Barcelo Coconut Island

We have just stayed at Barcelo Coconut Island for 8 nights as part of a holiday to celebrate my 50th birthday. This is a lovely location, with extremely friendly helpful staff and nice accommodation. The beach is beautiful, as are the pools and it's surroundings and grounds. We stayed in a two bedroom pool villa and were happy with our accommodation. Some improvements are required within the accomodation as it has become a little worn and dated, but I think they are working their way around the villas and rooms, as there was quite a lot of building and maintenance work going on around the site. Barcelo Coconut Island is on an island off of Phuket mainland and there is a boat that takes you to and from. There are two types of boats and location of entrance and exit from the island, depending on the tide, one is lovely and the other less so. Phuket old town and Phuket central mall are both a 15 to 20 minute taxi service from Barcelo. There are taxis available to transport you as required. Look out for Unid the taxi driver who is very kind and reliable. We loved Barcelo Coconut Island and would definitely recommend. Read less

Another amazing saty with Barcelo (former the village). This is my 3rd time visit and every time I got surprises by seeing new upgrade of the resort. This time I saw a new lobby. All the staffs are amazing specially Mr. Hasan, a wonderful person I ever meet. Thank you Barcelo and that you Mr. Hasan for another lovely stay. Will come back next year. Read less

Let me start by saying we love Barcelo coconut Island (formerly the village) and we will be back. This was our second visit having first visited in May 2022 just as it was reopening after covid. The setting is stunning, you get the benefit of a quiet, calm and unspoiled island which really is very special, and yet with just a 10 minute boat transfer you are on mainland Phuket, and able to take advantage of several boat trips to hong island or the phi phi’s direct from the island too. The combination of being able to have your own private space and villa with the comfort that affords AND benefit from the conveniences and amenities of a resort with house keeping, restaurants and other services & facilities really offers a phenomenal holiday experience. Since our last visit the resort has invested in a new private pier and transfer experience. Definitely needed as it was one of our biggest disappointments in 2022. It would be remiss not to mention that the new private barcelo pier transfer experience is only available when it is not low tide. If the tide is low you are back to the public pier which is a long walk, offering little shade, no seating, and oftentimes a crowded traditional Thai longboat Vs the Barcelo speedboats. The boats leave the island on the half hour and return on the hour so you can face long waits if you don’t time trips well. While the new pier experience is great we did say there was still opportunity to uplift further offering more than just water. Perhaps remote check-in for new arrivals to avoid waiting at the pier and then having to check in on arrival at the island. Also perhaps to offer other drinks, snacks or even a cold scented towel which are available when you get to the island and would be a nice touch when having to wait on the pier after a flight or even a visit to the night market. There are now 4 restaurants in addition to room service. The menus across them offer a great range and there is also a good kids menu with both eastern and western options. Breakfast is comprehensive with continental options, egg stations, pastries, Asian fare and more. We found the team always super flexible with off menu requests or tweaks. We were on an all inclusive package which we definitely recommend, it’s very generous compared to some resorts we have experienced, and there was never a quibble when we ordered the kids something from the main menu. The food (especially in Kabang) is really fantastic (the rock lobster red curry and chicken and cashew dishes are must tries!). Pizzas at Kucina were really great too. The only criticism would be the wine choices on the AI package, no sparkling wine included and only one white - a Chilean Chardonnay, one red - a Chilean Merlot and one rose - French. The latter when cold was for us the best of the bunch. Kabang, Kucina and the new Laku were all open during our stay and we had good experiences at each. For the second time we have visited the japanese restaurant Koko was closed - not sure why. Kabang offers delicious traditional Thai meals, kucina Italian, laku Mediterranean and Kojo Japanese. The resort really is special, the views good for the soul, but it’s undeniable that properties are in need of refurbishment and repairs. Thankfully the new GM and assistant GM (who are both fantastic!) definitely recognise this and there is clearly already a lot of investment and refurbishments happening since the Barcelo acquisition which is very exciting and another reason we will absolutely look to return soon. While the refurbishments appear to have started with communal areas and the smaller suites and villas we can’t wait to see how they are applied to uplifting the beachfront properties which are always our pick! If you can stretch to one you will not be disappointed. Unfortunately this time we did have plumbing issues (a leaking bath tap meaning we had to wrap towels round the tap and shower head every time we ran a bath, and an ensuite shower not working throughout - thankfully we had a 3 bed villa with 3 bathrooms so could work around it) that went unresolved during our stay. There were lots of leaks and damp marks on ceilings and walls. We also stayed across two properties and both needed a really good intensive clean inside. Housekeeping do a good job generally of keeping on top of things but would need more time to properly get the properties into true 5-star order. Lots of scuffs, dents, scrapes and scratches on furniture, broken lamps and chairs and floors and doors which all need a good re-staining. The properties we stayed in could also benefit from new drapes/ curtains and the fabric of our bed headboards were faded, stained and ripped. Not ideal for a 5-star resort and under the former ownership perhaps a cause for concern but knowing the efforts Barcelo are going to, no doubt part of the planned refurbishments! It is also important to note this is a tropical island, expect rain in certain seasons that can catch you by surprise and throw curve balls - and definitely expect creatures in your villa - ghekos, millipedes, little frogs, and other little harmless friends - there really is nothing the hotel can do, just embrace it, they won’t hurt you. Dogs and cats are around the resort too. Again it’s an island, but all seem friendly and will leave you to it if you do them. As if the stunning, beautiful setting and villas were not enough - it’s the staff that really make barcelo coconut island special and we were delighted and touched that so many of the staff we had met 2 years before not only had remained but recognised us! The staff were helpful, personable and fantastic (and conducted themselves with great professionalism when faced with some rude guests!) - but there were a few stand out’s that we really needed to mention by name: Nureeyah in kabang - remembered us from 2 years prior and was just so great with the kids. She made us feel like family returning. What more can you ask for! Minny at kabang / is the sweetest smiliest person. So kind and helpful. Mark at kabang - is just wonderful, he brings genuine affection, personality and humour but is also always ‘on it’ proactively anticipating your needs Joy at Kabang - orchestrates her team with a quiet grace. It’s noticeable when she is ‘off island’ and her attention to detail is second to none, always watching and swooping in to action as needed Janice at Kabang - is always smiling and happy to help! Khloy jai at Kabang - thank you for always keeping the glasses full and delivering with a quiet skill. Mau in kucina - was very attentive and had a great memory even though we only visited a couple of times (as we are Thai food addicts so favours Kabang!) AE at the spa - seems to know exactly what your body needs. She has hands and cured all my aches! Bell - head of guest relations was ever helpful Liah - what an amazing assistant GM. Charming, friendly and proactive. You made us feel very valued. Other things to mention: The spa is fantastic. Be sure to book in advance as it’s understandably very popular. Kayaks are available for free and very fun. Bikes and other sports equipment. The water slides are a fun addition too and have recently been refurbished. A shop on-site was about to open. Hopefully it will sell basic supplies of snacks, inflatables, mozzie repellent and similar as well as gifts and other things to buy to take home. If you have kids we definitely recommend bringing pool toys and inflatables for your private pool (and a puncture repair kit!!) . Also bring mosquito plugs/ wipes/ sprays or bands - again it’s a tropical island… The beach is great, the water is warm. Few teeny jelly fish so might be worth bringing sting treatment in case. The waters clearness can be affected by weather. August is rainy season so the sand gets churned up in the storms. Again nothing the resort can do but after a few clear days it clears. Kids club is all new and a nice facility although best suited to younger kids - our 8 year old felt too babyish for him. Fire show on Thursday is really fab. A highlight for sure! The various live music acts during the week are a nice touch for atmosphere too. We hired a driver for the day through the hotel and visited the gibbon rehabilitation project and the Phuket elephant sanctuary both of which we booked direct. Both were fantastic experiences and ethical organisations. Please be aware if an elephant sanctuary offers rides, mud washing or or bathing with elephants it is not ethical. They are still wild animals and if they are in those situations and that close to humans it’s because they are hook trained. Avoid. Phuket night markets is definitely an experience as is Chilva. All in all the future for Barcelo coconut island is very exciting and we can’t wait to come back and see how this paradise is made even better! Read less