The KEE Resort & Spa @ Patong, Phuket

Located directly adjacent to the rowdy and happening Bangla Road, The KEE Resort & Spa is a trendy hotel at Patong that offers a clean and modern experience to couple and family travellers alike. The hotel’s design is influenced by a Sino-Portugese architecture which is unique in Thailand but familiar to us, as it bears resemblance to the early Malaccan and Penang settlements.

The room type we got was the Deluxe Pool View. With a size of 40 sqm, it has the perfect space to accommodate two adults comfortably. Most of the amenities in the room are pretty standard and satisfies the expectations of a medium range hotel. The room’s bright and vibrant colours have a cheerful vibe that perks your mood.

Next to the bed is a central digital panel that controls all the lightings in the room.

But what’s really interesting to me is the smart tv which could be used to enjoy satelite tv, movies on demand, music and get connected to the Internet. A set of wireless keyboard and mouse is provided as the navigation tool so you could actually browse the web from the comfort of the bed. If you prefer your own devices the complimentary WiFi’s connection is reliable and the speed is quite fast too.

Now for the cool part. The bathroom and toilet are cleverly separated by three individual sliding panels that could be positioned according to the ‘business’ you’re doing. Anyway, I just really liked the idea and it was neat getting to watch the TV while soaking in the bathtub after a tiring day. However, there’s one design detail that we found odd – the wash basin is located outside the bathroom.

Looking out the balcony is the ever-busy sparkling blue swimming pool, complete with a bar at the center.

Daily buffet breakfast is served at the open-air KEE Kitchen. It is also open for lunch, dinner and supper and you could browse their menu and weekly set menus from your in-room entertainment centre.

The items are rotated on a daily basis and you get a small variety of European, Thai and other Asian food. Don’t expect the food to be fantastic though, as they are just the run of the mill hotel breakfast you get anywhere else with similar standard.

On top of the KEE Kitchen is the executive lounge meant for conducting meeting with clients. But to us it is really more of a place to utilize the reading materials, board games, laptops and free WiFi while having a cuppa. It’s especially useful to pass time between after checking out and before catching the flight home.

KEE Kitchen as viewed from the executive lounge. At the background is the KEE Plaza, a shopping complex of boutiques, shops, restaurants and other services. The place only gets busy after dark though.

For those of you who can’t miss a workout the fitness centre here is well equipped with cycling and running machines, free weights, yoga and stretching mats, step benches and more. Everything still looked brand spanking new to me.

A wide range of rejuvenating massage and skin-care treatments are available at the KEE Spa. We tried the aromatherapy massage and enjoyed every moment of it. Also, the lady receptionist is one of the most pleasant staff we have ever met.

The Sino Lounge is a great place to grab a quick snack or have a tea break. A cup of coffee and a slice of their in-house baked cake here cost only 150 baht, quite a reasonable price if you ask me.

In case of bad weather, you could still kill some time at the KEE Drinks (wide screen TVs show live sport action) or at the games room. The games room has a pool table, a foosball table and a couple of dart boards. If I remembered correctly only the foosball table is chargeable while the rest could be enjoyed for free. Compared to some other hotels that that charge for everything you use, The KEE could be considered quite accommodating with their facilities.

Families with kids can keep the little ones entertained in the Kids Club next door while keeping a close eye on them from the bar. Besides the usual puzzle and quiz games, it is also equipped with a PS3 for the slightly-elder kids.

For a unique dining experience or just chilling out, the KEE Sky Lounge has both air-conditioned and open-air venues to enjoy international cuisine while accompanied by live music. Phuket does not have many high rise so the sea and Patong beachside views are mostly unobstructed. Too bad for us it was raining everyday in the evening during our stay so the lounge wasn’t as busy and did not feel at its best.

The menu here is a mix of fusion and Western style cuisine with prices ranging from 200 to 1200 baht. The seared scallops were wonderfully done – firm but tender while the wasabi sauce adds a lot of kick and excitement to this otherwise subtle tasting appetizer.

Delicious Tuna Medley.

Juicy roasted Australian Angus tenderloin with a classic red wine reduction sauce.

And something Chinese – Peking Duck and Ripe Mango Salad with Asian Dressing. The duck was surprisingly quite authentic tasting and the refreshing mango salad and dressing were great as modern accompaniments to the rustic meat dish. Suffice to say, the food here is not bad at all.

Ultimately, the biggest selling point of The KEE Resort & Spa is its central location because every places of interest in Patong may it be the beach, shopping, massage, restaurant and night life, they are all only minutes’ walking distance away. Facility wise there is nothing to complain about but the overall experience could have been better (don’t get me wrong it was great) if the breakfast was as good as everything else.
And if you are looking for city tour or a ride to the airport, do look for Mr. Tanawat who could be found at the cab stand right in front of the lobby. He can speak basic English, is a happy go lucky chap and does a good job bringing us around Phuket in his comfy MPV.

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