90/28 Moo 6 Wiset Road., Rawai, Thailand | (888) 616-5829
Peaceful
location, though within reach of nearby beaches
Rooms are
spacious and stylish, with pleasant design touches
Attractive contemporary Thai-style decor throughout the resort
Some ground-floor rooms offer direct pool access (though lack privacy)
Free shuttle
to beach and elsewhere (for a fee outside scheduled times)
Saltwater pool with plenty of loungers
Gym and hot tub are open 24/7
Elegant, minimalist, well-reviewed spa
Free buffet
breakfast includes a good selection of dishes
On-site restaurant serving Thai and international cuisine
Free loaner bikes and free Wi-Fi
No
elevators for the three-story resort
Gym isn't air-conditioned
Wi-Fi is unstable
Rooms by the road can get noise
The resort’s restaurant gets mixed reviews
The upper-middle-range boutique Navatara Phuket Resort occupies a quiet location within walking
distance of Rawai beach and seafood market restaurants, and it's a short shuttle trip from more popular nearby beaches. The attractively landscaped resort offers an uncrowded saltwater pool, a hot tub, and a non-air-conditioned but well-equipped gym. The modern Thai-style decor used throughout the resort is lovely, including in the minimalist spa with floor-to-ceiling windows. The 37 rooms are stylish and
spacious with chic, bright bathrooms; ground-floor poolside rooms are worth the upgrade, though these lack privacy. However, there are no elevators, Wi-Fi is spotty, and the gym opposite the resort can be noisy, making it worth opting for a room away from the road. While
the included breakfast offers a variety of dishes, other food and drink in the
resort’s Tara restaurant get mixed reviews. Travelers looking for more of a holistic retreat can try Friendship Beach Resort & Spa by iCheck Inn, which has similar rates.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Small and personal, with a pleasant contemporary Thai feel
The small boutique Navatara Phuket Resort aims for a personal touch, complemented by the intimate size of its low-rise, three-story structure. Contemporary Thai-style decor dominates
throughout, from the impressive resort entrance with bright white walls and
dark brown pitched roofs to the open-air spaciousness of both the hallways and the
lobby. The latter has a pleasant Thai color palette of bright green and deep-rust accents with dark wood furnishings. The beautiful landscaping of the grounds gets positive
reviews -- only electricity pylons just outside of the
resort’s grounds slightly spoil the view. But most guests focus on the lush grass and shrubbery in the area
around the pool and rooms. The resort’s Tara restaurant combines contemporary
tanned wood furniture with floor-to-ceiling windows, ceiling fans, and traditional Thai details. Most guests are couples keen on experiencing the local beaches and seafood dining scene, though a smaller number of families also stay here.
Location
Secluded, with little nearby, but connected to other beaches via shuttle service
Set on a
rural-feeling road, the Navatara has free parking and plenty of greenery nearby, but little else in the immediate area. The Rawai fishing pier and beach is about a five-minute walk away; water here isn’t suitable for swimming, but
the neighborhood's seafood restaurants serve inexpensive meals. The pier and other destinations
are also connected by the resort’s shuttle service. Laem Promthep Cape and Ya Nui beach are both a
three-minute shuttle ride or 25-minute walk away, and it's around 10 and 20 minutes by shuttle to Nai Harn and Karon beaches respectively. Phuket International Airport is around an hour's drive away.
Rooms
Spacious rooms with bright bathrooms, thoughtful design touches, and pleasant balconies
The
Navatara’s spacious rooms attract generally positive reviews; their decor
stylishly combines bright white walls with pastel accent colors, dark wood
furnishings, and white linens, plus elegant Thai ornaments. With plenty of natural light, Deluxe Rooms each come with a desk, a daybed, flat-screen TV, safe, coffee/tea facilities, and basic minibar. A yellow, stained-glass-style window opens
onto the large and bright bathroom with pleasant touches like a white
vessel sink and ladder-style towel rack, as well as
bathtub and spacious walk-in shower. Grand Deluxe Rooms are much the same, but
bigger still and with more lounge seating; both room types have thoughtfully
designed balconies complete with loungers or small tables and chairs. Pool
Access Rooms face directly onto the water and are worth the upgrade, though they don’t
have steps down into the pool and also lack privacy. The fitness
center opposite the resort can be noisy at times, making it worth opting for a
room on the southeastern corner of the property, away from the road. And the resort
also lacks any elevators, making ground-floor rooms the best option for those with mobility issues. All rooms are air-conditioned and have separate showers and tubs, as well as balconies or terraces, coffee/tea facilities, minibars, slippers and robes, and work desks.
Features
Uncrowded saltwater pool and convenient shuttle bus, but unreliable Wi-Fi
The large,
saltwater swimming pool at the center of the Navatara feels uncrowded, and it's
surrounded by a pleasant deck with attractive umbrellas and loungers. It's open
24/7, as are the hot tub and the small, non-air-conditioned gym; the latter, however,
does have modern equipment and plenty of light through floor-to-ceiling windows
that are surrounded by shrubs. That said, the unattractive blue mat-like
flooring detracts from the overall pleasant ambience. The modern,
minimalist Navatara Spa has white walls and is pleasingly decorated with Thai
ornaments and teak-style furnishings; it offers a range of Thai treatments and body scrubs using ancient herbs. An Internet and reading corner is
made up of two computer terminals and a comprehensive book selection, while
other services include room turn-down, laundry, and free bicycle rentals. The
resort’s shuttle bus service runs to Rawai and other beaches; it's free at
certain scheduled times but otherwise costs a fee. But the resort will loan out beach mats and umbrellas for free. The varied breakfast selection
is popular, but other dishes at the Tara restaurant -- which serves Thai and
international fusion cuisine -- get mixed reviews. The Wi-Fi connection, though
free throughout the resort, is unstable.
