Phuket:JWMarriott vs. Sheraton
 

My family is planning our 1st return to Phuket in nearly 8 years late in December 2005. Though relatively familiar with the island, I would appreciate any insight from recent experiences at either the JWMarriott or the Sheraton Grande Laguna, as we are planning to stay at one of these two resorts. I would also appreciate any comments related to the extent of the tsunami damage at these resorts and their beaches.
Regards,
kiawtong

From what I have heard and from viewing their websites, neither hotel nor their beaches suffered anything other than minor damage in the Tsunami.

I have stayed at both, the Marriott a few times and the Sheraton once. I don’t think you could go wrong at either. Both have extensive grounds, several pools, nice public areas, good restaurants and good spas. Both have kids clubs.

The Sheraton is very large, and has a large variety of room types, I believe some of the older rooms have not been redone for some time. For rooms you are considering, you should ask about location, room size and the last redo of the room. Some of the rooms facing the larger pool area would be noisy, IMO. It would be a longish walk to the beach from some units. The Sheraton is part a 4/5-hotel complex on a very nice wide curving beach with a gentle surf. ( I don’t think the beach shape has changed since the Tsunami). You can use facilities at all the hotels and charge to your room, including the great spa at the Banyan. There is a nice shopping complex on the resort as well. It is about 15-20 minutes to Patong.

The Marriott is the first new hotel on Phuket in something like 10 years, and so the rooms are large, in very nice shape, and have all the newest bells and whistles. Their regular rooms have good size indoor lanais with two futons which children could easily use as beds. I like it because it is on its own stretch of beach and the grounds are really beautiful. The north pool is a black pool and is quite something. The main pool is huge and has a kids area. Others think it is too far from Patong (about 30 minutes) but I like it for that reason. It is close to the airport than most other hotesl. It is also the closest hotel to the Blue Canyon golf course, the best course on the island, IMO, and you can get plying privilege there. The surf at the beach is quite rough and I would not let young children swim alone off this beach. Due to its location, there are fewer hawkers at the Marriott than you will find on most of the other beaches. (There are no private beaches in Thailand, so as you may recall, hawkers are an issue in most places.) There is a turtle preserve next door which you can visit, the kids might enjoy that.

The Marriott has 2-bedroom villas with kitchens which might be a good option for a family. The ones on the ground floor have a small garden, the upper floor units have terraces. There are part of the timeshare portion of the resort, but can be rented if available. The Sheraton also has a villa section which has duplex villas (but no full kitchens like the Marriott) which are very large and have roof terraces. They look onto the lagoon, but are not near the beach. (The Marriott villas are closer to the beach.) The Sheraton villas are very nice, but much more expensive, I believe, than the time shares at the Marriott.

I would only disagree on one point: "Marriott is the first new hotel on Phuket in something like 10 years",

In the past 10 years there are more than 100 new hotels from small to large, basic to luxury, there is a huge choice.

The Marriott location is fine if you want remote but if you want to venture to markets and street stalls and such in the evenings you have quite a long journey. But if you have to choose between just those 2 your choice becomes rather limited.

I stand corrected. The Marriott is the first new international chain hotel on Phuket in 10 years.

i will have a marriott review in late june after my stay there...watch for it..