Hotel Review – Keemala Resort in Phuket

Keemala Resort is tucked away and hidden in lush nature of Kamala in Phuket, and here you’ll find a unique hotel experience. During our recent trip to Phuket, we stayed here for 2 nights via a Media Stay with Small Luxury Hotels. 

Keemala resort is not like any other place, the architecture is  cool, well-planned and you even get your own jungle villa. Every type of cottage and villa has its own charm and personality. It’s a luxurious yet humble place with a local touch, and here’s a full review of our stay and experience at Keemala resort in Phuket. 

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Room Standard (Tent Pool Villa)

We stayed in a Tent Pool Villa, but also got the see the Clay Cottage. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see their famous Bird’s nest villa, because they were all fully-booked, so we will save that for next time!

However, our villa was more than enough and I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying that this villa will inspire you to redecorate your home! Everything is well-thought and fits perfectly within the jungle theme, yet gives a modern feel.

When you arrive, you’ll first see an outdoor place and a small glimpse of your own private pool. And when you open the door and enter you’ll come into the bedroom and living room where you have a nice desk and a lovely canopy bed. You also got your own sound system and a TV, and of course a mini bar (which is btw complimentary, except alcohol).

In front of your bed, you have an amazing view and your own private pool. Quite a dream place to wake up at. Next to the bedroom, you have a small place with a nice mirror and makeup table. And on the other side of the wall is the bathroom featuring your own bathtub and the most lovely sink details I’ve ever seen.

Instead of a normal and “boring” sink, Keemala has gone for a wooden barrel which immediately enhances the jungle vibes. If that weren’t enough, you can also enjoy an indoor shower as well as a fenced outdoor shower for full privacy.

It’s also possible to enter the pool and a small chillout spot with two sunbeds from the bathroom. All in all, this is a really luxurious jungle dream, and I’m actually having a hard time to describe how wonderful it really is, and I’m not exaggerating.

This is what you get when booking a Tent Pool Villa

• Spacious bedroom with comfortable canopy bed with fluffy pillows and soft sheets

• Bathroom with tub, shower, outdoor rain shower and free toiletries.

• Daily cleaning

• Bathrobes and slippers

• Hairdryer

• Terrace

• Private Pool

• Flatscreen TV with premium channels

• Docking station for iPhone and Android

• Desk

• Air-conditioning

• MiniBar (everything except the alcohol is free)

• Free WiFi

• Free Water

• Room service

• Iron/ironing board

• Tea/coffee maker

• Phone

• Safe

Breakfast

Breakfast is not included in all prices, but it’s possible to pay extra to get a nice breakfast buffet or just choose whatever you like from the menu. It’s a varied and most of all a healthy breakfast. We went mostly for the smoothie bowls and tried several of their health drinks, and of course a morning coffee.

There is also the possibility to have eggs and various pastries/bread as well as fruit. You can even get waffles if you’re a sweet-toothed breakfast person (I’m really not, I’m a sandwich guy), but the smoothie bowl was amazing.

On Friday’s you can also have duck eggs directly from their Duck Villa.

Outside the room

You might want to stay in the villa all day and just enjoy it, but outside your cottage/villa await a lush nature as well as a gym, leisure area, pool and a relaxing spa experience. You can also enjoy the tree house lounge or find a nice book to read in the library.

If you want, you can also go the meditation spot, which is situated under the waterfall. If you’re interested in seeing the garden where they grow most of their breakfast and restaurant products, you can tag along on a garden tour.

They grow everything from mushrooms to salad as well as various fruits and herbs. Impressive and nice that you know where the food is coming from.

Other types of villas

While we stayed in a Pool tent villa, we did also get to see two other villas, which was fun as every type is different and offers a unique experience. Here below are some photos that we took in the other types of villas.

Restaurant

Both our nights at Keemala were finished off at their restaurant where we tried several dishes. Our First night, Chef Poonsak recommended a mix of Thai and Indian styled food, and it was very well-made. The other night Chef Poonsak again gave us some good recommendations.

We tried their famous Himalayan Salt Brick dishes, which you might have heard of if you’re a foodie. I tried the Lamb dish cooked on a salt brick, and Christine had Tiger prawns. You don’t even need sauce on this as the salt will naturally season the food and cook it to perfection.

If you eat at Keemala’s restaurant I can highly recommend their Himalayan Salt Brick Dishes. It’s a signature dish that you won’t find anywhere else in Thailand.

For the drinks, we tried several as well. If you like mocktails, the butterfly mojito is a great choice, and if you want something stronger, I would recommend their rum cocktails, they’re delicious, and it’s their signature alcoholic drink.

Spa

During our stay, we also tried their Spa experience, where we enjoyed a nice Thai Herbal bath, and afterward a harmonizing massage with oil. It makes you feel relaxed both during the massage and afterward as well.

The masseuse was professional and had a firm grip. We did a couples massage, so Me and Christine were in the same room next to each other. If you want to try some other massage, they also have deep tissue massage or classic Thai massage.

If you’re more into beauty treatments you can enjoy facials, body scrubs, organic rituals, manicures, and pedicures.

Staff

The staff is very attentive and friendly. You will feel spoiled while staying here, and they insist on helping you with a smile. Upon arrival, you will be driven in a buggy to the lobby, and you can request a buggy to pick you up at the villa at any time you please.

The same goes for the restaurant staff and reception. Always welcoming and smiling, and if you have any questions they will give you an answer asap. A special shoutout to Chef Poonsak, who is the executive chef at Keemala. He greeted us in best possible way and always made sure we were satisfied with the food.

He even gave us a private tour in the garden of Keemala. You can tell that he loves his job, and he’s very passioned about the food and also Keemala itself.

WiFi

I had no problems with the Wi-Fi at all, not even when we wandered in the jungle. Keemala Resort is quite big since every villa has its own private space, but still, somehow they have managed to have excellent WiFi everywhere.

Location

Away from the hustle and bustle in Phuket. The location is great and if you want to visit the beach as well, there is a free shuttle every day to Kamala Beach. Otherwise, you can just get a taxi to Karon or Bang Tao, or any other beach in Phuket peninsula.

However, if you want walking distance to shops and nightlife, then the location is not ideal. But if you want a relaxing vacation with a luxurious and local touch, then Kemala resort offers the perfect location.

It’s remote enough to give those real jungle vibes, yet close enough to actually be able to go to shops and bars without a long waiting time.

Summary of my stay at the Keemala Resort

Probably the best resort we’ve ever stayed at, and one of the luxury stays that provide the most value for the money. The service is top notch, the villas are unique, the food is amazing and the nearby nature is calming. In whole, there is really nothing bad to say about Kemala.

I was actually sad to leave and could easily have stayed several days more. Even the general manager Conor O’Leary and Pr staff My Deasakorn Khamkar was very humble, genuine and friendly both toward us and their staff, and I think that says a lot about a hotel.

I couldn’t recommend this place enough, and I’m 110% sure that you will be happy to choose Keemala as the place to spend your dream vacation. Keemala resort is more than a hotel, it’s an experience and their promise to be more than”Beyond Enchanting” is very true.

Book your stay and find flights to Phuket

• You can book your stay at Keemala here
• Here is the cheapest flight tickets to Phuket