A genuine candidate for the finest hotel on Phuket, Sri Panwa is poised idyllically on the island's jungle-covered southeasternmost tip. Multiroom villas feature hot tubs, outdoor showers, private pools, personal sound systems and awesome sea views. More affordable rooms are still wonderfully comfortable, with the charming staff claiming that when guests see their rooms, they don't want to leave them.
Then there's the sensational Cool Spa, six on-site restaurants (offering everything from all-day international staples to Thai and Japanese specialities), several pools, tennis courts, a gym, yoga and cooking classes, and villas designed specially for families. The rooftop lounge-bar Baba Nest, with unimaginably beautiful ocean-and-island views, is magical.