Merlin waves its magic wand

JUST THREE kilometres down the road from bustling Patong, the newly refurbished Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach is a family-friendly hotel with plenty to do for all ages and is now promoting itself as a new diving spot, where visitors can explore the marine world just a few metres away from its private beach.

Formerly known as the Merlin Phuket Hotel, this property opened in 2001 and last year upgraded its accommodation and services to the five-star level through a rebranding exercise that made it a new member of Marriott International hotel chain. The renovation programme involved some fairly major surgery and the resort now boasts a modern oriental look with state-of-the-art facilities guaranteeing a luxury holiday experience. 
Located on an unspoilt and secluded stretch of Tri-Trang Beach, it boasts a large lobby area with high ceilings where guests can relax over coffee during the day and drinks and live music at night. 
Overlooking the pool, the hall is furnished with modern sofas, chairs and tables and lit by giant leaf-like lanterns that give it a restful ambience. The accommodation is set in the tropical landscaped gardens with easy access to the three sizeable swimming pools in different layouts.

“The refurbishment is divided into three phases and will continue through 2019,” says general manager Trevor May.
“We started by creating a new lobby on the concept of a living room. It’s a great place to discuss business or just hang out with friends. We’ve also introduced three new restaurants with Western and Asian live cooking stations. In the rooms, we’ve added a selection of smart devices including LCD television, Marriott-standard beds and bedding, JBL docks and USB ports and furnished the bathrooms with luxury amenities. Next year, we will design new fabrics for the furniture and bedding and in 2019 we will renovate the bathrooms.” 
Decorated in an Asian contemporary style, the hotel boasts 414 spacious rooms, going from deluxe lagoon pool view, superior lagoon pool view, premier lagoon pool view, premier lagoon pool access, premier Andaman Sea view, premier beach access to the one-bedroom Merlin suite and royal suite.
There’s a modern fitness centre, a well-designed Kids’ Club, a Teen Room with interactive games and the Spa featuring eight treatment rooms and a salon. 

D.O.C.G restaurant serves authentic Italian dishes and fine cured meats, Merchant Kitchen has an impressive range of international favourites, the Beach Grill eatery offers western-style light meals and Thai Pantry bistro presents a wide selection of traditional Thai delicacies.
I stay in a comfortable 43-square-metre Premier Sea View room and while the decor is the same as in the old Merlin days, the sense of luxury has been enhanced by the addition of high-tech device and other creature comforts. In addition to free Wi-Fi, I have a new LCD television, a coffee maker, a JBL dock and USB hubs to connect to my smartphone. The bed, as promised by the GM, is super-comfy and the linens cool, crisp and wonderfully soft. 
The bathroom is big enough to house a separate shower and a bathtub and equipped with the latest collection of aromatic amenities by Harnn, while the wardrobe provides a safety box, bathrobes, slippers and a laundry set.
In the morning, I sip my room-made coffee while curled up on the daybed on my balcony and plan my day while looking out over the white sand and emerald ocean.

Later, down on the beach, I sneak a peek at the recreational centre, which offers both snorkelling and scuba diving programmes for every level. Specialists from Sea Bees Diving are on hand to take guests to explore the colourful coral and the moon wrasse, black blotched porcupinefish, puffer fish, powder-blue surgeonfish, convict tang, spotted trunkfish, yellow-and-black striped Moorish idols and the redcoats that inhabit this part of the seas.
The Marriott shows its environmental chops by collaborating with the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Sea Bees Diving to conserve and restore the unique reef ecosystem in front of the hotel and in other areas around Phuket. 

“We have worked with IUCN to conserve the marine ecosystem and educate children to take care of nature. We offer a variety of fun activities so that everyone can come to enjoy their vacations,” May says. 

AT A  GLANCE
High point: Rooms are spacious and cosy and there’s plenty of scope for supervised scuba diving and snorkelling right in front of the hotel. 
Low point: The door lock can be hard to open and close.
Pay for it: Check out the best prices on the website 
Find it: 99 Muen-Ngoen Road, Tri-Trang Beach, Patong, Phuket. 
Call it: (076) 335 300
Browse it: www.Marriott.com