The Slate Phuket — Hotel in Sakhu

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! For an amazing price, a great location, terrific food, multiple pools, right on the beach, a wonderful staff, the best massage ever...a great gym, trying to think of more "greats" as there are a ton!!

Pro's The breakfast buffet is almost unparalleled - the choices are infinite, the food is fantastic and represents more than just Thailand, the staff could not be nicer, and the breakfast area is in a stunning pavillon. Three pools - choose the one furthest from the main lobby, it's super quiet, only adults and was never overflowing with people. For a swim-up bar, socializing and more - there is a pool mid-property and it's all adult too. Location - for a jet in/jet out, this place is perfect. It's all of 5-10 min from the airport so no endless, traffic laden, stressful run-for-your-plane moments. The hotel has a short-bus ready to whisk you there is mere minutes. Proximity to beach - through gates and high walls, you are plopped right on the beach. Note that the hotel doesn't have their own services here but there are innumerable inexpensive options, chair, umbrella and go! Also there are a plethora of seaside beach bars and restaurants and they are both incredibly well priced and offer great, safe-to-eat food. The spa - I had the best massage of my life. The end. The gym - hardly used, brand new equipment, big, bright windows. Used it, loved it. The team - from airport pick up to airport drop off and every minute in between, the staff were happy, engaging, charming, lovely, helpful and all around terrific. It's chic - the industrial design and stone, steel and timber finishes are unexpectedly fab. They stylishly blend traditional Thai with, let's say...Restoration Hardware. It's a look, and I liked it. The Room - I chose a second floor (highly recommended) Pearl Suite. It was great, replete with outdoor, terrace cantilevered bathtub...why not? A large, step in stone shower, rich hardwood floors, blackout curtains, comfy bed, large lanai and landing pad as I call them...Winner, big time.

Potential Con's - I struggle to come up with these but as this is a review for many, I'll do my best considering different needs/desires etc.

The Size - this place is big in terms of number of buildings and shear acreage. Look at the master plan and pre-request privacy or quiet. There are some buildings that face each other with less privacy, others that are completely secluded. A Schlep - if you are mobility challenged and don't like to walk a lot, this place might not be for you. They do have golf carts and will happily pick you up and drop you off - but you really need to be in the room or lobby to request...vs beachside. No Elevators in buildings, so don't take a second floor room if you can't do stairs. The pools aside from the kids pool have a flight of stairs to ascend/descend. Some Service - the place is massive (though doesn't feel it), however if you're poolside and want a drink (note, one adult bar has a swim up cocktail station...I availed of this benefit, A LOT) grab someone when you see someone and it might be a bit... Drinks - this is not a dig on the Slate but is very Thai - if you're looking for a stiff drink, be prepared to ask for a double or a triple or bring a bottle from duty free. Or, there is a 7 Eleven a short walk away that has beverages and booze. The bartenders use shot glasses so a single shot is just that and they don't bend the rules no matter how many baht you chuck their way. The Location - if you want to party like a rock star in Patong, it's not close so not convenient to book it south for a night of cha-cha and more. You certainly wouldn't do it nightly unless you have the patience of Job.

I struggled to come up with the con's and none are major. This is a fantastic place to stay, super affordable plus plus, and I would go back to the Slate in a New York Minute as we say....

This is our second time here at The Slate, we were here last for our honeymoon 6 years ago when it was known as indigo pearl. Obviously, given that we were here for our honeymoon it was quite special for us to return, this time with our 4 year old daughter. We are here for 11 nights, so a longish stay and we have already been here 5 nights and it has been a bit of a mixed bag thus far.

The property is lovely, very well maintained and quite relaxing with all the greenery and away from noise.

The rooms have been mostly well maintained but need a bit of extra care with general wear and tear - the doors creak quite loudly, lighting is suitable for romance but not so much for a family.

Housekeeping - most don't speak English so getting anything across to them is next to impossible. They do try but 98% of the times were sadly unable to deliver the right thing. There has also been a minimum 24 hour turnaround time.

Breakfast buffet at the Tin Mine - overall good offering with a mix of continental and local food. Because of the large space, it doesn't seem to get too busy which is always nice. However, a couple of times our little one was sick overnight and we had to bring some basic breakfast stuff back to our room for her and I have to say that was not easy... The breakfast area weirdly is highly policed, getting Coco pops out of the breakfast area was like we were indulging in major criminal activity Hehe! The manager came to ensure we were only taking stuff for our daughter and no more which was rather funny as it wasn't like we were hiding hoards of people in our hotel room and feeding them in secret. This was a bit of a shocker as in other similar establishments we have been at, they have actually bent over backwards and even offered to bring breakfast to our room... not just for the child but also us. Food flies are also a bit of an issue even though the hotel does its best to protect the food but even then they do some how get away and are all over the fruit which is a real shame.

Underground cafe - good food and attentive staff but very limited choice for vegetarians which was a major put off especially if your stay is a long one as you can't possibly have the same thing everyday for lunch while at the pool. There is happy hour with 50% off on drinks everyday from 4-5pm but 10 mins before 5 if you try and order a drink you are sternly told that you need to go to the bar that has happy hour from 5-6pm if you want to avail the happy hour deal. The should just readjust their happy hour offering to say 4-4:50pm or take order until 5.

Since we had a long stay we decided to upgrade our room but we kept getting mixed messages on room availability which was a bit annoying. Eventually we were told the same level room was magically available and we were moved (we had a ground floor d-buk suite which was like being in an enclosed case). Oddly, when we go online to make a new reservation for a pool room, there does seem to be availability for our dates so not sure what to believe and also wondering why we are being given the wrong message.

Kids Club - There are a lot of kids activities on offer (mostly free) which is kind of nice to keep the little ones occupied.

For those visiting for the first time I do want to point out that the hotel does not have a private beach but just outside the hotel there is a public beach where you can rent loungers from locals. The loungers are bit on the dirty side so I recommend you take your own towels and other gear. The sand is not super clean but okay enough to just spend sometime at the beach. There are also a lot of restaurants right outside the hotel which is a nice to have if you want to step out for a meal for a change (at half the price). There are also some pharmacies and convenience stores available along with massage parlours.

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The Slate Phuket – A Mixed Bag of Luxury and Letdowns

We spent eight nights at The Slate, and while the stay had its bright spots, a few significant missteps mean I can only give it three stars.

We booked directly through The Slate’s own website, via a specific promotional offer. Among the clearly listed benefits was one daily drink per guest — unmissable on the page, impossible to misinterpret.

At check-in, the drinks benefit was mysteriously absent from the welcome rundown. When I asked, the team pointed to our confirmation email (sent after payment for a non-refundable stay) and said it wasn’t listed there. I pointed to their own offer page, live on their own website, which still lists the drinks as of this writing.

The reply....negative. If its not in the email, its not included. Not exactly the five-star welcome one expects. It took three separate conversations (including one where they failed to get back to us after they said they would) — including one with a manager — before the drinks were “graciously” honored. I even walked them step-by-step through their booking process to demonstrate that no other benefit list exists beyond the offer page (we were told that before checkout, we would see a list of included benefits). The fact that it took that much effort to get them to stand by their own advertised promotion was disappointing and decidedly un-luxurious. Overall, the offer package is very generous, if they stand by it.

Smoking is allowed on the balconies here — an unfortunate policy if you have a neighbor who enjoys nightly cigars. Our balcony quickly became unusable, with smoke drifting and pooling under the overhangs, finding its way straight into our room. We came back one evening to find the room absolutely stinking of cigar. Clearly an air quality issue.

We raised the issue the night it happened. We were told they will look into it. Afterwards silence. The next evening, it happened again, we complained about the air quality issue and the overall disturbance, only to be told they could move us — but couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. In other words: That’s just how it is. This casual approach to indoor air quality in a “luxury” resort was unsettling. To their credit, they upgraded us to a splash pool room, and thankfully, the new neighbors were non-smokers.

The Positives

Breakfast Excellent variety, fresh quality, and a refreshingly civil system for eggs and coffee orders that avoids the typical buffet chaos. Staff here deserve special mention — warm, attentive, and genuinely gracious. Adults-only pools: A rare and appreciated perk. The one at the back was particularly serene. Beach access: Two convenient exits, one open 24/7. Nai Yang Beach is calm and uncrowded, though it could use better care — litter was a shame to see. Local food stalls along the shore offer excellent, well-priced meals (Pad Thai for 80 THB). Black Ginger dinner: Included in our package. Food was good, but the ambiance took a hit thanks to nearby children watching cartoons at full volume on a tablet (which was left untreated until I explained to staff why this is disruptive) and a patron in pajama shorts and beach slippers. So much for the strict dress code I’d read about. Resort grounds: Lush, well-maintained, and pleasant to explore. Gym: Compact but functional, with a 20kg barbell, smith machine, and a decent range of weights. Classes are bookable via the app.

Final Thoughts The Slate is undeniably beautiful, with pockets of excellence — particularly in its breakfast service, pools, and design. But for a self-proclaimed luxury property, policies and service culture matter just as much as aesthetics. Having to battle for advertised benefits and tolerate cigar smoke drifting into the room aren’t exactly the hallmarks of a seamless...