Deluxe Room (Free Minibar-Daily Refill)
from $31
Sugar Marina Resort - ART - Karon Beach
4.0 out of 5.0
81% based on 772 reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
Recent guest reviews
Cracked hallway, dirty grout...if you are okay with that, not a bad place to stay for the location and price. Staff at reception are not that great either. The website stated that we should engage them to assist with tours and transport, for safety reasons. I did that! I was asked to hail a taxi on the main road myself instead. Only good thing about this hotel is the breakfast buffet. The local breakfast Kueh are delicious. Wide spread of food. The breakfast area and lobby seems to be renovated not too long ago, looks new. One downside is one entrance to the breakfast area, near the bathroom, STINKS! Not sure if anyone who sits near there can chow down their food. Stay at a different place if you can afford a little more. Was a bad decision on our part to end up at this hotel and we can't cancel, else will loose our money. I tried to spend as little time at the hotel as possible during my 3 days in Phuket.
Great location, only 3 minutes walking from Karon Beach. Really close to many restaurants, bars, markets, travel agencies and spas. Hotel was lovely, room was good and free wifi. Breakfast really tasty and international food. Reception staff really attentive and polite. Minibar for free was a big deal (specially with the kids). Pool was ok.
My wife and I live in Phuket, but decided to take a little vacation to the beach. The hotel is located within a stones throw of the beach. The breakfast is very nice with good selections. Our room was tastefully decorated and comfortable. I would recommend this hotel to anyone coming into town.
This hotel is a three minute walk from Karon beach which is awesome. If you're looking for something solely with good location this is for you. Plenty of bars, shops and street food just steps away. However the hotel is a little dirty, my sheets had stains on them, and the king bed is really just two twins pushed together that are not very comfortable. My Toilet buttons kept getting stuck when I would flush and I repeatedly had to take off the tip of the toilet to fix the buttons. Minibar is included which is a nice touch but it's not like there's much in there. Customer service is ok. People at desk don't speak much English. So location is great, rest is not.
The hotel is in close proximity to restaurants, bars, the beach and various mini marts and markets. The room has air con, wifi, satelite tv, a minibar that is refilled daily and a lovely little balcony to hang any wet clothing. The room has a big double bed for us, and cleaned daily. The lobby is small and not air conditioned, and the corridors are small and dark that might put you off, but the rooms and the pool are lovely and are worth it! Staff were friendly and helpful, and we received beach towels, a mat and a beach bag. Will return. !
Stayed here for 7 nights and to be fair it was cheap so wasn't expecting a palace! The staff are lovely and the swim up rooms are fun but that's where it ends! The first room we were given had no wardrobe or drawers only shelves to store your clothes so we were moved 2 days later to another room with a wardrobe with 6 coat hangers wish we hadn't bothered.... rooms in desperate need of renovations mould in the shower and it dripped cold water on you when showering... it could be lovely but needs some serious tlc
Location of the hotel is excellent (in my opinion), you are 2 minutes from Karon Beach, and the same from a variety of bar, shops and restaurants. Check in was ok, the staff have limited English, which did cause us a few issues further into our holiday. Also the reception staff were not keen in helping with any queries or problems. Wifi is absolutely shocking ,and that's when it even works, even though it states available in all rooms. High percentage of Russian guests. The room was fine for 2, but not 3, as we had our daughter with us. There is a huge waste of space in the rooms, which in turn is a lack of storage. Having a bath behind the door, rather than as hanging space isn't particularly logical! The pool worked well being long, they have a fair amount of sun loungers but no where near enough parasols, which were needed as practically no shade available. The breakfast was more than adequate, there is something for everyone, no matter how fussy. But does get busy.
We had a poolside room, and enjoyed that. The pool is not too clean though, a lot of algae on the sides. The patio is very small, and in direct sun for most of the day, but if you are quick, you can get a lounge on the grass in a shady place. Breakfast is OK, something for everyone. Bonus daily mini bar. Very close to the beach, eateries, shopping etc.
The Sugar Marina Art is one of 4 Sugar Marina properties in Phuket. This can be confusing and despite telling the driver it was the Sugar Marina Art at Karon, I still got dropped at the wrong hotel - so make sure you show your driver the hotel on a map. Check-in at the hotel was efficient - the car was greeted by a porter who took me and and my bags to reception for check-in. I didn't realise that the hotel occupies 2 separate buildings. One building is for the pool access & pool view rooms while reception and more rooms are in the other building. Despite the efficient check-in, I found the information very poor. I assumed there might be a book in my room with answers to basic questions like is there a laundry?, a gym?, what are the restaurant hours?, the pool hours?, where do I book tours?, what is the wi-fi password?, etc. But I was told nothing on check-in and there was no information in the room. I went back to reception to ask for the wi-fi password but they spoke very poor English. First I was told "it in room" so I went and checked and there was no paper in my room with the wi-fi password. So I went back to reception and all I could understand was "it change daily", so I gave up and bought a SIM card with internet access (I recommend the DTAC tourist SIM). It is definitely better if you get a pool view or pool access room so you are in the quieter building with better view over the pool and lawn area. The rooms are a decent size but mine had a terrible musty smell which I had to use a lot of cologne spray to mask. They really should air the rooms occasionally. The free mini-bar is awesome - you get a beer, cola, fruit drink and snickers bar daily per person. My room had 2 single beds even though I had requested a double. I called reception and they sent someone who just pushed them together! They didn't even put on a double doona and had 2 single doonas overlapping which was very annoying when sleeping. I found the location of the hotel to be the best thing. It really is just a 5 minute walk to Karon Beach and it is nice that the hotel provides in the room beach towels and a beach mat to take to the beach. The hotel is down a small laneway which means there is less traffic noise. Out of the laneway is Patak Road which has lots of shopping and restaurants. I only had breakfast at the hotel one morning. It is expensive for Karon at 389 baht and I found that many dishes had run out and they were slow at replacing. There is one chef cooking eggs to order but who is so swamped with orders that you will wait a long time. The other mornings I instead went to Karon Backpackers just 2 blocks away and breakfast is 159 baht without eggs or 199 baht with eggs (omelette, eggs benedict, etc). Yes this hotel was full of Russians but you find them all over Phuket. It did seem strange at first that all the signs are in Thai, English and Russian. But really, if you wanted to escape other tourists, you wouldn't go to Phuket in the first place!
the hotel is not bad but the rooms you see are very cleverly photographed, if you can get one pool side you are fine, I was in another part of the hotel with a balcony overlooking an extractor fan from a café, some rooms don't have a balcony
Hotel highlights
- Free WiFi in rooms and public areas
- Free parking
- Onsite dining
- Outdoor pool
Sugar Marina Resort - ART - Karon Beach places you within a 10-minute stroll of Karon Market and Karon Temple. This 221-room, 4-star hotel has 2 restaurants along with conveniences like an outdoor pool and free in-room WiFi. Also close to this Karon hotel are Big Buddha and Chalong Temple.
Dining
Enjoy dining at Tann Tanod, one of 2 onsite restaurants. Satisfy your hunger without leaving your room with room service, or quench your thirst with a beverage at the bar/lounge or coffee shop/café. For your convenience, a continental breakfast is served for a fee each morning from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM.
Rooms
The 221 rooms are recently renovated and have an array of amenities, including free minibar items, balconies, and refrigerators. Guests can expect free WiFi and LCD TVs with satellite channels and DVD players. Bathrooms offer deep soaking tubs, hair dryers, and free toiletries. Coffee makers, free bottled water, and safes are other standard amenities.
Property features
Sugar Marina Resort - ART - Karon Beach features an outdoor pool, a children's pool, and a fitness center. There's free parking, and a shuttle from the airport to the hotel (available on request) for THB 1200 per vehicle. The 24-hour front desk has multilingual staff ready to assist with dry cleaning/laundry, tours or tickets, and luggage storage. Other amenities at this family-friendly hotel include free WiFi in public areas, a meeting room, and a computer station.
Reviews from Trip Advisor
81% of guests recommend this hotel
Total of 772 reviews
