Last Updated on August 21, 2022 by Tina
In my review of Must Sea Hotel Kata, I mentioned that prior to the pandemic I always stay in hostels whenever I travel solo. Aside from the price, hostels are a good place to meet other people and if you know how to look, there are actually a lot of really chic and cheap hostels (they are called poshtels). However, during my trip to Phuket last June, I skipped the hostels. Aside from it being my birthday trip, I didn’t feel comfortable sharing a room with strangers yet knowing that the pandemic is not yet over. For that trip, I stayed for 2 nights in At Panta Phuket – Thai Villas (Ma Doo Bua Phuket) in Thalang, and 4 nights at Must Sea Hotel in Kata.
In this post, I’ll share with you my experience with At Panta Phuket and what I think about this accommodation.
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At Panta Phuket – Thai Villas (Ma Doo Bua Phuket) Review
At Panta Phuket (they changed the name in Agoda and Booking.com to Ma Doo Bua Phuket) is a 4-star resort in Phuket with Thai-style villas. According to their website, it is the only resort on the island that offers a unique stay in a replica of a traditional Thai village. The primary reason I booked this resort is its restaurant, Ma Doo Bua. I wanted to have a drone picture in the wooden Thai boat in their lotus pond. Not that I can’t have my photo taken there if I didn’t check in. I just thought it was a nice place to stay for my 40th birthday.
At Panta Phuket Location
At Panta Phuket is far from the main tourist areas like Patong, Kata, and Karon. It takes more than an hour by car to Patong Beach and the fare is around THB 600 to THB 700 with Grab and less than THB 400 with Bolt.
It is also far from the beach. The nearest is probably 6 km away. There are restaurants, banks, supermarkets, and convenience stores in the area but you will have to walk for maybe 15 to 20-minutes to get to these places. And there is no money changer nearby. You’ll have to go to Boat Avenue for that. Boat Avenue is a shopping mall 5 km away from At Panta.
However, At Panta is only 15 minutes from Phuket International Airport. Also, the bus from the airport, Phuket Smart Bus passes through the resort. The fare is only THB 100, much cheaper than a Grab ride which costs around THB 500 to 600. Having said that, if you are planning to stay in At Panta, I recommend staying there on the day of your arrival in Phuket or before your departure.
Rooms and Villas
At Panta Phuket has plenty of options for Thai-style accommodations. These are Mini Studio Rooms, Studio Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Traditional Thai Villas, Poolside Thai Villas, Two Bedroom Connecting Door, and Three Bedroom Thai Villa.
I stayed in a Poolside Thai Villa. The Poolside Thai Villas are spread around the free-form swimming pool. All villas have a private balcony.
The villa has a bathtub with an overhead shower, a daybed, a closet, a dresser with a mirror, a hair dryer, a telephone, a flat-screen TV, wifi, an in-room safe, a kettle, and a mini ref. The bed is king-sized and super comfortable. Coffee, tea, and bottled water are provided. Bathrobes, bedroom slippers, bath towels, pool towels, and toiletries are also provided.
The room was very clean and spacious. Prior to booking, I read in a review that the rooms are old and need renovation. I think they renovated it during the lockdown because the room looks fine. I have no complaints except probably the water from the shower. When I first opened it, the water that came out smelled like rust. It wasn’t a big deal though because after letting it flow for a few minutes, the smell was gone.
Below are some pictures from the room and a video so you could see how At Panta Phuket looks like.
At Panta Phuket Facilities
At Panta Phuket has a restaurant called Ma Doo Bua Cafe. It is very famous because of the photogenic activities at the pond with floating giant lily pads. The resort also has shops selling cute bags, hats, and dresses (they’re quite pricey though). There is also a shop offering clay workshops.
The resort also has a gym and a spa that I wasn’t able to check out. The resort also offers Thai cooking classes if you are looking for something to do. And it has a swimming pool and some daybeds around it. There are also sun loungers by the pond.
The Price
For the type of accommodation and the facilities of the resort, I’d say it is reasonably priced. It is more expensive than my room in Must Sea Hotel Kata and probably the same price as our small hotel room in Singapore during our visit there last April. You can check the prices of the villas and rooms here.
You can book a room or villa in At Panta with either Agoda or Booking.com. I booked mine with Booking.com because rooms in At Panta are not refundable if ever you cancel. However, with Booking.com, you have the option to reschedule it in case there are changes in your travel plans.
By the way, I just discovered while searching for the affiliate link of At Panta in Agoda and Booking.com that they changed the name to Ma Doo Bua Phuket already. So if you click the link above, it will take you to Ma Doo Bua Phuket and not At Panta. They’re just the same.
The Staff
If there is one thing common in the reviews I have read about At Panta Phuket, it is that their staff are very nice, and I agree. They are very accommodating, especially their front office manager Maliya. She made sure that I am comfortable during my stay in At Panta, and she made my birthday very memorable. Read my birthday post for the details. She also answered very patiently all the questions I asked about where to exchange money, and how to get to the beach, and she even recommended a beautiful beach to visit.
At Panta Phuket Policies and Conditions
- They accept cash and card payments.
- You need to give THB 500 for the room key deposit. They will return the money to you when you return the key during your check-out.
- Check-in time is from 14:00 pm until 18:00 and check-out time is until 12 noon.
- All children are welcome.
- Pets are not allowed
- I’m not sure how it is on their website, but with Agoda and Booking.com, cancellation is not allowed. With Booking.com, you can rebook it to a different date in case there is a change in your schedule.
I hope this post helps you decide whether to stay in At Panta Phuket (Ma Doo Bua Phuket) or not on your trip to Phuket. I had a wonderful experience staying there and I would love to go back there again next time, even if it is far from everything. And to end this post, I am sharing this photo I took in the room for my birthday post on Instagram. I wanted to have a boudoir photoshoot for my 40th birthday but I found it impractical to spend on so I decided to just do it myself and I think I did well.
