Le Méridien Phuket Mai Khao Beach Resort — Hotel in Mai Khao

The resort was clean and well-maintained, and the housekeeping staff did an excellent job of keeping our room tidy. The staff at the Ocean Kitchen were polite and attentive, and the kids enjoyed the food. They also had a great time playing in the kids' pool. Overall, our experience would have been very positive if not for an unpleasant incident involving a staff member from the kids' club and the front office manager (FOM).After showering and enjoying dinner in our room at 7:30 PM, I received a text from the kids' club staff stating that my sons had been involved in a fight earlier that day around noon, resulting in another child getting hurt and bruised. She requested that I come down to the kids' club because the parents of the injured child wanted to speak with me. However, she had not checked the CCTV footage or verified the situation; instead, she seemed to place the blame solely on my sons based on the other party's account. What did she expect me to do at the kids' club? Without any concrete evidence and to be at the beck of their call? Apologize to the boy’s parents? Bring my entire family down to offer apologies? My wife and I were with our sons at the kids' club the entire time, and if there had truly been a fight, we would have known or the staff on duty would have informed us immediately, not seven hours later. I felt compelled to “interrogate” my sons over dinner to determine whether they had any physical contact with other children.The next morning, we returned to the kids' club, where the boy’s mother confronted us, claiming that my sons had fought with her son, resulting in bruises on his arms. However, the parents had not even been present at the kids' club the previous day; they had simply left their daughter and son there, and their account relied solely on their eight-year-old daughter’s testimony. When the mother asked her son if my boys had fought with him, he firmly replied no. At that moment, the mother stumbled in her reasoning, suggesting that the bruises might have been caused by the small plastic balls in the ball pit, as my sons had mentioned throwing balls at each other. I was displeased and requested to see the CCTV footage.The FOM was supposed to provide me with the footage at 2 PM that day, but I was later informed that she wanted to show it to both families together. The other family was not returning to the resort until 9 PM, and since we typically rest early at night, I questioned why I should wait for them. I requested that the footage be sent to me, but the FOM insisted on meeting us the next day during breakfast at 8 AM.On the day of checkout, we were at the restaurant from 8 to 9 AM for breakfast, but there was no sign of the FOM. She only appeared at the checkout desk at 10:20 AM while I was checking out, finally showing me the footage. I was relieved to see that my sons did not cause the bruises, as the CCTV did not capture any physical contact between the boys.From the time I received the text message until checkout (a span of 1.5 days), it was a tormenting experience for my family. As guests of the resort, we felt undervalued and treated unfairly compared to the western family, with whom the staff and FOM seemed more familiar, even calling their children by name. It appeared that the staff lacked the professional training necessary to handle guest situations effectively. They could have simply retrieved the CCTV footage and resolved the issue without involving us.Given the many alternative resorts and hotels available, I will definitely not return to this resort...

Le Méridien Phuket: Excellent Amenities Marred by Service Issues

Le Méridien Phuket is a beautiful hotel with spacious rooms, a stunning beach, and excellent amenities for families. The kids’ pool with a slide was a highlight, and the beach was clean and picturesque. The spa was also a pleasant experience.

One of the standout aspects was the food—both the Thai and international dishes were very good and flavorful. Whether at the restaurants or other dining areas, the quality of the food was consistently high.

However, the biggest disappointment was the lack of coordination among the staff, leading to multiple service issues throughout our stay. The front office staff were quite good and far more professional than the rest of the team, but overall service was inconsistent.

We requested housekeeping, but after waiting four hours, we were told we needed to book an appointment. Even after scheduling it for 3 PM, the room was still not cleaned by 3:40 PM. It was eventually serviced, and the reception staff left a kind note, which was a nice touch.

For my son’s birthday, I had emailed the hotel in advance and received confirmation for a cake. However, when we arrived, the staff had no idea about it until I called to follow up.

Breakfast was good overall but disorganized on most days. On two mornings, only one coffee machine was working, leading to long queues. One day, the fresh juice dispensers were blocked, and despite staff noticing, they were never fixed. However, on the last day, breakfast service was much better.

At Ocean Kitchen restaurant, the staff seemed uninterested on most days, which was disappointing. Ironically, on our last day, the service improved, and we had a good experience. One thing we couldn’t help but notice was that service levels seemed to vary depending on the guest’s country of origin. While we cannot say for certain, at times, it felt like some guests were prioritized over others. This was particularly noticeable at Ocean Kitchen and is something the hotel should reflect on to ensure a more consistent experience for everyone.

At the poolside kiosk, they initially tried to serve us a shawarma that had been sitting out for a long time. When I pointed it out, they quickly made a fresh one. However, I later saw the same cold shawarma being served to another guest, who also returned it.

To top it off, there was a miscommunication regarding our airport transfer. I had booked a 10 AM transfer the day before departure, but the hotel still had an earlier time from check-in. During breakfast, we were informed that we were “late” for our transfer, showing that the message was never properly communicated.

Overall, while the food and facilities were excellent, the inconsistent service was a major letdown. The front office staff were an exception and did a good job, but the rest of the team needs significant improvement. For the price, the experience should have been far smoother. With better service, this could be a truly...

Lifeless & Lacking – Disappointing Marriott Experience

We were meant to stay 5 nights after staying at another marriot hotel for 5 nights prior, but checked out after 1. The resort feels cold, lifeless and poorly maintained – not what you’d expect from a 5-star Marriott. Upon checking out we were told we would forfeit one nights stay but we didn't care in the end!

Check-in was unfriendly, with the two male staff showing no warmth. There are also not many females working the front which is odd. We saw none apart from Palm. Matt, the guest relations manager, was the only highlight – helpful and professional throughout.

Our first room was near the lobby, but also uncomfortably close to data/phone conductors. Not ideal for families wanting to avoid high electromagnetic areas. The private pool access was full of leaves, shallow, and disconnected from the main pool/bar area.

We were moved closer to the main pool thanks to Matt and were in Block 4.

The freezing and mosquito-infested. My husband developed welts from bites. The kids’ slides were shut by 6pm, and staff began packing up before then. When we asked them to turn the slides on at about 5.20pm the man did but kept asking the kids "are you still using them?" Mosquitos made it impossible to enjoy any outdoor areas after 6 so while the pool is open until 8 there was no one in it. No pool swim up bar either and again, we couldn't order a pannacotta from the bar until 11am as that's when the kitchen opens! This might be due to low season who knows but it's just not acceptable for a 5 star resort. The grounds however are beautifully manicured!

Breakfast was very limited. Even basics like sausages had to be specially requested. Room service stops at 10:30pm – not acceptable for a resort of this standard.

The shower in our room had visible mould, and the handheld shower head didn’t work. While showing brown particles were coming off. The floors were very slippery!

In the morning, we also found a capped needle on the beach, which I reported immediately to Palm. This was our turning point that made us leave! I stressed the danger for barefoot children. She said thank you however unsure what was done about it as we checked out.

One block near the beach is shut for renovations – this should have been disclosed to guests in advance. We were told it’s low season, but that’s no excuse. Many of the same complaints (mosquitos, buffet, pool hours) appear in other reviews. Management claims they’re “looking into it,” but nothing seems to change.

To top it off, we were told our refund of 25,000 THB for the additional nights we didn't stay would take 30 days to process – completely unacceptable.

This was one of the most underwhelming Marriott experiences we’ve had. We left early and no one even asked why which in itself is ABSURD. Remote is fine – cold, lifeless, and neglected is not. Would...