Well, what can I say - we have Marriott timeshare, so we're at the Marriott again. This time in Phuket, we're beginning to get their concept. Here on the island, the Marriott is about a 40-minute drive to "town". A great place for couples and families, I guess. Someone who doesn't want to leave the hotel, perfect for someone who is not really interested in seeing "Thailand", trying local food, or meeting the locals. They do have a Thai night market that is an attempt at local color. However, you really could be at ANY Marriott resort anywhere in the world - it looks the same.
The Marriott has made it rather difficult to leave this resort, literally. One must order a taxi, preferably an hour in advance, or you can take a shuttle bus, but be warned that the times of the shuttle are inconveniet, and drop-off/pick-up locations are out-of-the-way and restrictive. You are really better off in a cab. Plus, the cab drivers will wait for you (cabs back to the hotel can be hard to find) for an additional, however nominal, fee (round trip and three-hour wait 1500 BHT).
The hotel has five restaurants; however, surprisingly, none of them Thai. All are very good but VERY Western. Cucina is the "best Italian in Asia" and quite good - reminded me very much of a place back home (you know, pretty much any trendy Italian place you can think of).
The spa is beautiful, but you can get a much better massage from one of the masseuses on the beach (MUCH cheaper too). The hotel offers activities from learning to scuba to beach fitness classes; however, come rain, they cancel them with no back-up plan.
I dropped by here on my second visit to Thailand, right after the tsunami, and it was still there--they had made a quick recovery, and there were no signs of the tsunami disaster there (besides vacancy rate).
Unique Qualities:
The pool is AMAZING! Beautiful! Great for kids. The hotel is right on beach. However, there is NOTHING--I mean NOTHING--within walking distance to this hotel, not even a convenience store. However, the Marriott offers quite the compound--it gets a bit expensive and leaves one longing for culture, but there is a lot there. The condos are spacious and well-appointed. And again, the spa is quite pretty.