PP Red Tuna Hut Hotel

The reviews that describe this hotel as a 3 star pretending to be a 5 star are spot on. We spent 5 nights here as part of our honeymoon. We had actually booked to stay elsewhere but sadly the booking agent had to move us to Saii at the last minute because of a maintenance issue with the hotel we had chosen. Saii is a nice hotel with lovely staff but it doesn't feel like a 5 star experience and is not good value for money.

The location is beautiful, but the view of the coastline and the beach atmosphere is spoiled by the constant coming and going of engine powered boats. I understand the island is only accessible by boat and Phi Phi is very popular with tourists but for me it was excessive and could be improved by having a designated boat drop off area further from where people are trying to relax. The constant smell of weed and noise of engines is too much.

On arrival we were instructed to download an app, so that we could book activities etc. We assumed activities would be discounted for hotel guests but prices were higher than elsewhere on the island and they even charged for borrowing snorkeling masks... In comparison, the next hotel we stayed at offered a wide range of complimentary daily activities, including kayaking.

The room was nice and spacious, although for us it lacked character and didn't live up to 5 star expectations.
The water (which was almost never hot) had a weird yellow colouring, which was so bad at times we couldn't bathe in it (I'll try to upload a photo). Some of the white bath towels had the same yellow staining. When it rained, water poured through a light fixture. This was promptly repaired, but when we reported it the staff didn't seem that surprised.

The breakfast buffet was really nice and there was a good selection. Other food from the menus was OK, but nothing special. Again, over priced for what you're getting. The gym was very basic so I didn't bother with it. The hotel just has the feel of a place that has done the bare minimum to qualify as a 5 star without having the substance or finesse you'd expect from a 5* hotel. Even the guy at the pool bar had to phone a friend to ask how to make a white Russian cocktail..

The hotel employs a lot of staff. Lovely people, and very friendly. Impressed with the maintenance team and the room cleaners who clearly work very hard and always gave us a cheerful hello whenever they saw us.

There were a few nice touches - drink and live music on arrival, a little 'happy honeymoon' note in the room etc but I would much prefer for the hotel to dispense with the frills and just deliver on the basics.

We had a nice time but we wouldn't stay here again. Ultimately it felt like a bit of a tourist trap and wasn't good value for money. It would be nice for feedback to be acknowledged and responded to by an actual person. All of the feedback responses from the hotel appear AI generated and not very sincere.