At The Racha, you will experience a true island resort: modern villas surrounded by greenery, an infinity pool overlooking the bay, and a location that gives you goosebumps as soon as you arrive by speedboat. However, it’s not quite perfect – during the day, the beach can get crowded with day trippers from Phuket. Read on to find out why a stay here is still worthwhile and how the resort makes up for this with its service, natural surroundings, and relaxed atmosphere.
Review #80
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Contents
Location
The Racha is spectacularly located on the island of Koh Racha Yai, south of Phuket, and feels like a hidden oasis in a picture book. No hustle and bustle, no busy streets, just pure nature – simply paradise! Even on the journey there, you can feel how far away you are from everyday life – and once there the sea awaits visitors with the perfect snorkeling backdrop.
Arrival
If you are already traveling in southern Thailand, you can easily reach Phuket by car or minivan—the Sarasin Bridge takes you directly to the island. From Krabi, the journey takes about 3 hours, depending on traffic, and from Khao Lak about 1.5 hours.
Even if you are traveling by long-distance bus, you can arrive stress-free: The bus station in Phuket Town is well connected, and of course, you can also fly directly to Phuket International Airport. From there, it takes about 45 minutes by taxi to Patong and about 30 minutes to Phuket Town. Depending on your destination, the airport bus takes 60–90 minutes – but it is also significantly cheaper.
How to get to the resort
We arrived on the early Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, where we spent a weekend and stayed at the surprisingly great The Athenee and the not-so-surprisingly bad Royal Orchid Sheraton Riverside Hotel Bangkok. With a slight delay, we landed at Phuket International Airport at around 9:15 a.m.
Since we only had a domestic flight, we didn’t have to go through passport control, so we could pick up our suitcases and jump into our Grab outside straight away.
To get to The Racha Resort on the island, you first have to go to the Welcome Lounge located in the very south of the island and take the shuttle boat from there. Due to the early departure, we were both really exhausted and basically slept the entire hour until we arrived at the Lounge.
Check-in
Welcome Lounge
As we arrived at the Welcome Lounge, we were greeted warmly, but rather rushed, practically pushed inside and taken straight to the reception desk. We were both a little overwhelmed and completely taken aback by this situation. The lounge was quite crowded and noisy. We didn’t really know where to go and would have liked to put our bags down first, or at least take a moment to settle in.
We were then asked to hand in our passports at the reception desk, check in, connect our cell phones to the Wi-Fi, download the app, scan a QR code, choose a scent for our villa, and were given a card with the number of our villa. We only had what felt like a minute to do all that – resulting in us being completely stressed out.
All these things are basically really good and well thought out, but we had absolutely no space to settle in first, and also felt totally rushed physically – considering the fact that we are two tall men I don´t even want to start how others might experience this check-in process!
Once we had quickly taken care of everything, we were able to grab two drinks from the buffet, go to the restroom, and sit down for about 5 minutes. As I said, the room was quite full, and 90% of the other guests were Chinese families with at least one child each – so it was quite noisy with all the kids running around and parents shouting.
After we had just finished our drinks, someone announced in a very loud voice that departure would begin in a few moments. Then, as if we were on an organized group tour, the villa numbers were called out. I must admit I was completely confused because, in all the hustle and bustle, I hadn’t realized that we already knew our villa number! So I couldn’t really understand what was happening. There was complete chaos with families looking for their children, people rushing to the toilet, and families blocking all aisles without knowing where to go.
It really almost felt like being transported to a rafting tour and had absolutely nothing to do with the warm welcome you would expect of a 5-star hotel! Not to mention a relaxed start to your vacation!
Boat trip to the island
After we were loaded onto the open transport buses, we drove quite a distance to the very end of the pier, where the boat was already waiting. There was quite a bit of chaos there too, because no one really knew where to go and everyone just did what they thought was best—but without any order. As a result, the last bench on the boar was the first to fill up, so that it became basically impossible to pass through to the benches in the front of the boat.
The boat ride itself was very cool, though. The captain really hit the gas, and we arrived at The Racha in a good 25 minutes where we were greeted by incredibly fantastic, crystal-clear, turquoise water and a dreamlike bay. All the guests then made their way across a floating jetty to the reception.
Welcome at the resort
Once there, we were greeted with another welcome drink and a cold, fragrant towel. Unfortunately, chaos hit again. No one knew what to do next — there was no communication about next steps or where to go to wait.
Unfortunately, we were upon the last to deboard and therefore no more room was left for us to sit in the shade, resulting in us standing somewhat indecisively to the side. Here, too, the villa numbers were simply called out due to the confusion happening. Most of the guests tried to keep their children under control, wanted to take their first selfies, or simply weren’t paying attention.
As a result, there was a lot of chaos. Here, too, there was no sign of a relaxed atmosphere at the start of your stay. It felt more like arriving at a youth hostel. And I have to say that I find it really inappropriate to just call out villa numbers and completely depersonalize the guests. That’s not what a welcome at a 5-star hotel looks like!
One party after another was then taken to their villas – we and three other parties were left behind. All we were told was that the villa wasn’t ready yet. Period. And okay. We had arrived well before 12:00 and check-in time is 3:00 p.m. Fair enough. This is the regular handling procedure and, of course, it’s for technical reasons – we totally understand. But we were all just left completely in the lurch. Now just see what you can do, everyone. I found this to be really harsh!!
I mean, this shouldn’t be an issue as it probably happens every day! What’s the alternative? I don’t need anything for free or so, but at least some information! And preferably some information BEFORE I arrive, so I can prepare for it.
In my opinionat this point it would have been appropriate to tell the remaining guests what they could do now. Is there a possibility to put on our swimsuits and jump straight into the sea? Can I have something for lunch? Is there a drink somewhere, or at least water? I mean, it was well over 30 degrees in the midday heat and we were all sitting there in the open lobby, sweating.
Honestly?! All in all, we found all this so incredibly poorly organized — I really can’t believe this procedure happens three times a day! That’s crazy.
At this point, we were already fed up and had had enough… but in the end still decided we would like to go swimming. To do so, we needed our two suitcases. However, these first had to be laboriously unloaded from the transport vehicle. Then we had to go to the gym to get changed. Apparently, no one had ever done that before! Weird, right?!
Afterwards, we couldn’t leave our suitcases at the reception desk, but had to take them to the villa. Fine by us. But we weren’t allowed to bring our personal belongings inside; an employee had to do that for us. Fabi needed something from his suitcase, which meant he had to open it on the stairs in front of the villa door in the blazing midday sun and search for the items he needed while the employee watched. Only after that was the suitcase brought inside.
I can tell you – after that, we were really done and had absolutely no desire to stay at The Racha. That was by far the most disastrous welcome experience ever! Either everything went wrong in this case, or the execution was just incredibly poorly planned and implemented. In the end, both ways are completely unacceptable.
However, when we spoke to the front office manager directly, she just looked at us with wide eyes and obviously spoke directly to her colleague working at the lounge, but didn’t seem to understand what the problem was.
The Racha at a glance
Since opening in October 2004, 85 villas of all sizes have been spread out among lush gardens – from cozy Deluxe Villas to Grand Pool Suites with private infinity pools and views of the bay.
The centerpiece is the large infinity pool, which seems to merge into the sea. Surrounding it are the laid-back Earth Café, the Sunset Beach restaurant, and, of course, the Anumba Spa. The lobby is open and airy with a view of the water—perfect for sundowners.
The Racha offers its guests its own app, which must be downloaded during check-in. In principle, this is a good idea, but in the end, it was nothing more than just advertising. Unfortunately, the push notifications usually came in bursts, and I received up to seven messages within 15 minutes. All of them were either advertisements or information about not jumping off the natural stone wall at the beach or that the island offers unique flora and fauna.
So the added value of the app was really minimal, except the fact that you can view all restaurants menus and get a little information about the island and the hotel, or of course book activities.
The hotel’s guests are mainly Chinese, most of whom unfortunately don’t understand English and are obviously used to group tours. The hotel has adapted to this, unfortunately!
During our stay, there were also a lot of small children around – something you should be aware of if you’re looking for a peaceful and relaxing holiday!
Villa
The Racha offers only villas, and the smallest category are essentially semi-detached houses. Some villas are divided into a ground floor and first floor, while all others are detached villas, some with a pool and some with partial or full sea views. There are 12 different villa types in total, which makes the selection a little confusing, and some of the differences are only noticeable upon closer inspection.
We booked directly with Mr. & Mrs. Smith through Hyatt and as a special benefit for doing so, we additionally received a bottle of wine.
As always, we booked the lowest category – in this case, a Deluxe Villa, which is what we were assigned. With Mr. & Mrs. Smith, there are normally no upgrades when booking special rates or based on status.
So Villa No. 309 will be ours for the next few nights. Let’s take a look at it together.
Source: theracha.com
Welcome
As a welcome gift, a bottle of red wine and a fruit basket were waiting for us in the villa. Surprisingly, we were also congratulated on our honeymoon—we didn’t even know we had just gotten married… What a surprise! 😉
Living- and bedroom
Upon entering, you will find yourself in the large room. To the left of the entrance is a built-in couch in front of the window with a small table and a TV on a wall shelf next to it. To the left of the bed is a small desk and to the right of the bed is a luggage rack.
To the right of the entrance door is a built-in wardrobe containing two different types of slippers, bathrobes, umbrellas, various mosquito repellents, a hair dryer, and everything you need if you want to have your clothes dry cleaned by the hotel staff. In addition, upon checking in at the lounge, you chose a fragrance for your villa, which is distributed throughout the room via a fragrance lamp. There is also a small plush frog that you can place in the small box next to the villa number by the door if you do not wish to be disturbed.
The king-size bed is positioned opposite the entrance door against the wall, and there is a lamp and power outlets on both bedside tables, as well as a telephone with a notepad and pen on the left-hand table.
The minibar is located right next to the wall cabinet and, in addition to a stocked refrigerator, also offers a coffee machine using capsules, cups, tea, water, and various spirits and snacks on the sideboard, as well as two flasks, featuring a The Racha logo, that can be purchased. There is also a safe, kettle, and glasses. Except for water, coffee, and tea, everything else is subject to a charge.
Bathroom
The spacious bathroom features a bathtub on the left hand side and a sink on the right, displaying a variety of locally produced amenities presented in handmade clay pots, as well as a walk-in shower and toilet, each in their own small rooms. In addition, there is a great outdoor shower in the small garden behind the room.
View
In addition to a simple table with two chairs, the terrace also offers a covered sofa for relaxing.
Change to Villa No. 210
As soon as we entered the villa, we realized that it was unfortunately located right on the resort’s “main road” and that the path leading to the main entrance for all employees began right outside the door, about 30 meters away. As a result, the view was not great and there was quite a bit of traffic outside the door.
Inside the villa, we noticed that the door didn’t close properly and had a gap at the top and bottom through which we could see outside. On the one hand, this meant that all the noise from outside could be heard inside and, more importantly, that mosquitoes could easily find their way into the villa in the evening.
So we asked for a new villa and were able to view Villa No. 210 a short time later. We found this one much better and were able to move in about 30 minutes later.
In fact, the move was also an upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Villa, which of course came with a little more space and a really great view. What we simply didn’t understand was that The Racha wasn’t fully booked and the management could easily have booked us a better room in the same category which would have prevented stress on both sides.
Source: theracha.com
Welcome
Here, too, the welcome gift was already waiting for us once we moved in. This time, however, without congratulations on our honeymoon! 😉
Living- and bedroom
The room is somewhat similar in layout to the previous room, so when you enter, you are immediately in the actual living room and bedroom. To the right of the entrance door, the couch is built in front of the window, with a small table in front of it. The TV is placed on a shelf on the back wall, and behind the bed is a room divider that doubles as a back wall for the desk behind it. There is a luggage rack on the right and left sides of the table.
On the left side of the back wall of the room, there is a built-in wardrobe that also contains two different types of slippers, bathrobes, umbrellas, various mosquito repellents, a hair dryer, and everything you need if you want to have your clothes cleaned by the hotel staff.
This room is also very clean and, in keeping with the weather, kept rather cool, but unfortunately also not very cozy. In addition, the air conditioning was unfortunately quite loud.
The king-size bed was quite comfortable, although I didn’t find the mattress particularly good. Each guest is provided with two pillows of the same size, but with different fillings. The blanket for both sleepers is rather light and was a little too light and cool for my liking – but that’s entirely a matter of taste.
As in the other room, there are lamps and power sockets on both bedside tables. On the left is the telephone with a notepad and pen. On the right is the remote control for the TV.
The minibar is located in the left cupboard and offers basically the same items as in the other room. Only the selection in the refrigerator is a little larger and there is a little more storage space.
Bathroom
The large bathroom has a washbasin with sink and various amenities in handmade clay pots directly to the right and left of the door – unfortunately, however, there is no aftersun, as is customary at other beach resorts.
Straight ahead, in front of a large window, is the bathtub, with the toilet on the left and the spacious walk-in shower on the right. In the small garden behind the house, there is also a really wonderful outdoor shower.
Turndown
The Racha offers its guests a daily turndown service, during which the bed covers are turned back and information for the coming day and the pillow menu are provided. In addition, the shutters are closed and cozy lighting is switched on for the night. On top of that, on our last evening we were also given a small wooden elephant as a souvenir!
View
The large terrace is laid out in the same way as in the previous room, but is much more beautifully situated and overgrown. And the view extends through palm trees over parts of the bay. Here, life feels wonderfully tropical. The only thing missing for perfect happiness here are deck chairs.
Other rooms
As already mentioned, The Racha has a somewhat confusing number of different room/villa types. Most of these are beautifully spread across the property and surrounded by lush vegetation. However, we noticed two types in particular that we cannot really recommend.
The combinations of the Spa Pool Suite downstairs and the Junior Pool Suite upstairs are located in such a way that the lower terraces are fully visible and, above all, are all built along main paths, some even on the main entrance to the resort, so that, as in our first room, a large part of the traffic of people and, above all, vehicles passes directly by. Personally, I would have been very annoyed to have such a room – especially at that price!
Resort activities
Pools & Beach
In addition to the beautiful beach, The Racha also offers its guests two pools. All three locations have cold water from coolers that you can help yourself to which is a nice gesture. But also you need to know that the water is there in the first place and that you can simply help myself to it. A sign would have been really helpful here. I also have to mention that the pool boy was standing right next to the box, bored, and could have easily brought out some water to the guests. Other resorts do better—they serve every guest a glass of water as soon as they sit down on a lounger.
Usually, there are also cushions on the loungers and a towel prepared at each spot—unfortunately, this is not the case here. Also, sunscreen was not provided either.
However, I must mention positively that there is a small button placed at each table by the loungers to call the service staff so you can place orders, which works great.
Garden Pool
The Garden Pool, idyllically located at the rear of the resort, is open to all guests and the only pool that allows families with children under the age of 12. It is relatively shaded and built on a slope over several levels. It’s a great place to relax, and you’re not exposed to the blazing sun, which can become quite intense when blazing down from a cloudless sky.
Interestingly, this pool was almost completely empty during all of our visits, with only one other family with two children there besides us during one stay. As a result, we were able to relax in peace and quiet basically all the time.
Interestingly there was a bar which was unstaffed all of the time. Accordingly, there were no call buttons available.
Kid´s Pool
There is no kids’ pool as such, but there is a very shallow area in the garden pool that is great for splashing around with the little ones.
Adults only Pool
The pool is magnificently located on the first floor above the central restaurant and offers a fantastic view over the entire bay. The wonderfully long pool invites you to swim a few laps, but you can also make yourself comfortable on sun loungers placed on three sides where you can enjoy the stunning view. Pairs of sun loungers with umbrellas are grouped around the pool, of which a maximum of three were occupied during our stay. However, apart from the parasols, there is no other protection from the sun. So it’s important to use sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids, as it gets very, very hot up here.
Unfortunately, the rule of children under the age of 12 not being allowed here is not enforced at all.
Beach
In Thailand, all beaches must be accessible to the public by law, and accordingly, there are only very few selected hotels that have a private beach or are located so remote that the beaches are public but not visited by anyone else than hotel guests.
The beach in Patok Bay is really wide, with fine sand, flooded with light, and perfect through all tides. You can even swim here at low tide and enjoy fantastic snorkeling — the variety of fish is truly amazing for such a popular bay! The crystal-clear water really invites you to linger.
In the morning and afternoon, hotel guests have the beach practically to themselves, but there are also many daily visitors who arrive by boat at the jetty from mid-morning until early afternoon. The first guests arrive around 10:00 a.m., and it can get quite busy until around 4:00 p.m. But before and after that, it’s really very quiet.
Gym
Located at the rear of the spa is the OM Studio, where daily yoga classes are held at 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. There is also a fitness studio with a small number of machines and a free weights area, which is sufficient for a decent workout.
In addition, The Racha offers its guests the opportunity to work up a sweat on two tennis courts free of charge and then relax in a small mixed sauna.
Spa
The Anumba Spa offers a wide range of treatments for its guests in eight individual treatment huts. The huts are furnished modestly and arranged around a beautiful open courtyard.
Tours
There are, of course, various excursions to neighboring islands, or for snorkeling and diving. You can also take guided walking tours of the island.
In addition, The Racha has its own dive center, and you can rent bicycles to explore the island.
Specials
The Racha is an environmentally sustainable hotel with its own biogas plant, waste recycling, water treatment, and drinking water bottling facility. In addition, the pools are not chlorinated but kept clean with ozone and UV light, which is much better for the environment, of course, but also makes it a lot less harmful for your skin to swim in. We really noticed the difference! The swimming experience is much better and your skin doesn’t dry out as much.
The hotel also has its own venue for larger events, such as weddings. Equipped with its own pool, it is located at the left end of the beach and offers fantastic views of the bay and seating sufficient for a really large wedding or party.
Restaurants
Earth Café
The Racha’s all-day dining restaurant offers Thai and international dishes with a view of the beach. Outside, you have a beautiful view — especially in the evening during sunset. The interior is air-conditioned but is located right below the adults-only pool. As a result, the supporting columns are very thick and the windows facing the beach are rather narrow. The view from here is therefore only partially good and mostly obstructed.
We had dinner here on our first evening and, to Fabi’s great delight, we had an air-conditioned seat inside. The service was extremely friendly and very fast. The food was very tasty – but beware: I didn’t order spicy food, and by German standards it was quite spicy. So if you don’t like spicy food, I would recommend a Western option – which basically applies to the whole of Thailand anyway.
In addition, the kitchen and restaurant staff also serve the adults-only pool and the beach. We shared a light lunch at both locations and really enjoyed the food.
Sunset Restaurant
Located right next to the Water Sports Center at the outer end of the resort, this restaurant mainly offers Thai seafood specialties and grilled dishes for lunch and dinner. This restaurant has a completely open layout and therefore only offers al fresco seating options.
Bamboo
This restaurant is located on the first floor by the adults-only pool and serves modern Thai cuisine indoors and outdoors.
Lobby Bar
The Lobby Bar is located directly opposite the lobby on the beach and offers a superb view of the bay and, above all, unparalleled views of the sunset!
By the way: all restaurants at the resort, but especially here, care is taken to ensure that guests are dressed appropriately and do not wear swimwear staying there.
Gerardo’s Gelato is also located on the public path, offering delicious ice cream for a tasty snack.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at The Racha in the Earth Café near the beach. It consists of a buffet and offers a relatively large selection of hearty Asian dishes. There is also a separate egg station where you can even order Eggs Benedict and similar dishes. In addition, a daily altering hot dish is offered.
Coffee variations are ordered and served at your table, but juices, sparkling wine, egg dishes, and food must be picked up from the buffet. However, the service is really very nice, and we felt very comfortable and welcomed here.
Check-out
Unfortunately, check-out at The Racha is similar to check-in. Everyone wants to pay and check out at the same time. Most people take the boat at lunchtime in order to be able to still enjoy a relaxed breakfast. Accordingly, the reception was very busy. However, we had already paid for everything the night before and only had to hand in our key.
Once we returned the key, we were given a small laminated card that divided us into two groups for the two boats. While we waited, we were able to order a drink and had an delicious iced coffee latte!
Costs
For these two nights at The Racha at the end of April 2025, we paid THB 16,800 for the lowest room category. At the time of our stay, that was equivalent to around EUR 442. The upgrade to the next higher room category was not charged, and breakfast was included.
Onward journey
Like all the other guests, we first took the speedboat back to the pier, which took a good half hour, and then a pickup truck to the Welcome Lounge in Phuket. From there, we took a Grab to the next Welcome Lounge as we are continuing our journey to Naka Island and from there even further to Koh Phangan and the Anantara Rasananda! So stay tuned. It’s going to be exciting!
Conclusion
It’s a little difficult for me to summarize The Racha. The hotel’s location is simply fantastic. The beach and the sea right outside the door are breathtakingly beautiful, and this place really gives you that perfect tropical dream beach feeling!
But although the complex itself is beautiful and modern, it’s really not in very good condition anymore and, unfortunately, it’s not cozy or comfortable at all, but fowl rather cold. With very little effort, an incredibly positive effect could be achieved. For example, where are the curtains in the rooms/villas? Where are the sun loungers on the terraces? And where are the pictures on the walls?
In addition, the really difficult mass processing on arrival and departure leaves us a little perplexed, as we said. Unfortunately!
We can definitely recommend The Racha for families. This hotel offers everything you could wish for while travelling with children. The only thing missing is a playground, but all other activities are well provided for.
Couples and solo travelers looking for absolute peace and quiet should choose another resort, however. Unfortunately, The Racha cannot offer that. Regrettably, the ultimate luxury feeling is not there at all, and accordingly, we place the hotel in the midscale segment on our scale.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
Unfortunately, we can only award The Racha 7 out of 10 possible points.
The check-in experience was simply a disaster, and the first room we were booked into was really not okay. In addition, you share the beach during the day with what can be a lot of noisy day tourists.
Go there?
Yes. With some reservations, we can recommend staying at The Racha. I think it’s really important to have the right expectations for this hotel. If you arrive here with the right assumption I am sure you can have a great vacation here!
Book with us
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✔ Free breakfast
✔ Upgrade subject to availability
✔ $100 hotel credit
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You can find all the details on our Booking Hub.
YouTube Review
If you’d like to see more great shots from The Racha, I highly recommend checking out our YouTube review! Enjoy!
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