Hilltop Wellness Resort — Hotel in Ratsada

Unacceptable management for a supposed 4 star hotel. I almost missed my flight, had to pay almost 2 000 baht for meals that was included in my package but apparently were “extra”, alsmot had to pay for activity that I was told is included in my package…. It is like everything was a scam.

I booked the 4 days yoga retreat package and though there was daily yoga class, it didn’t feel like a yoga retreat but more like a resort with yoga class.

The daily yoga class is great for beginner, it is mostly stretching but if you’re looking for a workout and more advanced yoga, that is not it.

Now the scam part…

On day 1, after my arrival, I wanted to join in some activity organized by the hotel and when I asked the receptionist if it was included he said that everything was included in my package.

The next day I waited 30 minutes in the lobby to get picked up but nothing, so I decide to ask the new receptionist when was the pick up time. When he checked, there was no booking made.

I said it is fine, errors happen, but please check if my activity for the next day is booked. What a surprise when this receptionist tells me that it is booked AND THAT I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT.

Yep, it was not included and they probably would’ve charged me at the end. I obviously cancelled it (2800 baht for making flower garland).

Day 3, I decided to take the free shuttle to downtown and the receptionist gives me the hotel WhatsApp telling me to text him 1 hour before the pick up time. Which I did, at 3pm I texted that I want to join the bus shuttle of 5:30pm. The text was read only at 5:30pm so of course no bus came to pick me up. He then said that there is no possibility of sending a bus now so I had to wait for the next one at 7:30pm.

I said fine, it wasn’t in my plans and I was very tired but what else could I do ?

Day 4, this is the TEA. When I check out, the receptionist gives me a bill, almost to 5000 baht for the activity I didn’t do and some extras from the restaurant. He then corrected the bill and it was now around 2000 baht. When I looked at the “extras” it was some dishes I had ordered during my dinner or lunch.

In my package I had 1 dinner or lunch included, it didn’t say a maximum of plate or anything. Keep that in mind because they were now telling me that I could only order 3 plates, that some latte and chocolate I order were extras because my package included only soft drink or whatever.

I am attaching some plates that I ordered, I am vegetarian so most of them are only veggies and appetizer plate (no salad as main dish) because the main dish were curry/rice/noodle and I wanted fresh food but again : I should be able to order what I want for dinner/lunch.

The worst part is later that day, I had my taxi booked at 3pm. It was supposed to take me to the airport but a mistake had been made and my taxi was going to the bus station instead, at the complete opposite of the airport. Thank god I noticed half way through that something was wrong.

We then turned back to the hotel, it was past 4pm. By the time they booked me a new taxi it was almost 4:30pm and they told me that taxi would arrive in 20 minutes so close to 5pm when my boarding was at 6:30pm.

THANK GOD the girl from the reception that day took me personally to the airport otherwise I would’ve definitely missed my flight.

So the overall experience was not great, the hotel is beautiful, has a pool, a gym and a little sauna area but the meal being included (but not really) some drinks being extras, the activity scam, the absence of a yoga retreat atmosphere…

Last note : I talked a bit with other guests and it is absolutely unacceptable that you have to NEGOCIATE about the activity price when you are at a 4 star hotel, like when you bargain at the night markets. I understand that Thai culture is like that but you would except a hotel to have FIXED AND FAIR price ???

Anyway If you do go there you better book activities on getyourguide and ask if you need to pay for...

BLUF: I researched dozens of yoga and wellness retreats before selecting Hilltop Wellness, and this experience exceeded all expectations. I will absolutely be coming back—this was a six-star experience, and I highly recommend it.

Yoga and Wellness Retreat with Excursions

I opted for the 9-day/8-night package. Unlike many retreats, you can arrive and depart on any day of the week. The yoga class times are set, there are 2–3 classes per day. I usually attended two per day and never felt pressured to participate in every session. In fact the instructors encouraged us to listen to our bodies and not try to overdo it. I practiced with four instructors, and honestly, each one was fantastic. As a relative novice (I've taken 20–30 classes sporadically over the past decade), I can confidently say these instructors were the best I've encountered so far. Together, they form a world-class team that practitioners of all levels—from beginners to seasoned professionals—will appreciate.

During my stay, the class sizes were small, ranging from 3 to 10 participants. This allowed instructors to devote more time to each student, whether it was guiding me through my warrior flow (which was in desperate need of work) or helping advanced students attempt inversion poses for the first time. A final note on the classes: the camaraderie among students made them even more memorable. Yoga communities are generally welcoming, but despite my limited experience and skill, I never felt out of place. The spirit of the program and the resort fosters a hard-to-describe positive energy I haven’t experienced before. Every time I stepped into a studio, I was greeted with nothing but good energy. P.S. Sunrise yoga is AMAZING!

Excursions

Before arriving, I was able to choose my excursions. I opted for Muay Thai training, soap-making, water aerobics, a spa day, a sunset tour, and a temple tour. While I won't review each in detail, I can confidently say that the Hilltop Wellness staff has curated an excellent selection of activities with outstanding providers. Most of the excursions were small group experiences, which kept them personal and engaging. My favorites were the Muay Thai and temple tours, but honestly, it's hard to pick—they were all incredible, and I'd happily do them again.

Hotel

I'd classify Hilltop Wellness as a boutique hotel. I doubt there are more than 50 rooms. While I'm usually a Marriott loyalist, I was very comfortable here. My room was spacious, featuring a separate living room and bedroom. There was plenty of room to practice yoga, and both the seating and sleeping areas were cozy. I will note that the walls are a bit thin—I could hear my neighbor's TV—but the hotel's "quiet hours" policy was respected. The elevator is positioned in an unusual way, running only between the ground, first, and fifth floors, so you may need to use the stairs for other areas. However, the amenities overall met or exceeded my expectations.

Final Thoughts

Every aspect of this program is thoughtfully designed and flawlessly executed. But what transforms a good experience into an unforgettable one is the people. I've never felt more welcomed or cared for than I did during this retreat. From the employees and instructors, to the tour guides, teachers, and housekeeping staff, everyone truly embodies the spirit of "The Land of Smiles." Thank you all—I can't wait to see you...

The resort was absolutely stunning. The main receptionist lady was super friendly and extremely sweet. The pool was inviting. They had a section where you could read books and everyday from 12pm until about 6pm there was complimentary popcorn with some tea and water. The restaurant available at the resort was a bit pricy and quite frankly I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to (we had breakfast part of our booking). The staff are rude - we tried to order a few things by the pools, as there was a phone available to call them. Because he couldn’t understand English, he did would constantly hang up, rather than trying to help, or coming down to the pools to see what we wanted. I had to call reception and let them know. Only then he came down and took our order. Lack of service - it literally took over 40 minutes for order to come (was just 2 drinks). We thought, since it takes this long, we may as well place another order, so by the time we finish our drinks the next lot will come. So we placed an order. He never came back.

Also, as mentioned earlier, we had breakfast as part of our booking, there was this one day, there was a fly/bug in the olives and a hair in the lettuce. Upon telling the employee, he took our plates to the kitchen and never came back to apologise. This happened the day after, as the previous day, I had taken a lot of olives but couldn’t finish it, I felt guilty, but I genuinely could not finish it, (I wanted to take it with me to have later, but didn’t want to be rude). So the next day, there was only a little bit of olives in their bowl, and upon taking some out there was a bug/fly in it. (Pictures added)

The resort can take you to a few locations for free - such as Old Phuket Town, the Shopping Centre close by and somewhere else. They also have pick up times too. We only went one day to Old Phuket Town, but because we were going to explore for longer, advised the receptionist we don’t need a pick up afterwards.

Our room, we had picked a bigger room, however it was quite noisy, especially on the first night, as we got there late - about 9pm. We were exhausted and fell straight to sleep. In the middle of the night there would be some knocking sound, we were scared. But after a few days realised the knocking sound was coming from the window area . It was constant, would happen during the day also. So we eventually...