Angsana Laguna Phuket — Phuket's longest pool at 323 metres, a lagoon-front flagship on Bang Tao Beach
If you've ever seen photos of cream-yellow buildings with dark Thai-style gabled roofs mirrored in still lagoon water behind Bang Tao Beach, you've seen Angsana Laguna Phuket — the flagship and largest resort of the Angsana brand, Banyan Group's playful sister to Banyan Tree · The resort has 371 rooms at the very centre of the Laguna Phuket complex, facing both the lagoon and Bang Tao Beach · Its most famous feature is a 323-metre free-form swimming pool — the longest in Phuket — that winds from the gardens almost to the sand · The building began life as the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket before a US$30 million renovation relaunched it in late 2011, with a further room refresh from 2023 · Rates start from approx. ฿3,800/night in low season, the most accessible entry point of any Laguna five-star · Rated 8.4 from 568 reviews on Booking.com, with a staff score of 9.2
To understand Angsana you first need the bigger picture: this is one of the anchor resorts of Laguna Phuket, one of Asia's first integrated resort complexes — several hotel brands, an 18-hole golf course, shops and a chain of large lagoons sharing one stretch of land behind Bang Tao Beach · Angsana guests ride free shuttle boats across the lagoon and shuttle buses between Banyan Tree, Dusit Thani, SAii, Cassia and the Canal Village shops all day long — it feels closer to staying in a waterside village than in a stand-alone hotel · Angsana itself sits near the centre of the complex and is directly on Bang Tao Beach: you walk from the lobby through the gardens and along the pool to the sand without crossing a road, an advantage not every Laguna property can claim
The building's history explains its character · It opened in 1992 as the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, a big conference-and-family hotel that a whole generation of Phuket regulars knew well · In mid-2011 Banyan Group took over, closed it for a US$30 million renovation, and relaunched it later that year as the flagship of Angsana — the colourful younger sibling of Banyan Tree, named after the angsana tree · A further wave of room renovations has been rolling through since 2023 · The result is the skeleton of a grand 90s resort hotel — long corridors, lots of keys, ballroom space for a thousand people — dressed in much fresher clothes, though the building's age still peeks through in places, which we'll cover honestly below
The 371 rooms run from solid standard rooms up to two-storey lofts · Entry level is the Laguna Poolview Room (40 sqm) and the Laguna Grand Room (45 sqm) with floor-to-ceiling windows, a private balcony, garden or lagoon views and a bathtub · If you want to be nearest the sea, the Laguna Premier Beachside (45 sqm) sits in the wing closest to the beach and XANA · The true signature, though, is the Angsana Loft — an 88 sqm double-storey loft (139 sqm in the two-bedroom version) with a high ceiling, an elevated bedroom upstairs, and a terrace with sun loungers and an open-air rain shower looking straight over the lagoon · Most reviews agree the rooms are noticeably larger than the current five-star average (comfort score 8.8) — the one caveat is to request a renovated room when you book, because some wings are still waiting their turn and the difference between refreshed and older rooms is real
"The kids lived in the pool and the kids club until we had to drag them out for meals, while we took turns at the spa and XANA on the beach — the staff knew our children's names by day two. We'll be back for sure."
Water is the heart of this resort — both the lagoon and the pools · The 323-metre free-form pool snakes through the coconut gardens from the middle of the resort almost to the beach, with a shallow kids' zone, a waterslide, crossing bridges and quiet stretches long enough for proper lap swimming — morning swimmers will love this place · On the beach sits XANA Beach Club, a full-size club with its own pool, sofa beds on the sand, DJs on weekend evenings and Sunday-morning floating yoga on paddleboards, the first of its kind on the island · The activity list genuinely runs to the hundreds — Muay Thai, stand-up paddleboarding, sailing, bikes, cooking classes — and for children there's the Tree House Kids Club, Phuket's first tree-house-concept kids club, zoned by age from 1 to 16 with three playgrounds, a library and an arts corner, staffed by dedicated minders · Nearly every family review names it as the reason they come back
Dining is big-resort scale · Mornings start at Market Place, a long buffet line by the lagoon with a noodle-soup station, eggs cooked to order, cheeses and cold cuts, and Asian, Western and Italian corners — it gets busy mid-morning, but the window seats over the water make up for it · Other meals rotate between Baan Talay for Thai food and seafood by the beach, Bodega & Grill for steaks and drinks, Azura for poolside Italian, and XANA for easy meals by the sea · Halal meals are available, which has made the resort a favourite with families from the Middle East · The thing to budget for: food and drink prices are high, as is standard across Laguna — a simple meal for two can pass a thousand baht without trying · The regulars' fix is a 5–7 minute drive to Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket, where dozens of restaurants charge normal prices
Bang Tao's location is this resort's long-term advantage · The beach runs more than 6 kilometres of fine white sand, with clearly cleaner water than the Patong side, and even with famous beach clubs strung along it, the stretch in front of Angsana stays quiet enough for long, almost empty morning walks · From the resort it's ~7 minutes by car to Boat Avenue / Porto de Phuket, ~10 minutes to Surin Beach, ~25 minutes to Phuket Airport — far closer than the island's south — and ~30 minutes to Patong · Golfers have the 18-hole Laguna Golf Phuket right next door · One honest note: Bang Tao is not a nightlife district — if hard partying is the plan, Patong is half an hour away; but for families and anyone who wants a beautiful sea without the crowds, this is one of the island's best-balanced corners
Four things worth knowing before you book · One — the resort is genuinely huge: the walk from the farthest wing to the beach or the restaurants can run several hundred metres; buggies can be called but may involve a wait at busy hours, so anyone travelling with older guests should request a room near the lobby or the beach · Two — some wings are still awaiting renovation: beds and furniture in a few older rooms show their age, and most of the lowest-scoring reviews trace back to those rooms — asking for a renovated room solves most of it · Three — with ballroom capacity in the thousands, conference groups and weddings sometimes check in at once, and the mood those weeks is livelier than usual; travellers wanting adult-style serenity should understand what this resort is · Four — the zone near XANA gets music until around 10pm on some evenings; light sleepers should ask for the lagoon side
On value, the numbers tell the story — the 7.8 value-for-money score is the lowest of the resort's categories on Booking.com, while the staff score is its highest at 9.2 · Translation: most guests feel the entry room rates are excellent (a beachfront Laguna five-star that sometimes books below four thousand baht), but on-property spending — food, drinks, extras — adds up fast enough that the final bill surprises people · The flip side is that service and staff warmth earn repeated praise on every platform, from the front desk to the kids-club minders · The fair conclusion: plan a few meals outside the resort and book on promotion, and Angsana delivers a five-star experience that is hard to match at this price in this neighbourhood; commit to all-inclusive-style living on site, and the real budget will run well past the room rate
So who is Angsana Laguna Phuket for? · Most clearly families — the long pool, the kids' zones, one of the island's best kids clubs, two-bedroom lofts and a shallow, swimmable beach out front · Groups of friends who like their days full, with enough activities that leaving the resort becomes optional · Couples who want a beachfront five-star at a sensible rate, spending the difference at XANA and the spa · Who should look elsewhere in this same series: if you want quiet, adults-style villa privacy, Banyan Tree next door in the complex answers that brief more directly, and if budget is no obstacle, Trisara and Amanpuri on this same coastline play a different game entirely · Booking tips: compare low-season rates (May–October), when prices drop hard; state your request for a renovated room; families should price the breakfast-included packages, since the Market Place buffet is not cheap at the door; and take the free lagoon boat across to Banyan Tree and Canal Village one evening — a built-in extra many guests never discover
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Warm, attentive staff who remember guests by name (9.2 staff score, the resort's highest)
- ✓ The 323-metre pool and endless activities make leaving the resort optional
- ✓ Directly on Bang Tao Beach — gardens to sand with no road to cross
- ✓ Rooms larger than the modern five-star average (8.8 comfort)
- ! Value score of 7.8 is the lowest category — on-site food and drink is pricey
- ! Some wings still await renovation; the gap between new and old rooms is noticeable
- ! The resort is huge — long walks, and buggies sometimes involve a wait
- ✓ The kids club and children's zones are the top reason families return
- ✓ Free lagoon boats and shuttles open up the whole Laguna complex
- ✓ Market Place breakfast runs a long line of live cooking stations
- ✓ The most accessible entry rates of any five-star in the Laguna area
- ! When conference groups or weddings are in, the atmosphere is livelier than usual
- ! Music near XANA on some evenings — light sleepers should ask for the lagoon side
- ! Beds and furniture in not-yet-renovated rooms show their age
- 💡If you want quiet, adults-style villa privacy — this is a 371-room resort full of families and activity → look at Banyan Tree Phuket in the same complex, or Trisara/Amanpuri if the budget stretches
- 💡If you're worried about getting an older room — renovations have been rolling through since 2023 but haven't reached every wing, and most low-scoring reviews come from those rooms → request a renovated room in your booking notes and confirm again at check-in
- 💡If you plan to eat every meal on site — Laguna-standard food and drink prices can push the final bill past the room cost → budget for it, or drive 5–7 minutes to Boat Avenue / Porto de Phuket where dozens of restaurants charge normal prices