My Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket Reviews: What You Need to Know
There’s just a plain pink wall. It doesn’t look very enticing.
We are on the northern fringe of Karon Beach and about to turn off the top of the hillside road into Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket. But driving down the steep curved concrete driveway we are greeted by the turquoise blue Andaman Sea and the hidden stunning pale pink Portuguese-inspired building. Wow!
This is just the beginning of a delightful family holiday in Phuket. Join me as I share with you my Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket reviews and along the way advise you on what you need to know when planning your trip.
“In this article reviewing the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket you will learn about:
- The Deluxe Ocean Facing Room
- The five different pool options
- The restaurants and eating choices at the Centara Grand Resort Phuket
- The kids club entertainment
- Additional resort facilities
- Plus gain travel tips on staying at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket and learn how to book your stay
This post by Tips 4 Trips contains affiliate links*. This means I may receive a small commission if you click on these links. Learn more at the bottom of this post.
Arriving at Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket
There are two Centara Karon resorts in Phuket, but as soon as we enter the grounds and lobby we can see why this one is known about town as the Centara Grand.
We are very appreciative of the cool drink and towel offered as we sit on the brown island couch in the lobby after our two-hour drive from the Mai Khao Lak. The check-in process is efficient as reception staff gather our paperwork, collect the credit card deposit and check on our room status.
Our room isn’t quite ready even though it is 3pm – the designated check-in time. Without even a blink of an eye, the reception staff usher us (in a buggy) pass beautifully manicured green grass, pretty pastel flowers and a stream filled with fish to The Club.
We make ourselves comfortable in one of the two wings of The Club on white cushioned timber chairs.
How lucky are we? High tea has just been served.
There’s a choice of mini club sandwiches, small cakes and scones, homemade shortbread biscuits plus cool juices and soft drinks or hot tea and coffee. But before we have had too long to overindulge concierge arrives to take us to our room.
The Deluxe Ocean Facing Room
We are staying in the Deluxe Ocean Facing Room in what could be termed “the most basic” of the nine room or villa types at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket in Karon. But saying it is basic is, well, quite unfair. As nothing at this resort is basic, it all oozes casual elegance.
The Room
Entering our room on the third floor a stocked minibar and fridge is immediate to my right (I later remove the contents and place them in the adjacent cupboard to fill with our own goodies). Walking down the grey marbled hall I pass two oversized pale timber wardrobes. They have sufficient shelving and hanging space for all our clothes plus room to stash our cases.
The hall opens out to the bedroom. I had ordered a double-double room at the suggestion of the hotel staff, who advised that the sofa bed was really only suitable for a small child. However, none of this appeared to be true. The double beds are so narrow that placing two pillows across the bed results in them hanging over the edges. Meanwhile, the sofa is actually long enough for even me to lay on, I’m 163cm tall or 5ft 3in.
Fortunately, this is not an issue for the staff to fix. They immediately offer to push the beds together creating a giant king bed and making up the sofa bed. Within moments a room attendant is knocking on the door to rearrange the room. Luckily the ceiling fan and air conditioning are on – the poor room attendant is getting quite hot sorting this out so quickly.
Before the concierge departs, she advises us how to log onto the WiFi that can accommodate up to four devices.
Once this is all done, the room is perfect for our little family of three (two adults and one child aged ten years).
The Bathroom
The dual-access bathroom is huge. You can either enter through the large pale sliding timber doors that can be closed to shut the room off or enter through a doorway in the hall.
In the bathroom, there is a long glass-top table which is perfect to lay out all our toiletries and keep them dry. A long burgundy mirrored marbled vanity is on the opposite wall filled with all the extra amenities of a spare toothbrush, soap, shower cap, sewing kit, cotton wool and buds. The standing shower has a rain and handheld showerheads. The toilet is separate.
Though I do wonder if we have a mobility room as we do not have a bathtub as advertised and there are shower curtains in the shower and toilet doorway instead of glass doors. The only thing missing in the bathroom is somewhere to hang wet towels. Fortunately, there is a clothes horse on the balcony.
The Balcony
Looking beyond the bank of windows through the timber Venetian blinds I can see the pink terrazzo balcony with that clothes horse and a dark timber outdoor setting to sit out and enjoy the view overlooking gardens, pools and glimpses of the ocean.
Top Trip Tip: To save on costs empty out the mini bar fridge and fill it with your own items bought from local mini-marts
The Pools
Our room is located in the family wing. Meaning it is close to all the fun family pools. There are a total of five pools surrounded by lounge chairs under brollies or palm and frangipani tree-filled manicured gardens.
Baby/Toddler Pool
This pool is a depth of 0.5m. It has two waterspouts and a small kiddy waterslide.
The Young Kids Pool
This pool is 0.9m deep. It appears to have a selection of waterspouts and multi-jet zones to relax under the surrounding white frangipani trees, but the jets don’t work.
The Main Pool
Has a depth of 1.3m and is where all the pool activities like water aerobics, water yoga, pool parties, water volleyball and more take place.
The Lazy River
This is where all the fun water facilities are located. The lazy river is a bit too lazy to take you all the way around on the free inflatable tubes to the more active attractions (I think only half the jets are going).
At the more active end, is where you will find two large water slides and a mini slider. Just be careful as the pool is only 1.2m deep and for adults, you hit the ground hard. My tip, tuck up your knees before landing. However, the pool is plenty deep enough at the jumping cliff – 4m.
The jumping cliff is a hit with kids, teenagers and adults.
Adults Only Pool
A distance from the other pools is the adults-only infinity pool. It is very tranquil up high on the cliff overlooking the Andaman Sea.
Top Trip Tip: Don’t forget sunscreen and a hot – the sun is fierce in Thailand
The Restaurants
Doing all that swimming can make you pretty hungry, so, fortunately, there are a few restaurants within the Centara Grand Beach Resort to choose from.
Poolside Dining from Splash or Ripples
I have to say that they’ve kinda got a captive audience for the poolside dining from Splash or Ripples (at the adults-only pool). The resort is a ten-minute walk into Karon town, which can be quite hot during the day. But may well be worth the effort as the poolside dining is quite pricey. Burgers are nearly 450THB and toasted panini 350THB. Keep an eye out near the Barefoot Bar some days there are specials with Banana Roti or grilled corn on the cob and sausages. Another way to save on poolside dining is to either get a pizza to share or order from the kids’ menu items are about 230THB. The meal sizes aren’t too bad especially if you have the buffet breakfast included in your package.
The Cove Restaurant
Buffet breakfast is found at The Cove and this is where we start each day. The buffet has a grand selection of breakfast goodies. Starting with cereals, toast and spreads, more delectable bakery items, egg station with bacon and sausages plus a full Asian breakfast buffet.
The Cove is also open throughout the day for a-la-carte meals with a buffet at dinner.
Mare Italian Restaurant
If you want a different scenery then there is the Mare is open for lunch and dinner. This is where those poolside pizzas come from and we enjoy one, one evening. The restaurant felt very upmarket and it was lovely to have a night out that was a little more formal than the casual eateries in Karon Beach.
Kids Club
If you like the sound of a nice meal out but are wondering what to do with the kids then Camp Safari kids club is open from 9am to 9pm with a special evening activities program. It is free for the kids to hang out in their club all day long – you just have to stay on the property.
The kids club is broken into two zones. Camp Safari for youngsters and E-Zone for tweens and teens.
Camp Safari has scheduled arts and crafts each day some at a cost and some free. The young ones can also enjoy the outdoor shaded toddlers’ playground.
My 10-year-old, however, loves the E-Zone. Seriously what boy isn’t going to love the opportunity to hang out with some new mates on the PS4 or beg for 10THB from mum and dad to play air hockey and shoot hoops.
Entertainment Crew
Fortunately, there is the entertainment crew to drag the kids away from the electronics. This exuberant group of four young adults from Europe run a fantastic entertainment program for all ages to enjoy.
With CDee as their mascot, they have activities running from 9am starting with a colouring corner near The Cove – perfect so you can have that last cup of coffee in peace.
Then they can be found at the pool table or table tennis tables located around the main pool.
The entertainment crew also run the pool fitness classes and the afternoon poolside (pool party, water volleyball, water basketball) or beach (soccer, badminton and volleyball) games. All loads of fun and ensures you burn off some of that delicious food.
Other Facilities
Fitness Centre
Of course, if poolside games are not your thing or just want to escape the kids there is the fully equipped fitness centre. The fitness centre also runs yoga or pilates at 8am each morning (generally inclusive) and Mui Thai boxing at 1pm (additional cost applies).
Water Sports
Other facilities at cost include the watersports of kayaking, windsurfing and sailing.
Spa Cenvaree
If all this is getting too much you can relax at the spa. With choices of one-hour massages to a half-day of total pampering.
The Club
Whew, I’m feeling a bit exhausted after all that. Wish I could run back to the club.
As a club member, you are not only entitled the access to The Club you get free WiFi. Free WiFi is not standard with all bookings. Other benefits you receive with The Club include continental breakfast, all day tea and coffee, high tea, daily newspaper and a great place to chill throughout the day.
Top Trip Tip: Check out the activity board so you don’t miss out on the inclusive activities
The Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket Reviews – Plan Your Stay
Website
When you visit the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket website take the time to join their Centara One The Card loyalty program. You will receive emails on specials and get a few extras when making a booking. We receive free WiFi as a member. WiFi is not standard at the Centara Grand.
If like us, you don’t book through the website and use a travel agent or an online booking system like Booking.com * or Luxury Escapes* contact the resort after you have made your booking and ask them to add your Centara One card to the booking to receive as many benefits as possible.
Location
The Centara Grand Beach Resort is located on the northern tip of Karon Beach in Phuket, Thailand and making it just a tad isolated.
The resort is about a ten-minute walk into the main “eat” street of Karon Beach. You can either walk along the beach. This is the safer route particularly when the tide is out. Or walk down the steep road that has no footpath for the first 100m (a bit dangerous) however the rest of the walk is fine and even shaded for the most part during the day. To cross the canal look for the little bridge with railing, directly across from the Novotel Hotel.
To buy any snacks, and water and get your laundry done you have to take this walk as well. But you will find options at the very first set of shops and the prices are comparable to the rest of Karon Beach.
Currency Conversion
The currency in Phuket is called Thai Baht. You will find currency conversion booths along the main streets of Karon. ATM’s can be found in minimarts and at the banks located on the main streets.
A rough exchange calculation is:
- $1AUD = 24.88THB
- $1USD = 33.59THB
For today’s exchange rate visit: Currency Converter.
What to pack for a Phuket holiday
When packing for your trip to Phuket you will want the majority of items on the Ultimate Trip Packing List.
Just don’t forget to include these must-have items:
- Swimming gear
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellant – spray on for the evenings and day trips in the jungle and a plugin bug repellent for your room at night
- Power adapter
- Good quality walking or all-terrain shoes
Click here to find the entire
Staying with Kids at Centara Grand Phuket
The Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket is super family-friendly. If you have a bigger family than mine there are other options for booking a room including:
- Interconnecting room
- Two and three-bedroom villas
You can also book an extra fold-out bed or cot. I saw the cots in the hallway and was impressed that they were proper large wooden cots and not travel cots.
As mentioned, there is a range of pools to suit your children’s needs just don’t forget to slip, slop slap and watch over them whilst they are in the pool. Lifeguards are only located at the jumping cliff and water slides.
The only issue you will have is if you bring the pram or stroller. Some parts of the main pool are surrounded by sand. And getting into Karon Beach town with the stroller will be a bit of a struggle. The safe route is along the beach (not good for pram wheels). Alternatively, you can walk the first 100m along the steep busy road with a cliff drop next to you, before reaching the safety of the footpath. Once you reach the town the footpaths become very congested with other tourists.
However as also mentioned the kids club has an evening program that includes dinner for the kids if you want to have a night out on your own.
Things to do in Karon Beach and Phuket
Karon Beach offers plenty of things to do for families and those without kids. You can really be as lazy or as active as you want in Karon Beach and Phuket.
Check out:
- Things to Do in Karon Beach: A Family Favourite
- Things to Do in Phuket (this is an article I published on my original blog Toddlers on Tour. An updated version will be published on Tips 4 Trips soon. Sign up for my e-newsletter to learn when it is published.
Visit Viator* or Klook* or GetYourGuide* to find the latest Phuket day trip trends.
Or grab a copy of one of these Phuket travel guides*.
Don’t forget to read all of our articles on Thailand:
- Tours and Attractions
- Accommodation and Airline Reviews
- What to Pack for a Thailand Beach or Island Holiday
Book Your Stay at Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket
I have to say I have no hesitation in recommending the Centara Grand Phuket. It is located on the very family-friendly beach of Karon. There are loads of activities to keep the kids entertained. If you are wanting to stay without the kids you can escape to the tranquillity of the adults-only pool, work out in the gym or indulge in the spa.
I really can’t believe how much is hidden behind that pale pink wall at the top of the hillside road.
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