Phuket is known for a variety of amazing resorts, which people from all over the world travel to Thailand to visit. So, even prior to our trip to Thailand, we knew we wanted to visit Phuket and stay at incredible resort there. We looked for a sea-side resort with an interesting design that is extra pampering – That’s how we came across The Slate. It had excellent reviews and it looked beautiful. We picked it as our winner and booked an upgraded room with a private pool, hoping it will live up to our expectations.
We arrived at Phuket on a flight from Bangkok. The resort is situated about 10 minutes away from the airport by car. (If you take a cab, make sure you opt for a metered rate, as it’ll be twice as cheap as the fixed price they’ll ask for at the airport.)
The Slate resort
The moment we entered the hotel lobby, we knew it was the heaven we were searching for. The lobby is extremely luxurious, and we were immediately welcomed with a smile and refreshing drinks, a cold towel and a flower bracelet.
We arrived at 11:00 and were told the room will be ready at 14:00, so in the meantime we decided to go to a pool with a bar and indulge ourselves with a shake in the pool. Since the resort is very large, we were handed a map of the area (We spent the whole first day with it, which was enough to memorize the locations) and driven to the pool in a golf cart.
The pools
The hotel has 3 pools, two of which are for adults only.
As we arrived at the pool, we were brought glasses of cold water right away. We went in the pool and, before long, ordered shakes at the pool-side bar and mini-skewers to snack on. The bar offers a variety of drinks and special shakes. I chose the mango, coconut milk, cashew and spinach shake – Yummy! It was so good, I ended up ordering it every day we spent at the resort.
The water was pleasant and the atmosphere at the pool was calm and quiet. Most vacationers were reading books, and so did I at some point (After we finished having fun with the sea mattresses we brought with us).
Our room
After the pool, we went back to the lobby to check into our room. We rode the golf cart again. My first response upon entering our room was “Wow”, and honestly, I was really excited. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful room we had ever stayed in.
It had a walk-in wardrobe, bedroom with a giant and very comfortable bed, mini-bar, dresser, television and sitting area, shower room with a luxurious stall and two sinks! Outside was a bathtub, tanning bed, sitting area and pool! The room was absolutely perfect. It was meticulously designed with attention to every little detail. Moreover, the hotel produces soaps and body products – so they were all high quality and smelled great.
Room service
We ordered room service, as we decided we don’t plan on leaving the room anytime soon. We ordered an Indian chicken dish, hamburger and ravioli. It arrived within twenty minutes. The food was very tasty, especially the Indian chicken dish.
We had the pleasure of ordering room service another time during our stay at the resort, that time we had pizzas which were also delicious.
Not only did we not want to leave the room, we didn’t want to leave the resort area either. It has everything! Two bars, one of which is a really cool sports bar with billiard tables, a dart board, and large selection of alcohol and pleasant atmosphere.
The restaurants
The hotel has four restaurants – We had coffee and a nice cheese cake dessert at one of them.
Another has sandwiches per request. They have many different types of breads, cheeses, hams, sauces and more. Roman had a cheese and ham sandwich, and I picked avocado, egg and ham in mine. The chef toasted them, so they were served warm, crunchy and very well made.
There’s a barbeque place right next to the exit to the sea which we, unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to eat at. The crown jewel of the hotel’s restaurants is Black Ginger. As soon as you see it, you’ll know why that is. The entrance is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen to any restaurant – You enter by sailing a pretty bamboo raft over a little lake, pulled along towards the restaurant by one of the employees.
We booked a reservation at the Black Ginger as soon as we arrived, as it is in high demand. We ordered lobster salad, a fish soup and curry dish with meat. We were first served an appetizer, on the house, which proved an excellent beginning to a delicious meal. The salad was refreshing with lots of quality lobster meat, the soup was subtly flavored and made with fresh fish and the curry was just as good (I’d recommend asking for the dishes to be less spicy, since even when you do ask, they’re still slightly piquant).
Breakfast
One of favorite things about hotels is breakfast, and I have to say The Slate resort had one of our best breakfasts ever. There were so many options it was hard to decide what we should have.
There’s a per-request egg station, a pancake station and a Belgian waffle station. A variety of dim sum, Thai food, imported hard cheeses, hams, many different freshly baked breads, fruit, vegetables, selection of dips, sauces and pastes, pastries and desserts. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough room for all the different options, but the ones we did have were great.
The hotel also has a club for kids and a gym which of course contains a very high-quality spa.
The spa
When we arrived, we decided on getting a 90-minute thai massage and ordered it for the next day. When we arrived, we were once again welcomed with a smile, cold tea and towels. We filled out forms about our health and which areas of our bodies we would like the masseuse to focus on. We were then taken to the care area. At first, we sat outside with our feet in tubs of warm water, then they washed our feet gently with lemon water.
This was already very soothing and pampering. We then went into a room, changed into the appropriate clothes and lay on the massage beds. The room held a very pleasant aroma and had calming music, many candles and the unique atmosphere of a prestigious resort spa. The massage itself was so good, I felt it was over too quickly – even after 90 minutes. I wanted it to last forever.
Beach Nai Yang
The hotel has two exits to the beach. The Nai Yang beach isn’t very widely known in Phuket, which is excellent, as it makes it less touristic. It’s the perfect beach for a relaxed vacation. The beach itself is just smooth sand and no stones, rocks or plants, and so is the crystal clear water – making it a perfect experience. By the beach are restaurants offering good food at rather low prices and a shake stand. We of course ordered a mango-banana shake and went in the water with it.
To sum up : The Slate resort
The service at the hotel is 5+ stars. All employees speak excellent English, are easy to communicate with and are extremely courteous and nice. The whole resort area is designed gorgeously and makes you feel like you’re at a secluded oasis. This hotel was just perfect for an amazing vacation. It went above and beyond our expectations.
The only downsides we found were: The coffee wasn’t very good, and the private pool was roofed and therefore cold and less enjoyable to be in. However, there’s no doubt that whenever we’re next in Thailand, this will be a hotel we return to. I can’t wait to go back. If you’re in the search for a hotel on a whole different level, this is the one to be at.
