The Grand Mercure Phuket, Patong Beach is a great hotel located in a very vibrant part of town. The hotel is situated right in the heart of Phuket, close to all the action of Patong Beach but far enough away from the main drag to provide guests with a calming, quiet and relaxing experience. At the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Beach, you can literally enjoy the best of both worlds; sleep in and relax by the pool all morning and then party all night long on Bengla Street.
The Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Beach is located approximately 45 mins from Phuket International Airport. There are no public transportation options available so you will either have to taxi it or book a shuttle beforehand. The hotel is located approximately 10 minutes from the Patong Beach boardwalk, and 15 mins from the Bengla Street nightlife. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and massage parlors within walking distance and there’s even a convenience store located down the street from the hotel to stock up on sunblock, water, snacks and other essentials.
The reception lobby of the hotel is beautiful and reminds me of the open-air hotel lobbies found in Hawaii. Here, you can enjoy a drink overlooking the pool below or just relax in the spacious seating areas. The hotel is well known to all the tour companies so you will have no problem arranging pick-up services for your daily activities.
On this trip, my friend and I booked a deluxe pool access room with two twin beds. The room was furnished with two twin beds, a small desk and an LCD TV. The room was a little tight for two grown adults and lacked suitable storage spaces for our clothes. There were closet spaces to hang our shirts and jackets but no drawers to unpack and unfold everything else. As you can see from the pictures below, most of our clothes just stayed in our suitcases. Good thing for packing cubes. You are using packing cubes aren’t you? If not, click here for more info.
The desk was a little weak and you won’t be able to get much work done here. You’ll be better off sitting out on the patio with your laptop in hand.
The Grand Mercure Phuket Deluxe Pool Access rooms will cost a premium over the standard rooms but just check out this patio with direct pool access. It was worth the upcharge to start our mornings with a swim in the pool and tan session before starting our days.
Room amenities included an in-room safe, slippers, robes, a water kettle with a collection of teas and instant coffee and a mini-bar fridge with your typical items for purchase.
The enclosed bathroom was beautifully designed but poorly executed. The glass wall separating the walk-in shower from the rest of the room was sexy and chic but the half wall separating the walk-in shower from the rest of the bathroom should have been 2 feet longer. The open walk-in shower allowed water to splash all over the place, leaving the bathroom floor wet after every shower. There are blinds you can lower to provide privacy for the person showering if you are not traveling with your significant other.
RYN branded bath and body products were provided including shampoo, body wash, conditioner, soap and other toiletries including dental hygiene and shave kits.
Calling these rooms “deluxe pool access rooms” is a little confusing because it implies only rooms with pool access can use the pool, which is not the case. Everyone gets access to the main pool but deluxe pool access rooms get a dedicated pool with access directly from their patios. There is a main pool for all the guests to enjoy and there is a separate, slightly elevated, pool reserved only for the guests with pool access rooms. There are steps leading from the patio directly into the pool.
Other hotel amenities included a fitness center with a mediocre selection of cardio and resistance machines, business center with computers and a dedicated space to work, concierge desk for tour booking and other travel related needs and a wellness spa for those famous Thai massages (albeit overpriced). You can get the same massage for half the price by walking down the street.
If you book a breakfast package or opt to pay for breakfast daily, it will be worth your money. The daily breakfast spread was vast and had a great combination of both western and Thai dishes from fresh fruit and pastries to dumplings and cooked to order eggs. Even the pickiest of eaters will be able to find something to eat here. The breakfast buffet costs about $15 USD per person.
Overall, my friend and I enjoyed our stay here at the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Beach. The hotel was close to all the action of Patong Beach but far away enough to provide peace and quiet from all the chaos. The great location allowed us to lounge out at the pool and beach during the day and then go out for dinner, drinks and massages at night. The room was a little small and the amenities were not exactly “5-star” but this was a comfortable stay and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again in the future.
Have you stayed at the Grand Mercure Phuket or have any Phuket hotel recommendations? If so, please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other trip reports in this series include:
- Star Alliance Lounge LAX
- Singapore Airlines Business Class, Los Angeles to Singapore (via Seoul)
- Grand Mecure Phuket
- Ambassador Transit Hotel, Singapore Changi Airport
- ANA Lounge Tokyo Narita
- Korean Air Lounge Tokyo Narita
- Singapore Airlines Premium Economy, Singapore to Tokyo (part 1)
- Singapore Airlines Premium Economy, Tokyo to Los Angeles (part 2)
