Hotels in Phuket, Thailand

My husband and I returned for a 2nd stay at Laguna Beach (first was in 2007) and he really feels it's a great value since we don't stay in the rooms much. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the activities included with the stay are a lot of fun (wind surfing, cooking class, beach volleyball, etc). I suppose the huts may detract from the beach view of certain rooms, but they were one of the reasons we liked the resort. It's easy to enjoy the beach and pop in the shade for a cheap snack/drink and a game of connect four without having to go to the hotel's poolside restaurant. The resort's area on Bang Tao beach area is very large and peaceful - plenty of room for beach goers to spread out. Thank you to the management for providing plenty of lounge chairs - no one here rudely marks their territory in the morning since you can find chairs to lay out on anytime of the day. The beach swimming area is marked off so you can enjoy swimming to the small floating dock for a bit of sun without worrying about boats. If traveling with a family, I would recommend this hotel for it's amenities if you are okay with basic rooms and services and find a good rate. The little and the big kids all enjoy watching the resort's friendly elephants have breakfast each morning. I couldn't help but smile when I would see one of the elephants on the property. Traveling as a couple, I can't say I'd want to return again. When we visited in 2007 the children were all well behaved and looked after by their parents but things were different this visit. It appears the resort is advertising to a new market where it is culturally acceptable to ignore young children while they destroy hotel property and disrupt everyone's enjoyment. Obviously the majority of the children are well behaved and maybe we were just there on a bad week, but it made a poor and lasting impression.