The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa hotel property — which is located across Patak Road from Karon Beach in Muang in Thailand and was acquired by Hilton back in 2003 — will no longer be a part of the Hilton portfolio effective as of Friday, March 31, 2023, which leaves only two other hotel properties in Phuket which are part of the Hilton portfolio: the DoubleTree by Hilton Phuket Banthai and the Hilton Garden Inn Phuket Bang Tao.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa to Leave Hilton. Review. Photographs.
The hotel property initially opened in 1987 as the Phuket Arcadia Resort and has been a key landmark on the southwest coast of Phuket for greater than three decades — but the future of the resort property once it leaves Hilton was still uncertain at the time this article was written.
If driving a car — which I rented one while I was in Phuket — guests do not enter through the front entrance. Rather, they drive the car around to the gate at the rear of the resort property — where the vehicle is thoroughly scanned for explosive devices or other contraband — and once the search is all clear, the motorist is then instructed to park the vehicle in the parking lot at the end of the driveway.
A tram then transports guests from the parking lot along the lush grounds of the resort property to the Welcome Lobby, where guests are welcomed with a refreshing drink and a cold wet washcloth to cool off from what can be oppressively hot humid air.
Once a guest has completed the process of checking into the resort property, the tram transports the guest to the main complex of buildings.
The room which was assigned to me was located on the twelfth floor — which was the top floor — of the Lotus wing of the resort property. The photograph above shows a view of a fountain — no ceiling was above; so this space was open air — on the ground floor.
“WELCOME HOME” was on the door to the room which was assigned to me. The letters were cut out of what seemed to be some sort of foam board, with natural greenery and purple petals of flowers adhered to them. I was impressed with that thoughtful gesture.
Once I entered the room, fresh colorful flowers — one set of which I could wear around my neck — greeted my arrival to my room.
I was also greeted with an assortment of fresh fruits — most of them tropical. My mother — may she rest in peace — would have absolutely enjoyed the fresh lychee fruits, which are the red fruits that somewhat resemble giant raspberries in the photograph shown above.
I even liked how the towels were shaped in the bathroom of the room — including the one which was next to the amenities by Crabtree & Evelyn, which included shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, and bars of soap. The bathroom was equipped with a separate walk-in shower and bath tub.
The room was quite nice — but it was nothing extraordinarily special in and of itself. It did have a cushioned bench comprised of two chairs in a space which I can only describe as a small sitting area — and this sitting area had a nice large window for looking out at the beautiful view of the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean along the coastline of Karon Beach.
A glass door from the room to the long balcony allowed me to sit outside and enjoy the breeze from the sea while listening to the crashing of the waves of the water in the ocean. I also liked leaving the glass door open when sleeping, as the combination of the tradewinds, the sounds of the waves, and the scent of salt water all relax me.
I enjoyed many views from the balcony of my room — including the plethora of water features of the resort property, which includes the main lagoon of two lagoons; and the lush greenery which accompanied them.
Some of the restaurants on the resort property — such as Buon Appetito!, at which Italian food is served and is shown in the bottom right of the above photograph — were closed at the time when I stayed there. Buon Appetito! is temporarily closed at the time this article was written. I wonder if it ever reopened since my stay.
The room rate included full access to the Panorama Lounge, which was located on the same floor in the Lotus wing of the resort property as my room. The views from the lounge were similar to the views from my room; so the photographs of the views from both the Panorama Lounge and my room are used simultaneously. Similar to the room, the lounge also had access to a long balcony; so I sat outside on the balcony where I could watch the waves come in off of the Indian Ocean — or Andaman Sea — while enjoying my breakfast.
I did not take photographs of inside the Panorama Lounge — nor did I take any additional photographs of the interiors of either of the rooms which were assigned to me during my two stays at this resort property — but I personally enjoyed breakfast in the lounge, as there was plenty to eat.
At that time, breakfast included — but was not limited to — waffles, pancakes, two types of sausages, bacon, assorted breads, assorted pastries, assorted fruits, assorted cheeses, assorted juices, and assorted spreads and jams. Additionally, eggs could be ordered and custom prepared to the specifications of each guest. I did not order the eggs, but I understand they were cooked to perfection, and the presentation was nicely decorated with a carrot and lettuce sculpture.
The Panorama Lounge was open all day long; and it included plenty of food and beverage options at dinner time in the evening as well — but the current operating hours of the Panorama Lounge is between noon through 7:00 in the evening, which likely means that breakfast is no longer available.
Look carefully above the lush green hillside, as the back of the Phra Phutta Ming Mongkol Eknakiri — which means “the Cherished Auspicious Lord Buddha atop Nāga Hill” and is also known as The Great Buddha of Phuket — can be seen from the balconies of the Lotus Wing which face north.
The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa is comprised of three wings: the Andaman Wing; the Lotus Wing; and the Saitong Wing. Shown in the above photograph is a view of the northern end of Building B of the Andaman Wing, as seen from the Lotus Wing. Along with Building B, Building A — whose roof is visible in the background — and Building C are all part of the Andaman Wing.
Building E, Building F, and Building G are all part of the Saitong Wing — as seen from the Lotus Wing — which is round and encloses a courtyard area which contains a small swimming pool.
A larger swimming pool called the Seafarer Pool is located outside of the Saitong Wing, which is viewed from across the lagoon at the ground level of the Lotus Wing.
The main swimming pool — which is called the Garden Pool — is located between Building B and Building C of the Andaman Wing and the Lotus Wing; and it includes water showering from above as guest complete their runs on the water slide, which is shown in the center of the above photograph.
One must cross Beach Road — which is a fairly busy thoroughfare; so one must exercise caution — for access to Karon Beach, which is only 50 meters away.
This view of Beach Road in the Karon Beach area of Phuket is facing south…
…while this view of Beach Road is facing north. The property of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa is located on the right; while Karon Beach and the Andaman Sea is on the left.
Numerous bridges which connect paths across the aforementioned water features can be found all over the approximately 75 acres of this resort property.
In total, 662 deluxe rooms and suites are at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, with three restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a coffee shop, and a beach club. A spa, a squash court, a fitness center, a shopping arcade, tennis courts, a games room, and a place for children to play called Kidz Paradise are also available; but I did not use any of them.
Parts of this resort property did seem somewhat dated and aged when I stayed there both times.
In addition to palm trees, banyan trees — with their multiple long slender trunks — are found on the resort property.
An abundance of fountains, waterfalls, and other water features bring a serene and calming atmosphere to the resort property.
One can find water flowing and falling from various rock and stone features into various pools and ponds all around the resort property.
Unfortunately — if you are a member of the Hilton Honors frequent guest loyalty program — a yellow banner at the top of the official Internet web site of Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa includes the following message:
Hotel Leaving the Hilton Brand
As of 01 January 2023, this hotel will no longer be operated by Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Guests booked at the hotel on or after this date will not earn Hilton Honors Points. For reservations arriving on or after this date, please contact the hotel directly or view our other hotels in Phuket.
A koi pond contained colorful fish.
Colorful works of art intermingled with the water features of the resort property — including fountains.
Colorful spirit houses — which are shrines in Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia — to the protective spirit of a place are found on the resort property.
Final Boarding Call
At the time when I stayed twice at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, I considered those two stays to be two of the best hotel stays I had ever experienced…
…but I understand that the glory days of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa have long been gone — and the resort property will no longer be a part of the portfolio of Hilton brands effective as of Friday, March 31, 2023, which is an extension of the original date of Sunday, January 1, 2023.
The total room rate for each of my stays was less that $60.00 in United States dollars, which included all taxes and fees — so redeeming Hilton Honors points at that time would have almost been considered a shame when compared to such a low revenue rate.
If you want to stay at this resort property before it is no longer affiliated with Hilton, you will need to do so within the next three months.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa
333 Patak Road
Karon Beach, Muang, Phuket, 83100
Thailand
+66-76-396-433
Note: this article was originally published on August 14, 2022 at 12:53 in the afternoon with the original date of Sunday, January 1, 2023. All photographs ©2009 by Brian Cohen.
