Luxury 5-Star Hotels in Phuket
8 Pool-Villa Resorts
by the Sea!

Amanpuri is the most storied luxury resort in Phuket and the first Aman in the world, opened in 1988 on a headland above Pansea Beach on the west coast, scoring the highest in this list at 9.8. The image people remember is the black square infinity pool reflecting a stand of tall coconut palms and an orange-roofed Thai pavilion, looking straight out over the Andaman Sea. Accommodation is 40 freestanding Thai pavilions and 40 private pool villas, set across a coconut grove. Down a stone stairway lies Pansea Beach, a white-sand crescent reserved for guests, with the Aman Spa and several restaurants on site.

The Nai Harn is a luxury resort set on a headland facing straight onto Nai Harn Beach, at the southern tip of Phuket — the first luxury resort to open in this part of the island, scoring 9.5 from 540 reviews (the most of any hotel here). Its strength is being the only building on Nai Harn Beach, regularly named among Phuket's best beaches, with every room opening onto a wide sea-facing terrace. There's a rooftop lounge for sunset over the bay and a wine list curated by world-renowned critic James Suckling. Worth knowing: it's at the far south end, a long drive into town or to the airport — the trade for a view and a calm that's hard to match.

Anantara Layan is a luxury pool-villa resort on Layan Beach, one of the quietest and prettiest bays on the island's northwest coast, scoring 9.6 with no negative review in two years. The resort tucks between the hills and the sea, with suites and private-pool villas running up to a Beachfront Pool Villa where you step from the pool straight onto the sand. On the dining side it has names like Zuma and Age on site, plus the Layan Life wellness centre and Anantara Spa. It's only about 20 minutes from the airport — much closer than many luxury resorts further south — a good fit if you want the luxury without the long drive.

COMO Point Yamu is a design resort on Cape Yamu, on the island's east coast, looking out over the limestone islets of Phang Nga Bay — a view the west-coast luxury resorts simply can't offer, scoring 9.5 from 205 reviews. The headliner is a turquoise infinity pool that runs about 100 metres along the cape's edge, with one shallow end for children and a deeper end for adults, flanked by a restaurant on each side. It was designed by Italian designer Paola Navone in bold blues and whites, with 79 rooms and suites and 27 private-pool villas, plus a COMO Shambhala wellness retreat. It's about 25 minutes from the airport.

Anantara Mai Khao is a resort where every stay is a private-pool villa, arranged around a lotus lagoon in southern-Thai village style, on Mai Khao Beach at the very north of the island, scoring 9.4 from 333 reviews. The grounds and lagoon were designed by landscape architect Bill Bensley, with wooden catwalks crossing magenta lotus ponds and the main pool stretching along the shoreline. Villas range from the Garden Pool Villa up to ones with a private sala built over the lagoon. Mai Khao is the longest beach in Phuket and borders the national park where sea turtles nest, so it stays quiet and natural. It's only about 15 minutes from the airport — the closest in this list.

Keemala is a villa resort unlike anywhere else in Phuket, headlined by its Tree Pool Houses — nest-shaped villas raised among the trees on the Kamala hillside, scoring 8.9 from 59 reviews. After dark the nest villas are lit so they look like lanterns suspended in the canopy. There are 38 villas in four styles tied to an invented clan's story, from the earthen Clay Pool Cottage up to the Tree Pool House and Bird's Nest — every one with its own pool. The outlook is over the treetops to Kamala village and the Andaman in the distance, with a Mala Spa and a yoga pavilion set in the forest. Worth knowing: it's up in the hills, not on a beach, so you ride down to Kamala Beach.

Sri Panwa is a pool-villa resort spread across Cape Panwa, at the island's southeast tip, perched about 60 metres above the sea, scoring 8.7 from 341 reviews. Out on the cape, the villas face both the sunrise and the sunset side, each with a private 12-metre infinity pool and a sala over the Andaman. The best-known spot is Baba Nest, a rooftop bar ringed by sea on nearly all sides, a sunset favourite (book ahead). There's a small private beach for kayaking. Worth knowing: the resort sprawls across a wide, steep cape, so you rely on the internal tuk-tuk throughout, and being at the far tip, it's a long drive into town.

Paresa is a pool-villa resort clinging to the Kamala cliff, on the coastal hill road between Patong and Kamala (Millionaire's Mile), scoring 9.0 from 175 reviews. The selling point is that every room and villa has its own sea-facing infinity pool — especially the Cliff Pool Villas, set lower on the cliff edge for an unobstructed 180-degree Andaman view. Its 42 rooms and villas look out over the sea and the sunset, with a Michelin Plate restaurant and a spa perched on the cliff. Worth knowing: it sits high on the cliff with no sandy beach of its own, so you ride down to Kamala Beach, and the access is a winding hill road.