We just returned from a 7 night, 8 day stay at the Renaissance Phuket and cannot rave enough about this property. The staff is sensational, warm and the perfect hosts for a vacation in Phuket. As has been mentioned on hundreds of posts before us, this is the place to stay if you want the Phuket "paradise experience", not if you want night life. There is nothing around this area besides miles of serene beautiful beaches and lovely resorts. This is not Patong (thank God)! At points during our stay we were literally the only people out on the beach and it was heaven. The property itself is very new and decorated in a modern style. We stayed in a pool villa, which I think made all the difference in our experience. I can't comment on the size of a regular room, but I can say that when we return to Phuket we will absolutely book another fabulous pool suite. The room was enormous, as was the bathroom (separate shower and soaking tube large enough for 3!, dual sinks, etc) and was equipped with a quite sizable private plunge pool and deck. This turned out to a be a second honeymoon for us due to the privacy and feel and of the pool suite. We actually honeymooned 5 years ago in Bora Bora and I would argue that our accommodations in Phuket were more luxurious, private and romantic than our bungalow in Bora Bora--that is saying a lot. What really sets this place apart, however, is the staff. I especially need to mention Nancy, who is the head of programming at the Renaissance. I have never met such nice people who seem to genuinely love their jobs. We were treated like royalty the entire time we were there. I happened to celebrate my 31st birthday while we were there as well and the hotel staff made me a cake and all sang Happy Birthday during our dinner in addition to offering a complimentary bottle of champagne for the event.

Now, a few specific tips/comments:
(1) Food/drinks: phenomenal. We never had a bad meal. To echo prior posts here, the cost is higher than you will find in the rest of Thailand, but I did not feel like the value was not there. The portions were huge and the quality fabulous. I live in a big city (Chicago) and the prices were on par with what we would pay for a great dinner out downtown (around 80-150 per couple including wine, tax, tip for dinner). Breakfast is insane and offers an incredible selection at a great value (~$20/person includes all drinks and unlimited buffet, tax/gratuity). This is much better than any hotel brunch we have ever had both in selection and value. Our favorite dinner meals included a Castello Banfi wine dinner that was held at Taikeng (the Thai restaurant), a private Valentine's beach dinner complete with the most insane seafood platter you will ever see, and the Tandoori Buffet. We also immensely enjoyed the Taikeng restaurant for dinner. We were usually so full after breakfast that we didn't each a formal lunch eat day, but did enjoy some food from Sandbar while lounging at the beach. The best part about Sandbar is the happy hour from 5pm-6:30pm each day--buy one, get one free drinks. We didn't discover this until half way through our stay and were sad we didn't realize it earlier! The only downside is we are wine drinkers and the bottles of wine were priced ridiculously high in Thailand (nothing cheaper than $55/bottle at dinner) and were not of fabulous quality for the price (for the most part). Just know this coming in if you are a winos like us. We ended up taking bikes down to the Turtle Village Market and picking up a few bottles (moderately cheaper) to have back in our room to sip on poolside and enjoyed the mixed drinks at the bar, which were a better deal than $50 for an Australian Sauvignon Blanc that was just so-so.
(2) Activities.
- you MUST do a private cooking class with Ton at Kimdee Restaurant. 2500 baht per couple included transportation, food and instruction in four dishes of your choice in her open air restaurant overlooking the river. It was a magical experience. We wanted to do the Thai cooking class at the JW Marriott, but were relieved when it was actually closed and the Renaissance suggested Kimdee. What a find! Much more authentic.
- Simba Sea Trips was the best snorkling, PhiPhi experience. I found it on TripAdvisor before we left. HIGHLY recommend. The transport to and from our hotel and the entire trip was seamless.
- BanPae Safari. I only give this 1 star. I wanted to ride an elephant and I am so glad I did, but the "safari" was cheesy and the staff terrible. This was recommended to us byt he Renaissance, but I wouldn't do it again. I would just pay to ride and elephant (well worth it). If you have kids, then I can see how the rest of the "safari" would be fun, but for adults--forget it.
- As mentioned previously, the ride into "town" or Patong is at least 40 minutes and will cost you $1000 baht round trip. We loved the resort so much we decided not to do this, but be expecting the long trip if that is something you want to do.
(3) pool/beach
A few earlier posts commented on inability to swim in the ocean here and lack of pool chairs. I don't know what they are talking about. At least in February the ocean was serene and while wavy at times swimming in it was more than safe and wonderful! The bottom is sandy and soft. There was an insane plethora of available beach and pool lounge chairs as well, with no shortage of towels. The hotel was at 97% capacity when we were there as well.
(4) JW vs. Renaissance
We labored over this decision for HOURS and are soooo glad we chose the Renaissance. My husband is a Marriott Rewards Member and the Renaissance ended up being a few points less, so we booked it for the deal. The JW is a very nice property, and we walked through here several times, but it felt like a Disney World resort to me---large, with a lot of restaurants and kids activities, but very impersonal. If I was traveling with a family and my kids wanted a lot of activities, then I can see the draw here. The Renaissance did have a kids area and pool, but it was largely deserted--great for childless couples who want a "honeymoon" experience though! We ate the JW Kabuki Japanese restaurant one night and really enjoyed our meal, but every time we walked by the pool, there were no empty chairs to be had and it was a zoo! The two properties are a mere 10 minutes walk apart on the beachfront and the hotels offer complimentary shuttles between the two for dinner, so if you are traveling to Thailand and get tired of the restaurant offerings at one, you can easily eat dinner at the other. A word about the JW--their restaurants are on a rotating schedule and not all are open every night. If you want to try a specific one, like the sushi restaurant, be sure to inquire about availability and make a reservation when you arrive to ensure you get a table. I'm assuming they do this for cost purposes as keeping all 7 restaurants open at once can get expensive. At the Renaissance all four eating establishments were open for dinner every night--Loca Vore, Sandbox, Taikeng & Coffee/sandwhich shop, in addition to any theme dinners that were occurring at night.
(5) Spa. This will be my only negative review on here. Bottom line: not worth it. We love spa treatments when we travel and were excited to try the spa after receiving a tour of the absolutely beautiful facilities, but were sorely disappointed by our services we received. I did a package a with a body scrub, wrap and a thai massage and my husband booked a thai massage and foot rub. First, let me warn you what a Thai massage is--this is NOT swedish massage (duh). It is not for the weak or wimpy (aka, my husband and I). It kind of hurts! This has nothing to do with my impression of the services, just thought I would share since I was surprised that I am not a fan of Thai massage. What was disappointing about our service, was the lack of ambiance and personalization of the service. Usually, when you arrive for a spa treatment, you meet with your specialist and discuss expectations for the session, preferences, sensitivities, etc. NONE of this was done. We were ushered in, clothes changed and plopped on the table, making for a very uncomfortable experience. In addition, the ability of my husband's specialist to communicate with him was severely lacking (she didn't speak English) and so couldn't check in with him as to his comfort level--he was very uncomfortable the entire time and when he tried to voice his concerns, she couldn't understand him. This is fine for a 400 Baht beach massage in a hut, but for a 5000 baht spa package, ridiculous! We did share our feedback after the experience and received a substantial discount for the services, which was fair compensation, but I would not return for the spa services. This is the only negative thing I have to say about our experience overall!

Bottom line is, quickly book your next trip to the Renaissance Phuket. I promise you, it is so worth it!

The Renaissance still feels new. It is sleek, stylish, modern and very well maintained. The staff is friendly.

The deluxe room is modern and quite good sized with a small balcony and a large bathroom (separate shower & bathtub).

The breakfast buffet was very impressive with a wide range of delicious food. The outside tandoori buffet was excellent. The beach barbeque was nice but maybe a bit expensive. Thai food at the Takieng restaurant was pretty good. The lunch at the Sand Box was nice. The Sand Box is also good for drinks and watching sunsets with your feet in the sand. The Doppio coffee shop was convenient for smaller snacks.

The hotel has a direct access to the beach. The beach is quite steep with golden some what coarse sand. The sea gets deep pretty quickly and the waves at times can get some what rough. The beach is quiet. No hawkers. Not many people. One day we walked the beach all the way to the airport and saw maybe 30 people.

There is no local nightlife or restaurants close to the hotel. Eating outside of the hotel basicly means that you have to take a taxi (or hotel transport to JWM which is close by).

The main pool is nice but it could be larger.

The hotel has a fast WiFi which free for Marriott members (we had few re-login issues).

Would recommend this hotel for people who want to take it easy and relax and are content to stay at the hotel grounds most of the time.

The Renaissance Resort is a lovely place to spend a long weekend. Nice and spacious rooms, a great and foremost clean beach and very, very friendly staff. The dinner was an exciting experience every evening (try the Tandoori Buffet - sensational). Despite the fact that the hotel was fully booked, we never got the feeling that the place was crowded or that hotel-employees were stressed. We stayed four days in this retreat and we enjoyed every single day.
It was kind of sad that on the last evening, minutes before departure and ten-thousands of nicely spent Bahts, the bar refused to refill our glasses since we missed the Happy Hour deadline by 5 minutes. This was the final impression with which we left the resort - a pity.
Tips for guests:
(1) The taxi-fee to go from the airport to the hotel is 500 Baht max (do not accept a higher price)
(2) In case you want to rent a car through the hotel, Renaissance has 2 providers. We went with the cheaper one (Aman Anda Car Rent) but we cannot recommand them. They arrived 20 minutes late in the morning and for the drop-off at the airport they did not show up at the agreed meeting point.

We loved our experience at the Renaissance. The landscaping is fantastic, creating a tropical oasis. The scale of the resort creates an intimate setting that never seems noisy or crowded. Our villa was wonderful with a comfortable bed, large luxurious bathroon, sitting area, and private pool and deck. The room included an Illy cafe machine that brewed excellent espresso. Staff were helpful and accommodating, arranging transportation and sightseeing. The breakfast buffet offers a huge variety of freshly prepared food, although there were some communication issues about our orders. Computers are available for guests in the lobby as well as wi-fi in rooms. The beach is vast and uncrowded. Hotel restaurants are good and guests have the option of using hotel transportation to the JW Marriott for other dining options. This is not a property for those who want nightlife or the bar scene, but it's perfect for a luxurious and relaxing vacation. The health club offers up to date equipment and both steam and whirlpool.