I think this hotel is the perfect hotel for a beach holiday. The location is super, right in front of Kata beach, one of the finest in Phuket, you can go from your bed to your sun bed in less than 5 minutes. Food is superb. Service is excellent, and being a very small hotel very personal. The only drawbacks are the rooms, quite old, and the pool, but who wants to go to the pool with a great beach in front?

We are frequent visitors to Phuket, and although we had eaten at the Boathouse restaurant before, we had never stayed at the resort. After 4 days, it became our favorite resort in Phuket.

The Boathouse is a small resort located on Kata Beach, less than an hour's taxi ride (THB 800) from the airport. Kata Beach is one of the nicest on Phuket: the usual beautiful white sand, but smaller than Patong or Karon, and not as built up nor as crowded. The Boathouse is near the south end of the beach.

The resort has enough lounge chairs and umbrellas to accommodate all the guests, so that annoying habit characteristic of some tourists, to get up at dawn to reserve a prime spot, is completely unnecessary. As soon as we showed up on the beach, attendants were setting up our chairs, laying out towels, and positioning a table and an umbrella. That was followed almost immediately by the delivery of glasses of ice water and fruit kabobs. A short time later icy towels arrived, and the ice water was replenished all afternoon. The resort has a small wading pool only, so if you are looking for a freshwater swim, this is not the place to stay. Thankfully, the very few beach vendors that make it to this part of the beach are not at all intrusive.

The beach itself is gorgeous, with clear water, a nice slope, and rocky outcroppings at both ends which kept a number of snorkelers entertained. A few long tail boats are available to hire, as well as snorkling gear, boogie boards, and surf boards. The latter had us puzzled, since the first 2 days we were there, the surf only lapped at the beach. On the third day, however, the surf was up enough to give a handful of surfers a good, but short, ride. Unlike the bigger beaches, the peaceful sound of the waves is rarely disturbed by wave runners and speed boats.

Between the Boathouse and the south end of the beach are at least 3 restaurants serving both Thai and Western food--all pretty good and cheap. Our favorite was the Kata B-B-Q: great food and really pleasant service.

Our room was nicely appointed and the size was more than adequate, with a mini-bar, cable TV, comfy bed, wi-fi internet connection, and a small balcony. We stayed on the ground floor, and the garden foliage blocked our view of the beach, so next time we will ask for a second floor room. A fruit plate was replenished daily. The buffet breakfast had sufficient variety, so that it didn't feel like it was the same old thing every day.

The restaurant at the Boathouse has the reputation as one of the best on the island, and reservations for dinner are probably necessary even during mid-week. The wine list is the big attraction, and the foyer of the hotel is festooned with multiple awards from the Wine Spectator. To be honest, we were disappointed in the dinner we had--maybe our expectations were set too high. We actually thought their other restaurant, Gung, just a few steps south on the beach road, was much better.

This part of Kata Beach has the requisite souvenir shops, tour desks, convenience stores and tailors, but it isn't overwhelming like some of the more built-up areas of Phuket. There is a great little spa, The Senses, just down the road about 150 meters, that is serene and far less expensive than the one that is associated with the resort.

All in all, a great stay. Because this is the rainy season, the room rates were little more than half of high season, but now that we have stayed here, we will probably come back even when the rates go up.

Great hotel on the beach. We even found some surf right out front. Service was good but not great. Always had to ask for stuff.(e.g a frosty Pina Coloda)

I would reccomend this hotel to anyone; it is small, classy and has a
great location.

I never get disappointed with this hotel. I actually do not like Phuket, especially Patong, for those noises and parties. The only place I keep going back on the island is Kata beach, which is fairly European and more relaxing than other beaches in Phuket.
Boat House is a small boutique hotel with very personal service. You do not need to dress like you do when you stay at Banyan Tree and it is much lower key and relaxing. So, if the traveller wishes to have some great pool scene, this is not the right hotel.

Their main restauant has an excellent wine list (rare in Phuket of course) and the quality of food is definitely way above average.