If you’re researching family vacations in Phuket, you’ll hear it time and again: Marriott Merlin Beach Resort. Bloggers, travel agents, TripAdvisor reviews, random travelers…they all say the same thing. It’s the best family resort in Thailand.
Really? After staying a few nights there with my family, I was about to find out. In this Marriott Merlin Beach Resort Review, I will attempt to be brutally honest (the good and the bad) about the resort that’s spoken of so highly. Spoiler alert: it’s good. It’s kid-friendly, but it’s no luxury resort. So if that’s what you were hoping for, you’ll be disappointed. In fact, in my book, Bali’s Kempinski is the best bang-for-the-buck luxury resort in the area. But this place does provide a family experience (lots of entertainment for kids, beachfront location, some unique benefits…).
Prices & All-Inclusive Details💰
We booked a sea view room with the All-Inclusive (AI) plan for just over $420 per night. Now that’s not exactly cheap and, to be honest, I would not personally recommend the AI plan unless you drink a lot.
The reason is as follows:
- The restaurants serve a limited menu and most of the food is easily forgettable.
- Service in all the eating outlets was extremely slow.
- The only time you get your money’s worth is if you’re drinking cocktails or wine all day long.
- The exception, and the bonus was the fact that the AI plan includes Starbucks. Unlimited coffee and cakes with the AI package – I kid you not! My husband is a die-hard Starbucks addict so he was thrilled.
The AI plan operates from 11: 00 AM to 11:00 PM daily so you can begin using it from lunchtime on your day of arrival. The cost works out at just over $70 per head per day.
If you do the maths for a family, the no-brainer is this – if you don’t drink a lot and prefer to venture out and try food elsewhere a normal booking makes more sense.
Food & Drinks
The resort advertises nine places to eat. But come on, some are the same kitchen in indoor/outdoor seating or just same menu indoors. The food was meh at best.
❌ Merchant Kitchen (especially outdoors) was crawling with flies and the service was agonizingly slow.
✅ Thai Restaurant was by far the best. They make a delicious salt and pepper shrimp! Highly recommend!
🍦 Ice cream and waffle shop is a nice fun place for ice cream and the egg waffles are yummy! Unlimited scoops of ice cream too.
Facilities: Family Friendly
The resort is extremely family-friendly. It is a family resort after all. There are three pools–one of which is a kids only pool. They do a foam party every other day which the kids enjoyed.
Kids club with some activities but it was quite small. Private beach. Snorkeling on house reef at high tide or tidal pools at low tide. Other nice features included:
- Tiny beach playground
- Butterfly sanctuary
- Elephant sanctuary nearby
- Onsite gym and spa (spa looked nothing special to me so I did not try it)
Room
I didn’t expect much. Rooms were old. Not much design thought. And maybe because I was expecting that, I wasn’t overly disappointed.
The sea view room was clean and roomy, though very dated. It was a plain jane hotel room from 10 years ago. The TV was not smart but at least the outlets had USB ports.
The one annoying thing was that our room was in the corner of the building where to get to the elevator, you had to make two corners. This was an odd layout. I’ve literally never stayed in a hotel where you can’t just walk straight to the elevator. Ok really, was it too much to ask for an additional elevator?
🧹 Room cleaning was extraordinarily slow. It seemed there was only one person for the whole floor of rooms. Many rooms were not even cleaned by 1pm.
❄️ Air conditioning was another disappointment. It clearly had not been serviced in a while. Both nights I was there I woke up with a sore throat and the toddler with a cough (that miraculously disappeared outside)
Fun Fact (and Pains)
🍤 My favorite meal was the salt & pepper shrimp from the Thai restaurant
🍹 The most worthwhile amenity was the free unlimited Starbucks (coffee + cakes)
🍦 My splurge was the all you can eat gelato
🪄 The most magical moment was watching the sea during the blue hour
😴 The most irksome thing was the shitty AC and slow room service
🛁 The most baffling thing was only 1 welcome fruit plate for 2 rooms?
Photos of the Trip
Tips for Marriott Merlin Beach
- High season is from October – April. The prices can double but the weather is more pleasant. Low season is cheaper but have the risk of big waves and storms.
- Tax refunds at Phuket is available if you spend over 2,000 THB but they only refund at the airport. Plan to get back around 5% back.
- Traffic in Phuket is AWFUL, just like in Bali. I always factor in extra hour for airport transfer.
- Grab vs Bolt. Bolt is a lot cheaper but sometimes drivers would ask for a different price at the last minute. Be prepared to haggle with them or find a different driver.
Conclusion
Is Marriott Merlin Beach family-friendly? Yes, I think it’s a good option if you are travelling with little ones and want a resort with everything in one convenient place like pools, beach and kid friendly activities. But do not come expecting luxury. The food is average at best, the rooms are tired and service can be hit or miss.
If you are travelling as a couple wanting romance or someone expecting five-star treatment—you might be disappointed.
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