Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa Mai Khao Beach - ***PARADISE***!

For reference, I am a Titanium Elite Marriott Bonvoy member. This resort has 25 villas and 180 guest rooms, 4 of which are suites. This ratio of suites and villas makes it much more likely for Elite members to receive an upgrade! I booked a standard Deluxe King Room for 1 person and on arrival, I received a complimentary upgrade to the 1 Bed Villa. Whilst checking in with Sandee (Front Office Manager) a lady called Mook popped out and said hello – she recognised my name and remembered me from when I stayed at Le Meridian Patong Beach Resort about 17 months prior! She was formally working as a front desk agent and is now a Loyalty Manager at the Renaissance. She completed my check in and another lady called Kat (Katarina) also came and said hello! I was then taken by buggy to my villa! All of the staff are so friendly and welcoming! You can watch a comprehensive video review on YouTube at Luxury Vegan Travel. I will show a total of 3 room types, the Villa, 1 bedroom suite and a twin deluxe room. I will also be reviewing hotels in Malaysia, other parts of Thailand, New York, Miami, New Orleans, India and more. The villa was open-plan. As you enter, you are immediately in your hallway where you have your luggage bench and cupboards. You then enter the main part of the room where you have a slim-work desk, large bed, sofa, TV and a welcome amenity – which was a non-alcoholic mojito. You can access the outside from 2 doors, where you have your own plunge pool and 2 sun loungers. There is enough space to do some yoga or exercise. The bathroom is also nice! It had a huge bathtub – large enough to fit 2 average sized people in. It is designed as a long corridor with the bathtub being at the beginning followed by 2 sinks, a shower cubicle and finally a toilet at the end with a wall-to-ceiling window covered with plant foliage so no one can see what you are doing but giving you a nice view out while you do what you need to do! After settling in I visited the gourmet restaurant Takieng – Thai restaurant. I was greeted and served by Amy who was simply amazing! She spoke great English and explained all the vegetarian and vegan options! The food came and I cannot emphasise enough just how good the food was! This was the best food I have eaten in any hotel or restaurant worldwide – and I have been to a fair few places! During lunch, they played very nice pan-Asian music which was very soothing and calming! So much so, this became my favourite spot over the next 2 days whilst I did some work! I later visited the Sandbox, the beachfront restaurant and bar! Again, the staff were amazing and I had wonderful conversations with Fon and Beer. Beer, also very kindly helped me make a playlist of Thai songs which I enjoy listening to everyday! They have a happy hour which Beer will tell you about in the video on YouTube and you can also see the menu! The happy hour menu is descent – many of the Marriott properties serve ‘driving whiskies’ like Jim Bean, Jonnie Walker Red label and the like – yuck! Here, they had buy one and get the 2nd free on more premium choices like Chivas Regal, Jonnie Walker Black Label, Glenlivet and more! I opted to have lunch at the Sandbox the next day which was also fantastic! Sandbox also has live music and becomes quite lively in the evening. Next to the Sandbox is the main swimming pool, the beach, a beach volleyball court and an independent massage hut next to the beach volleyball court. There is a separate swimming pool for children and this is located in between reception and Sandbox, next to the Quan Spa! Breakfast is at Loca Vore restaurant which is located near the reception. Breakfast was great and Loca Vore restaurant have a # following - #Phuketbestbreakfast (or something like this). After eating my choice of breakfast items, the Su-chef called Sak would surprise me with a healthy poke-bowl which was both healthy and delicious! Also next to the Loca Vore restaurant was a coffee shop servicing Starbucks coffee and healthy snacks, and the Lounge bar where they also have live music and another happy hour (different time to Sandbox happy hour) – see video for details. I enjoyed my stay so much here that I cancelled my next booking which was due to be at JW Marriott Mai Khao hotel and booked a further 2 nights at the Renaissance but this time in their 1 bedroom suite! The suite was more spacious then the villa and also came with a kitchen area and larger living room space as well as a balcony instead of the plunge pool. My villa was located right next to the Thai restaurant and Sandbox which was great as I loved hanging out at these two places everyday! I am back in London now and everyday I dream about the food at Thai restaurant and being at this hotel! I will definitely be back!