The Racha Hotel on Racha Yai Island ~ Hotel Accommodation

The Racha Resort is located on Racha Yai Island about 20 kilometers south of Phuket, so right away you have something different. Racha Yai is a small island with sandy beaches, shallow reefs, and is a place I have been countless times for diving - day trips come here every day from Phuket. If you stay here, you can't complain that it's too far from town, or too far from the nightlife - I guess you will stay here if you WANT to be away from the crowds and away from the bars. The resort has an environmental message (their website says "the resort strives to be recognised as a leader in responsible and environmentally sustainable tourism") which I think must be important when you are based on a small island - you have to take care of resources.

The Racha has 70 villas, some with private pools, all overlooking the ocean and it's a view without any concrete or other hotels, just ocean. I note that some reviews mention the beach in front of the resort - it's not a private beach, maybe some people are expecting it to be - but daytrippers also use the beach.. they can't use the huge infinity horizon pool though :) Of course for a hotel like The Racha you are not paying low rates, right now I see rates on Agoda from about 15,000 Baht per night (for April) or only about 6000 Baht in low season. The resort has several restaurants which will also be priced to match.. and on Racha Yai island don't expect to find many more dining options save for a couple of small beachside places. The Racha is a little hideaway, good for hiding from the world and being looked after.

Reviews on Agoda are very positive, and it probably should be on my Best Phuket Hotels list, except when I wrote the list it was not in the TripAdvisor Top 10 .. it is now, though that list changes daily.. always makes me laugh that in among all the reviews saying "paradise" you get one terrible review, it's the same for all hotels and you learn which ones to ignore!

The Racha Resort - Booking & Information Links

• The Racha Resort - Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• The Racha Resort - Guest Reviews at Agoda.com

The Racha Resort - Photos

The Racha Suite