Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa

The rooms and villas at Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa run from guest rooms and one-bedroom suites to one-bedroom and three-bedroom villas and pool villas. Several guest rooms have a balcony, and the rooms look out over the garden or the ocean, while several villas have a plunge pool of their own.

Bathrooms come with bathrobes, and most have a bathtub, while some of the villas have a separate shower and bathtub. Rooms can include air conditioning, a desk, a mini bar and an in-room safe box, and ironing facilities are available on the property for guests who need them.

Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa has an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, and a spa with a sauna, a steamroom and treatments including massage, body scrubs and body wraps. A yoga room, a garden and a terrace are also on site.

Families have a kids club, a playground, a game room with table tennis, and children's books and toys. Guests can book tours and use the shuttle service, and bicycles and non-motorised water sports are also available.

Business guests can use the concierge, the laundry and ironing services, currency exchange and meeting or banquet facilities. Free parking is available on site, and free WiFi is available in all rooms.

Mai Khao is a quieter part of Phuket, away from the busy beach towns such as Patong, and its long sandy beach is where the resort stands. The setting suits a beach holiday at a calmer pace, with the island's international airport close enough to make the arrival simple. The beach here is quieter than the western shore, and the stretch in front of the resort is wide and open to the sea. An early walk along the sand is a good way to start the day.

Around the resort, the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, 1.2 km away, works on sea turtle conservation, and the Tha Chat Chai mangrove forest trail, 4.1 km away, offers a shaded walk through the trees. Both are reached by road from the resort, and the national park is also the place for a quieter walk among the trees. Naiyang national Park, 5.9 km away, takes in coastal forest and beaches, and Phuket International Airport is 5.1 km away for the journey in.

A day could begin on the beach and continue with a visit to the turtle foundation, followed by a walk on the mangrove trail. For a busier evening, Patong Beach is 27.5 km away, with its restaurants, bars and nightlife, and the trip there is a simple drive across the island. The island's main roads also allow a beach day to be combined with a longer trip into the rest of Phuket.