve been really disappointed in some areas. |I genuinely don’t know how this resort has the great reviews it does.||I asked to organise transfers to the hotel, so was sent a pay link that didn’t work, therefore they wouldn’t organise our transfers. We were stuck at the airport with 2 small kids for almost an hour trying to organise a last minute taxi. They pretty much couldn’t give a crap, it was a “you problem”.||Upon our cold check in (didn’t feel like a proper warm check in when you get to a Thai resort) we were told that our kids couldn’t use the water slides as it was a min age of 12 yrs old. This made me absolutely furious. The slides/pool area are the reason I booked this resort. If there’s rules like that then they need to be clearly stated when booking. |There’s also no signs stating this around the pool.||We did also check in early, I requested early check in, to which my email was ignored. When waiting we asked how much longer the room would be and kept being told 5 more mins 5 more mins by the manager. |It ended up being over an hr. More than 2 hrs in total from when we arrived with 2 tired and hot kids. The manager did say that we were “compensated” by having access to and waiting in the bakery area, which I’m not sure how that’s compensation as everyone at the resort seems to have access to that. ||We noticed a buffet being set up for dinner that night after we were done with ours. The manager at reception mentioned nothing of the nightly buffets when checking in. These small details go a long way. All these errors seem to keep falling back onto the manager and management. Seems like something that should be looked into. |The beds are extremely hard and uncomfortable, feels like a slab of concrete with a blanket over it. We did fill out a card which asks if your bed is too soft or hard and just had a thicker cover put over the mattress which did nothing. |The water pressure is like a trickle. Takes forever to shower because there’s barely any water coming out. |You can hear absolutely everything from the rooms above. The people above us sounded like they were reorganising the room daily up until midnight. |Buffet breakfast is isn’t great. We’ve had buffets a quarter of the size of this one and they were easily much better.|The food didn’t seem too fresh and like it had been sitting out for a while. There’s absolutely no order. You get to breakfast and you have to go looking for your own table. Every other resort we’ve been to will always take you to a free table.|And to top all of that off, our room smelt very strongly or marijuana on the final 3-4 days. |I’m not fazed by what others do in there rooms but when it starts to effect other rooms then it’s not ok. Someone nearby was clearly smoking in their rooms which had gone through the vents. Manager offered to move us on our second last day which was pointless as we were leaving the next morning. ||Luckily most of the staff around the resort are absolutely lovely and warm and give you a proper greeting with a smile and are always willing to help.|It’s a shame they have to pick up the slack for other lacking areas. There’s clearly a problem at this resort and they are very short staffed, even though the hotel was fully booked. We didn’t have our room cleaned till 5/6 every night, which isn’t the cleaners fault, again they’re clearly short staffed, but it’s an awkward time to have your room cleaned when everyone’s showering and getting ready to go have dinner. ||I personally wouldn’t stay here again. |This resort is best suited to family who are looking for more of a budget style accommodation. |It’s a 3 star hotel at best with a 5 star price tag. The 3 stars come from being in a good location, the lovely staff, the grounds around the resort and the pools are really nice. The kids club/play room is pretty good and they offer face painting for an extra charge which my son really enjoyed. Also the petting farm is nice for the children to interact with the animals. |Ice cream shop and restaurant are also great, lots of choice for food. |A Thai gentleman at reception was really lovely and assisted my husband with an issue we were having externally and he was super helpful. ||It definitely has its good bits too, but the bad majorly outweighed the good for us...

I stayed here with my husband, 12 year old daughter, and 14 year old son. Before arriving I wondered whether the resort would live up to it's 5 stars, and it did.

Firstly, the free WiFi was spot on, so the children were happy!

Booking direct gave us a great family package, which included transfers, which was a good start, considering the many offers of 900 bhat transfers as soon as we left departures. It was a lovely air-conditioned van, with bottled water.

June on reception was simply brilliant. She helped us move rooms, to one not affected by the building work, and our room was stunning. Huge, good balcony, amazing view of one of the pools and the treat of the sunset to enjoy every night.

The gardens are just beautiful, my photos don't do it justice, and the winding paths were magical at night. We discovered a pond which was full of frogs at night!

The breakfast was good, lots of options. The restaurant has a helpful guide on when to arrive to avoid busy times, but we never felt that it was crowded. We did feel very British in queueing for a table as per the sign, while others walked through and sat down, but we never waited long.

The petting zoo was good, and a relief to see that the animals were only out at certain times, vs all day. The staff working there were so helpful and kind.

The slides were really good, and never busy. In fact, none of the pools ever felt busy, and the one near our room often felt like our own personal swimming pool, neither only ones there! We were provided with beach towels, making it perfect. There were 'no reserving sun lounger' signs, but they weren't needed, there being so many to choose from, and all in great spots.

The food by the pools was good and reasonable, and it never took them long to find us! We asked for breakfast boxes for one morning, which were faultless.

The family package included transfers, discounts on activities, half board, and a giant stuffed bunny, which my daughter just loved - we hadn't told her, so it was a lovely surprise!

I did Muay Thai class, which was a 1-2-1 for an hour. The instructor was really good, though I wish he had done more defense work in the sparring. I am an experienced kick boxer, though, so I probably had a different experience to new starters.

Things I wish I had known from the start: *Taxis: the company in the hotel charges almost doubled for what a tuk-tuk charges from the street outside. *Half board vouchers can be used for evening or lunch meals. *The half board set menus are good but limited. You can swap or 'trade up' from the main menu, for either zero or minimal cost, if you ask, but it isn't clear. *The seafood buffet includes half a lobster each, which you have to ask for, and will not be offered. *Drinks are double the price than from the supermarket, and still a lot more than other bars or restaurants, e.g. Chang is 45 bhat in the shops, but 150 in the hotel. It was about the same price to eat out and pay for food and drinks, then it was to eat in and buy a drink. *The children's menu is aimed at very young children, more like for 5-6 year olds than any older. *Sea view is worth it, as it is west facing and the sunsets are beautiful. *There isn't really a bar to sit and have drinks, and there is no real atmosphere in the evening. The bars nearby are also quiet. *The secret garden is a delight, and is misted every night at 5, which we noticed on the last morning, so didn't get to experience it. *Nana's down the road is a far cheaper...

A genuinely 3 star resort and experience:

We’re an Australian family who travelled to Phuket in June 2025 with our two young children (aged 2 and 5). This was our second resort on this trip and our fourth visit to Phuket in the past three years. Unfortunately, Thavorn Palm Hotel was by far the most disappointing resort experience we’ve had in Thailand.

While the pools and waterslides were excellent, they couldn’t compensate for the outdated facilities and the clear cost-cutting measures evident throughout the property.

Check-In & Check-Out: The check-in process was unusually intrusive. In addition to the standard passport and credit card, we were asked to present our reservation email and even a credit card statement from March to prove payment—something I’ve never encountered in over 40 countries. Other guests shared similar experiences, and it left a poor first impression. At check-out, we were asked to wait 10 minutes while staff inspected the room—again, something more typical of a budget hotel than a supposed 5-star property.

Service & Amenities: The overall service ethos seemed to be “do the bare minimum.” Only the minimum number of towels were provided, and guests had to bring their own towels and water to the pool. There were no poolside amenities, which felt sub-par for a hotel of this rating.

The beds were very firm (as noted in other reviews), and the bedding and pillows were of noticeably poor quality. The gym was small, outdated, and only open from 7am to 7pm—odd, considering it’s unstaffed.

Family-Friendliness: Despite booking a “family suite” directly through the hotel’s website, the room was simply a standard suite with an adjoining room—no family-specific amenities were provided. Both rooms had minibars stocked with alcohol and snacks within easy reach of our toddlers. There were no child-safe features, no crockery or cutlery, and everything was glass—hardly family-friendly.

The kids’ playroom was closed for renovations (not disclosed at booking), and the temporary setup in the lobby was tiny and uninviting. Our children spent less than 15 minutes there.

We also encountered a baffling policy: a 1,500 baht (~$75 AUD) daily fee to allow our trusted babysitter (used at four other Phuket resorts without issue) onto the property. Thankfully I protested and this fee was waived, but it never should exist. This felt more like a 3-star policy driven by distrust than a premium hospitality standard.

Dining & Facilities: Breakfast was mediocre—more in line with a 3-star hotel. A telling example: no mangoes were available. In Thailand. At a resort. Enough said.

Wi-Fi access was limited to a small number of devices. I had to disconnect one device just to download content for our kids’ flight home—another unnecessary inconvenience.

Positives: The location is great—right on Karon Beach and close to shops and restaurants. The pools and waterslides were genuinely fantastic, and the petting zoo and “secret garden” were nice touches that offered something different.

Final Thoughts: This is a 3-star hotel with 3-star service, 3-star breakfast, 2-star policies, and a 4/5-star pool setup. Unless management makes significant changes, I expect more reviews like this to follow. For families visiting Phuket, there are far better options at similar price points.

P.S. While management often replies to reviews claiming they’re working to improve, the issues we experienced appear to be deliberate policy...