The Naithonburi Resort is a quiet retreat far from the famed debauchery of Phuket. Located snugly in between the mountains and Nai Thon Beach, the Naithonburi is for travellers who want to find an escape through the peace and tranquillity of nature, not drugs. The resort boasts over 32,000 square metres of lush property that is home to over a hundred species of flora.
This is a non-sponsored review. Naithonburi Resort did not give me a free room or compensate me anything in exchange for this post. We had to pay for a room just like everyone else, and my opinions are based on my own unbiased experience.
Table of Contents
Amenities
Breakfast Buffet & Restaurants
Service
Room Review: Superior Family Room
Room Price
Saturday Worthy?
Amenities at Naithonburi Resort
Swimming Pools
Elephant Oasis Pool
The Elephant Oasis Pool is the focal point of the Naithonburi Resort. This large-sized rectangular pool is lined with loungers and elephant fountains. It is surrounded on three sides by guest rooms and the lobby. Many balconies overlook the pool, and anyone coming in or out of the resort will pass by this pool. The Elephant Oasis Pool is the place to see and be seen.
Hidden Lagoon Beach Pool
In the back corner of the property, next to the game room building, is the Hidden Lagoon Beach Pool. The highlight of this pool is the artificial beach. The soft, fine white sand eases into a large wading pool. The Hidden Lagoon is an oddly shaped pool, dotted with large islands where loungers will be set up. There is a hanging wicker teardrop chair on one of the islands that is uncomfortable as fuck but makes for a nice Instagram picture. At one edge of the pool near the guest rooms are day beds big enough for a family. The Coconut Grove swim-up bar is at this pool under the tall hipped roof. The menu only lists beverages, but the website claims that it serves finger foods as well.
Game Room
The game room at Naithonburi is perfect when it’s not beach weather. This is a spacious room with a handful of games and couches to hang out on. The usual game room fodder was here: air hockey, foosball and two pool tables. The arcade options were a pinball machine and an electric Pong game that is surprisingly more fun than you’d think. There was even a Nintendo Switch and TV set up in the corner, but neither of us could figure out how it worked. Usually, it looks like all the games cost money to play. Since the resort was celebrating the re-opening of Thailand to tourists, they were all free during our visit.
Daily Smile Convenience Store
Below the lobby is the Daily Smile Convenience Mart. Something to smile about: this store sells beer that is dirt cheap if you have USD or Euros. It’s not too much more expensive than the Naithon Mart next door. Aside from the usual snacks, Daily Smile also has toys, souvenirs, bathing suits and sun hats.
Bike Rental, Botanic Garden & More
Naithonburi has a spa and fitness centre, but a couple of the more interesting amenities include the spacious library and a botanic garden at the back of the resort. The resort even offers free bike rentals for those who want to get around the sprawling grounds quicker.
Food at Naithonburi Resort
Breakfast Buffet
Breakfast is served in the Jasmine Rice Restaurant, the main dining venue. The seating options spread across the room and out onto two decks and patios. The Naithonburi breakfast buffet has a larger selection than usual of Asian-style breakfast options like congee, fried noodles and dim sum. Western classics like eggs, waffles and pastries are still available every day though.
Cold drinks are at the first station near the front of the room, next to the fruit. They are homemade bottles in a variety of options: mango, guava, pineapple, apple, orange and milk, just to name a few. This makes them easy to take away a bottle for later, and the staff didn’t seem to mind any guest doing so. There are coffee machines at the back near the pastries and another at the front next to the entrance. The tea available is a basic Lipton black tea.
The main food station was stocked with one fried noodle, one fried rice, a couple of breakfast soups, breakfast meats and potatoes with very little differentiation over the days. It was the same food every day, with maybe a slight change in the fried noodle or rice dish.
Eggs are at the side station. The back is where you’ll find toast, pastries and cakes. Don’t miss the food stations on the side patio. Pancakes and waffles are out here, as well as an Asian station serving noodle soups made-to-order, pork baos, sui mai and sliders.
The breakfast buffet at the Naithonburi left much to be desired. I was already sick of it by the second day and seeing it was all the exact same food. There’s way too much bread on offer instead of more varieties of breakfast pastries. The best thing was the fresh noodle soup station outside, but that’s because I was in complete control of all the ingredients and seasonings. The only thing out of my control was the soup broth, but luckily, it was flavourful.
The regular a la carte menu for Jasmine Rice features international and Thai cuisine. Any guest is sure to find something they want to eat on this menu. We wanted to try the local restaurants in the Nai Thon area (see Shameena Restaurant and Naithon Beach Club), so we didn’t eat at Jasmine Rice outside of the breakfast buffet.
Rainforest Cafe & Coconut Grove
The Rainforest Cafe is in the building next to the lobby and serves drinks and sweets. Coconut Grove is the swim-up bar at the Hidden Lagoon Beach Pool. However, both were closed during our stay, likely to save costs in the aftermath of COVID.
Luca Beach Bar
The official maps around the resort have this building labelled under the old name as “Sunset Beach Bar.” This small, open-air pizzeria next to the entrance/exit road was consistently popular during our stay. Their small menu is available at the Jasmine Rice restaurant and as room service.
Service at Naithonburi Resort
The staff did everything you’d expect from a resort. Since the concierge desk is off to the side in an enclosed room, we weren’t warmly greeted upon our arrival or every time we left the resort. Checking in was quick and friendly, and a porter (soaked in what I hope was rain and not sweat) hauled our luggage and accompanied us to our room.
Housekeeping made up the room every day without us having to request it. They tidied up but did not replace the bathroom toiletries unless they were about half full. When we encountered maids with their carts in the hallways, many were too focused on their work. Only a couple of times did we get a smile and a nod.
Overall, I found that the service at the Naithonburi wasn’t anything remarkable. This is an affordable, mid-range resort with mid-range service to match. However, the amenities and grounds were well-kept, even the seldom frequented corners of the resort like the library. You can be sure of a clean and pleasant resort when staying here.
Room Review: Superior Family Room
We had booked a Superior Twin Room, but we appear to have gotten upgraded to a Superior Family Room at no extra charge. This 40 square metre room had a huge King bed and a single bed. Two benches, perfect for dumping bags on, flank the middle table across from the beds. The closet next to the door had a safe, an extra pillow, two bathrobes and a few hangers.
The balcony in our room had an unfortunate view of nothing except a big tree in our way. The air conditioner was more than sufficient for the sweltering Thailand weather. I often had to turn it off because it was getting too cold in the room.
The television had a very basic cable package. If it’s raining or you’re winding down for the night, there won’t be anything interesting to watch. There are very few options for English speakers. Most of the channels were in Thai, with a couple of Russian channels. We were stuck watching the depressing news every time we turned on the TV.
The bar counter has a mini fridge, a small kettle, and two bottles of Naithonburi branded water that got replaced every day. There is a collection of different-sized glasses and teacups for two, but only Nescafe coffee sachets in the square holder and no tea.
The distinguishing feature of the bathroom is the shuttered window directly across from the toilet. The shutters are open when you check-in to the room, but they can slide shut. I guess this is for any guest who wants to lay in the bathtub and watch TV, but hey, I’m sure there are couples out there who are very open with each other about their bathroom activities. This weird window is regrettable for a number of reasons. There is absolutely no sound protection from embarrassing toilet sounds, and if anyone does something smelly in the bathroom, the stink leaks into the bedroom.
Soap in the soap dish next to the sink, with an additional bar in the shower. The toiletries tray contained:
- 1 x Bath and shower gel
- 1 x Body lotion
- 1 x Shampoo
- 1 x Sewing kit
- 1 x Package of cotton buds
- 1 x Shower cap
All three of the bottled toiletries were of poor quality. We ended up using stuff we had brought from home instead. I didn’t even bother to thieve any of Naithonburi’s toiletries.
The shower and bathtub are separate, with the tub having a shower attachment. I didn’t use the tub other than to wash my feet of sand, so I can’t vouch for its temperature or pressure. The shower is a little cramped, but the hot water lasted during my long shower sessions. The big negative was that the seal on the door isn’t watertight, so after my showers, the bath rug and the floor were soaking wet.
Price of Superior Family Room at Naithonburi Resort
THB 4,170.03 for 4 days & 3 nights, Friday to Monday, in May 2022.
Saturday Worthy?
Sure, if you don’t intend to stray far from the Nai Thon area.
The Naithonburi Resort has affordable rooms and a family-friendly ambience. Nestled in the village-like Nai Thon at the north end of the island, you will not find any obnoxious clubs, bars, or beach vendors aggressively peddling beer onto you. This is the place if you want to stay at a resort filled with regular people, not douchey party bros and their skanky girlfriends. Be aware that this resort is popular with Russians, so expect some hard drinkers, but we did not encounter any trouble or noise.
The Naithonburi Resort is an hour-long drive from popular Phuket attractions like Old Town, the Big Buddha and others, so this resort isn’t the best choice if you intend to do plenty of sightseeing. The Naithonburi is best if you just want to hang out around the pool or at a quiet beach with cheap beers from the convenience store.
