The main pool overlooking the ocean

Thinking back to our time at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach what comes to mind is the sound of water. Water features directing a stream of water down the terraced hillside on which the resort sits. The intermittent tropical rains that would refresh the resort resulting in a steady drip, drip, drip of water off the lush tropical plants that surrounded us. The sound of the ocean waves cresting in gentle surf on Naithon Beach. Also the sound of splashes, interposed with happy giggles as my kids played in the resorts three stunning pools.

Long hours were spent playing in the amazing pools at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach

The Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beachis a five star Accor property located an hours drive from the Thai tourist capital of Phuket. Naithon itself is a sleepy beachside village and our vacation there was very much a resort holiday for us. We did venture out occasionally for a jungle adventure trip with the children, a day cruise around Phang Nga Bay and a girls only shopping trip to Phuket. For the most part though we relaxed, enjoying the views, the food, the pools and the immaculate landscape.

The Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach is managed by an Australian and there were many Australian guests at the resort. This could be seen as a pro or a con depending on your perspective.

Our package included airport transfers, half hour daily massages, half board (breakfast and either lunch or dinner) and kids club for children over four.
We were graciously welcomed at the resort by Thai staff with immaculate English and offered a welcome beverage.

The highlight of our stay at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach was time spent in the glorious pools. The main pool, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean was divine, if a little crowded at times. A number of small water features were perfect for children’s play. There were two quieter pools at the top of the hillside near our own rooms – one a children’s wading pool and another infinity pool overlooking tropical countryside.

The most stunning location for Happy Hour EVER. At the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach.

The chef at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach needs to be commended for the amazing buffet breakfasts served each day. These were truly the best buffet breakfasts I have encountered in our travels. There were extensive hot selections, Asian sections, the most decadent European pastries ever, as well as plenty of health options. Similarly the buffet dinners that occurred a couple of nights we were there (particularly the Thai themed buffet) was divine. We did however find the service of the al la carte lunches and dinner in the main dining area was off kilter, and with five children in our group (we visited the resort with another family) took far too long, with many meals forgotten, or mistakes made. The dining experiences were not pleasant due to the combination of overtired children and drawn out dining times. The exception to this were the al la carte dinners we had at the Italian restaurant where the service was immaculate.

The tropical fruit at breakfast was divine.

The built environment and décor of the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach is truly stunning. If I were there without children the environment alone would be enough to invigorate me. As usual though – I travelled with my three high energy kids. Thankfully there is a kids club to keep them entertained when we were too pooled out, or our little one was having a sleep. This was “free” for our seven and five year old but in reality, there were activities each day that required an extra cost. I didn’t mind paying this however with a couple of children staying at the resort for a week, the total additional cost was not inconsequential. These additional activities were craft based, such as tee-shirt decorating and it would have been a shame to allow the children to miss out when the other children were engaging in them. My boys loved the kids club and asked to go every day. There was a tendency of the staff to put the children in front of video games however, as the outside playground was undergoing repairs and out of bounds. Parents who don’t wish their children to play video games would need to express this firmly to the child minders before leaving their children. From my perspective, the best kids club activities were the fish feeding and craft based ones.

The kids club at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach

This little guy still asks to be taken back to the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach kids club

Some information for families visiting the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach with young children.
-The resort is located on a very steep hillside. Our own family room was perched at the top of the hill. Negotiating the hillside with a stroller is impossible which meant we had to rely on shuttles from our room to the restaurant. This is less than ideal as waiting in the heat with hungry or tired kids was a challenge. Requesting a room close to the restaurant is advisable.
-A small grocery store is located a short walk from the resort (there is also a shuttle into town). This is a good place to stock up on children’s essentials such as nappies, children’s snacks and drinks. It took us a few days to find this – plan to wander into town and stock up on your first day at the resort.
-Although the water features are beautiful young children may easily tumble into them (particularly the ones around the central resort area).
-Our biggest challenge at the resort with young children were the dining times. Dinner really is too late for young kids. You have a few options to manage this. One is ordering room service for dinner, the other is dining out at one of the restaurants in Naithon Beach, or utilising the grocery store in town to create a dinner of snacks in your hotel room.
-We booked a babysitter for our infant to allow us to cruise Phang Nga Bay. If you wish to avail yourself of this service do book a full day before.

In summary – we were rejuvenated by our time at this beautiful resort. With a little tweaking the kids club could be excellent, and the dining for families improved. I’d love to go back and find out if these improvement have occurred- for his part my five year old asks me at least once a week if he can “go back to that hotel in Thailand”.

Travel Health Advice
Make sure you visit your GP at least six months prior to visiting Thailand for the appropriate immunisations and travel health advice.

Southern Thailand does not have malaria however another mosquito spread illness, dengue fever is in the area. Although we were not aware of mosquitos at the resort you should still take mosquito repellent and apply it to all family members every four hours when in the region.

As always I recommend that people traveling internationally purchase travel insurance.

This marble wading pool was enjoyed daily.

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