We thoroughly enjoyed our 10 days in Thailand. We spent a few days on Phi Phi (to relax before we hit Phuket). Our room at the Aquamarine was very nice (Villa) and in a quiet place in the hotel. I had read all the reviews from Trip Advisor on the Aquamarine and most all stated how steep going it was getting around the resort. That is deffinately true. The resort does offer a golf buggy to run you up to your room but it was very strange how the drivers would dissapear when a taxi or bus pulled up into the resort. We later found out that the better you tip them the more likely they are to appear!!! The rooms where clean and the meals realy nice. Staff in the main part of the resort eg waiters and food staff were excellent and very friendly. We also found that resort was to far from Phuket and you do end up spending more on tuk tuk rides than planned. But having said that the ride home at night after a meal and some intense shopping was really pretty. We loved our experinece but would have loved that the Aquamarine was closer and built on flat land. This is deffinately not the place for the elderly or someone with a dissability.

Stayed at the Aquamarine resort for 6 days in October 2007. The hotel is located at Kamala Bay about 30 min from Patong and the isolation and lack of facilities/activities at the resort means that you end up spending a bit of money on taxis getting to Patong (should cost about 300Baht per trip - don't let the tuk tuk drivers in Patong tell you otherwise). The hotel was recommended by our travel agent and I think it is pretty much on sale all the time, so beware the hard sell - if there is somewhere else you want to stay you should shop around travel agents.

We stayed in a Villa and the list of issues are pretty much similar to those posted to date. Here goes:
1. Phone didn't work for 3 days, despite us complaining.
2. The toilet reeks - it smells like an open sewer.
3. DVD player didn't work.
4. The bed is the hardest bed I have ever slept on and if you are looking to sleep in forget it.
5. When it rains hard the balcony fills with water to about 2 inches.
6. The hills are pretty bad and there are golf buggies the staff use but they will never offer to take you, unless you insist.
7. The menu is the same for both retaurants and is pretty limited.
8. They have a tailor/tout on site to annoy you.
9. Kamala beach is rocky and ugly and Kamala town is a dump.
10. The quality of the rooms is poor, they look like they have been made by any old person (check out the tiling in the bathroom, its all over the place).
11. They tried to tell me I had won a prize to another hotel for a night - just ignore it, as the fine print says they will put you in any old room when you get back.

The good side is:
1. The staff are very friendly and restaruant service is good.
2. The cocktail list is good and there are 2 happy hours a day.
3. Take your life into your hands walk to Rockfish restaraunt (on the way to Kamala) - it has good food and a good view. The White Orchid restaraunt on the same road was recommended in the past but it looks very dodgy.
4. The Villas are expensive,so if you want a seaview room, just get a normal room, they all pretty much have views. The Villas are very quiet though.

My recommendation, if you are looking for a 4 star, quality hotel with lots of activities avoid the Aquamarine. It's 3 stars at the most and there isn't much to do on site.

PS if you are in Patong and a European on a scooter asks if you speak english, ignore them, its a time share con.

After having read reviews that complained about the shower flooding, rats in the walls, termites and dirty swimming pools we were rather dubious as to what was before us. This was the first time that my wife and I had visited Phuket and having travelled to other countries and stayed in mainly 4 - 5 star accommodation we were very concerned. What a wonderful surprise! We stayed 10 nights in a "Deluxe Seaview Room" with a superb view of the sea and coastline, most of the rooms would have an excellent view, but some would be better than others. Our room was in building 4, the closest to the Lobby, Swimming Pools and Restaurants. We would definitely recommend that when booking you would request a room on the third floor of this building. There are seven buildings in total plus villas and most of these are much higher because of the lie of the land. The Resort is built on a hillside and, as others have reported, is very difficult to walk around. None of the buildings have elevators or escalators, so your leg muscles will get a good workout.
The staff are very friendly and helpful, especially the restaurant staff. Their English is not the best, but neither was our Thai, even so we were able to be understood. We mainly ate in the Blue Sea Cafe where the food was excellent, definitely try their Thai food, some meals were on the beach in Kamala and cafes in Patong.
The Resort is well located on the coast with 5 minutes to Kamala Beach and 15 minutes to Patong. A shuttle bus goes to Kamala on the hour every hour until 18.00 hrs whereas the Shuttle to Patong is at 11.30hrs and 17.30hrs only and you have to book days before. Taxis are available from the Resort, but pay no more than 300 Baht either way to Patong.
We would recommend an Elephant Trek, we went with Siam Safari through a rain forest and loved it. Another suggestion is to go and see PhantaSea a glitzy slick Las Vegas style show just minutes away from the Resort. Go for the show and dinner (buffet), you will be suprised.
Our only complaint is the stairs to our floor, fortunately the bellhops carry your baggage for you, but it is very tiring especially if you are not young. Overall we had a wonderful time swimming in the pool and relaxing poolside with the occasional excursion for shopping and sight seeing. We would recommend this Resort to anyone who is looking for a more relaxing place to stay as opposed to the very noisy and crowded Patong.

It was our honeymoon, and after the nightmare that are wedding arrangements, Phuket seemed to be a world away and seemed a perfect spot to unwind. The choice of holiday locations was something my wife would have rather avoided. Having been to Thailand previously, I knew what to expect - my wife however was unsure and somewhat reluctant to travel to Asia.

Her concerns were dismissed not long after arrival. The grounds of the Aquamarine resort are lovely - tropical and lush. This seems to be an ongoing concern for the resort as staff were being transported in on a daily basis to ensure their quality.

The reception building for the resort is truely wonderful. the building was constructed with Thai flavour, and the quality of the reception is unique in that it is open plan with no windows - It remains open rail, hail or shine. The roof is large enough to ensure that all remains dry. The resort opened in October 2005, and while we were staying the buddist monks attended and provided a service in the reception to bring about good karma for the following year. This wasn't advertised, or done for the benefit of patrons - it was for the staff and management and an experience for us to watch without the tourist fanfare.

My wife and I stayed in a deluxe room, which I believe is their standard room, however we were satisfied with fit out. Yes it is furnished predominately of Thai timber, and when closed up can become musty, but it is humid, and it is Thailand - If i wanted anything else I could have stayed home.

Our stay lasted 11 nights and we found the staff to be friendly and keen to assist you. The staff are not in your face, they are subtle and only there when called for - Just how I like it. I was especially pleased with the room cleaning staff. We had the same cleaning girl each day and we found her to be quiet and friendly, but efficient at her job. Our room was always immaculate and we tipped her well on leaving.

I have only two concerns with the rooms; firstly the balconies are not large enough - such beautiful views from the rooms, but you just don't want to sit on the balconies because they are so small. Secondly we found the drainage was a problem and water from the shower ended up on the bathroom floor. Nothing a few towels couldn't fix, however for such a recently built resort you would have thought these two things wouldn't be a problem.

To put these minor gripes in persepective, we found that as far as price (taking into account free nights), this resort was extremely well priced for the quality we received.

The layout of the resort is as described by others. It is on the side of a large hill, and as a result you have to do some walking. Not a concern in my opinion, it all added to the atmosphere of the resort - just not great for the elderly or the disabled.

Breakfast was first rate. Plenty of selection and the food was always fresh. Foods ranged from Asian to Western, so watching my wife eat rice for breakfast was a first. Service in the restaurant for breakfast was above standard, I don't think my coffee was ever empty. Breakfast was the only meal we ate at the resort so I can't comment further.

The biggest plus for us was the distance from Patong Beach. We found that the drive out of Patong was well worth it. Kamala Beach is the first seperate beach north of Patong and the 250-300B each way was well worth the spend. The trip is about 10-15 minutes in a taxi.

My wife and I are heading back to the Aqaumarine in October for 14 nights. The seclusion, and relaxed atmosphere of the resort provides a perfect location for a lazy holiday. I wouldn't recommend for families as it is a little quiet for the kids - but for couples, single adults, or honeymooing couples, my wife and I highly recommend it.