The Naka Island is my seaside discovery of the year. Thailand is a very popular destination whether for tourism or simply for the beaches. Even for both because it allows to mix them nicely. But popularity has its drawbacks: where to go for a quiet rest when the mass of tourists is pouring in from all sides and swarming in the streets. In short, how to have your own experience, without others, where everyone is going.
The answer is Naka Island in Phuket. You will say to me that there is better than Phuket for the calmness…and you will be right. For example, there is a small island 10 minutes away by boat that contains only a hotel on one side and a small village of locals on the other.
Meet at the Marina
The hotel picks up its guests at the Phuket Marina where its boat brings them to their destination. This transfer is free but if you wish a paid airport-marina transfer is possible…and this is the option I chose. Arriving from France via Singapore by a late flight I wanted to simplify my life as much as possible. A beautiful black German limousine awaits you at the airport exit and here we go.
Arrival at the marina and boarding. 10 to 15 minutes later we have arrived. An electric cart is waiting for me on the pier to take me to my room. Is it because of my late arrival (10pm) that the check-in happened in my villa or is this the norm? I can’t tell you but at least it was efficient.
No photo of the arrival because of the night. Now it’s time to take a look around.
A 100% villa island
At Naka Island no rooms but only bungalows and villas. Two factors of choice: size of the accommodation and whether or not it has a view of the sea (including direct access to the beach). So I chose a Sea View villa, the entry level – so to speak – of sea view villas.
Each villa is isolated and fenced. I open the door to enter and a small path leads to the villa and the terrace.
Which terrace is equipped with…a swimming pool. No relation to the level of villa you choose, all have pools. It’s just a question of whether you want a sea view or not.
450 m2 with private pool and sea view
And here is the villa in question
The whole (interior and exterior) is 450 m2 and is totally private.
The main room:
The office part where I will work a little during my stay.
The bed and its essential mosquito net.
The corridor that leads to the bathroom:
The bathroom with a shower that is also a steam room.
The said bathroom opens in its turn on an interior courtyard located thus between the bathroom and the room, bordered on the other side by a high wall.
And what do we find in this yard?
A green area…
But also and especially… a bathtub and a shower outside. Perfect given the local climate.
I was looking for a place to break away, relax, and still be able to work on some personal projects. I can tell you that when you take two hours each morning to work with this view from your desk, you get more work done in peace and quiet than in almost a day at the office.
And to finish the inevitable video tour.
And one last trip to the pool.
A huge complex
As you can imagine, Nika Island is huge, especially since it is spread over several levels. For those who don’t like to walk or who are put off by steep hills, an electric cart service is available to take them around the resort.
Of course you can find everything you need to live self-sufficiently on the island: two restaurants, a bar, a spa, a fitness center, two swimming pools, a beach, a concierge/excursion service and if I’m not mistaken a childcare service.
The advantage is that due to the size of the complex you never have the impression of being crowded or seeing many people around you. And for those who would miss the crowd, shuttles to Phuket are regularly organized during the day.
Naka Island has two great pools
As if it were not enough that each villa has its own private pool, the hotel has two more for collective use. Strangely enough, there are still a few people around, certainly because they have their own charm.
The first is a two-level infinity pool overlooking the beach. There are deckchairs “feet in the water” of the best effect.
The second is more discreet. To be quiet when the main pool is crowded I was told. It is more recessed and high in the resort.
In my opinion, you might as well go back and enjoy your own pool…but that’s just me.
Catering: good but could be improved
The property has two restaurants. One is a grill/snack bar that also serves breakfast and the other is more upscale.
The grill/snack first.
Let’s start with breakfast. We are talking about a starwood category 6 establishment and I guarantee you that the impact on the rate is noticeable. When you compare it with another Luxury Collection, category 5 like the Laguna in Bali, there is something wrong. If you saw my last week’s review of the Laguna, its amenities and especially the breakfast, there really is a chasm. Supporting example:
The quality is there without being exceptional. As for the choice or even the presentation, it is unworthy of the category of the hotel and the price paid. The worse Novotel does at least as well, which says a lot.
The same goes for the catering itself. Nothing to say about the dishes themselves, there is even a certain research and quality in the “premium” restaurant, which I had missed at Vana Belle a year earlier.
Plus some pretty exclusive tables at water level which I think is a great idea.
Too much sloppiness in the service at Naka Island
But the service has too many flaws. I am not talking about attention and kindness: without equaling the Indonesian staff, the Thai teams excel on this point and would have many lessons to give to the French hotel industry. I’m talking about rigor, discipline. Too many imperfections, lack of attention. Full of good will but a certain lack of professionalism at times. In addition, English is not always mastered. And the vague impression that if your dinner goes on past 9pm you no longer exist for the staff.
And as we you on an island you are dependent on the restaurants of the hotel. All the more reason for them to be impeccable, as they are a constraint on the system.
Same remark for the concierge / tour organization. It was sometimes a struggle to be heard and to get satisfaction.
The bottom line is that when you have a lot of goodwill but not enough training and supervision, it’s not enough. At least not at this level of promise and expectation.
And here I am rephrasing a criticism made many times. When you are at this level (a Starwood Luxury Collection category 6…but this is also true for the Shangri La Borneo that I visited one or two years ago), it’s not because you call yourself a resort and the guests come to have a good time in the sun that the staff should be less careful. Un phénomène que j’ai d’ailleurs notamment observé dans la région à l’exception notable du Laguna à Bali.A phenomenon that I have observed in the region with the notable exception of Laguna in Bali. We are talking about establishments that have the same classification (or higher) in the same chains as the Grosvenor House or the Royal Meridien in Dubai or the Laguna in Bali, although the Naka Island is especially comparable to the latter two in terms of positioning.
We have the impression that we have put a lot of emphasis on accommodation, thinking that a mid-range service would be sufficient for tourists who have the means but have abandoned the suit for shorts and flip-flops.
Conclusion : the job was almost perfect
In the end, if the property really enchanted me and surpassed my expectations in relation to what I was looking for (calm, rest and a bit of isolation), there is a lack of rigor in part of customer service (whatever the reason) which is not very pleasant when you end up paying full price. And the excuse of “it’s a resort” or “it’s Thailand” doesn’t hold up because there are counter-examples.
I think that most of the customers will be able to live with these few mistakes because the overall service is of high quality and the rooms are able to make you forget all the inconveniences that go with it. But from a strict point of view of what one would expect after visiting many hotels of the same chain in Asia and around the world, there are gaps. And at this level nothing is forgiven because the devil is in the details.
And finally, the questions that you will certainly ask yourself.
- Do I recommend Naka Island? Of course, in spite of these few negative points, especially visible for someone used to hotels and the chain in particular. Otherwise it is a quality experience.
- Better than the Vana Belle? Ah there is competition here. The beautiful Vana is in Samui so it’s easier to get out. More modern and conventional style too. You need to know what you are looking for. If you really want to get away from it all I recommend Naka Island even if you can do your own thing at Vana Belle, especially since both hotels offer private pools for all rooms (larger on average at Naka Island)
- And the Laguna in all this? It remains my favorite even if the rooms are more classic (no private pool except for the villas). But it outweighs the quality of service and the environment because I definitely feel better when I leave the hotel in Indonesia and especially in Bali than in Phuket or Samui in Thailand. But that’s a matter of taste. Especially since the Laguna is less expensive…
But in the end, these are three hotels that will delight you, each in its own way. It is up to you to choose the right one according to your expectations and who you are going with.
The entire photo album is available here.
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