My 5-night stay at OUTRIGGER Phi Phi Island Resort was honestly one of the most unexpectedly special resort experiences I’ve had in Thailand.
Before arriving here, I had just stayed at several other 5-star luxury properties throughout Thailand, and I had never stayed at an Outrigger property before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect — especially knowing the resort had recently gone through a rebrand and major renovation.
Even before I arrived, I had a few logistical issues on my end regarding transportation and timing. The hotel responded to my emails almost immediately and helped coordinate everything quickly and professionally, which immediately lowered my stress level before traveling to Phi Phi.
The moment I arrived by speedboat, multiple staff members greeted me warmly and helped with all my luggage. Walking toward the reception area, my first impression was that the property looked beautiful, peaceful, and incredibly well maintained. The landscaping was clearly brand new and thoughtfully designed, the white sand pathways were perfectly raked every day, and the entire resort had a calm luxury feel without trying too hard.
The biggest surprise came when I entered my villa.
From the outside, the villas are beautiful tropical-style structures, but the interior completely exceeded my expectations. The design felt modern tropical minimalist with warm wood finishes, soft indirect lighting, vaulted ceilings, natural textures, and an incredibly open and calming layout. The villa was massive, spotless, and designed in a way that instantly made me relax. Between the oversized patio, private beach area, ocean views, and indoor-outdoor feel, I honestly caught myself thinking multiple times: “I wish this was my home in Portugal.”
What truly makes this property special though is the people.
Every single person on the property — from landscapers to restaurant staff to housekeeping to concierge — greeted me warmly every single day. I’ve traveled enough to know that genuine hospitality is hard to fake, and the people here truly care. Everyone remembered my name, always smiled, and made me feel genuinely welcomed and taken care of throughout my stay.
The renovations throughout the property are definitely a huge wow factor, especially the restaurant and main gathering spaces. The restaurant itself has an incredibly fresh, modern tropical design with beautiful lighting, natural wood textures, high ceilings, open-air energy, and a large covered patio next to the pool overlooking the beach.
Now onto the food…
I genuinely don’t know how to properly explain how good the food was here. I’ve eaten at Michelin-star restaurants around the world and honestly preferred many of the meals here. Watching the chefs display the fresh seafood and meats daily added such a cool experience, and the open kitchen gave the whole restaurant energy and transparency.
Some of my favorites were:
* The beef tenderloin
* Tiger prawns
* Green curry
* Several traditional Thai dishes
* Fresh seafood selections
* Breakfast every morning, which was consistently incredible
The quality, presentation, and flavor were outstanding. I ended up eating most of my meals at the resort because there was simply no reason to leave.
And somehow the service matched the food.
The spa experience also deserves special recognition. My reservation included a treatment, and normally I’m honestly not a huge massage/spa person — but I may have become one after this stay.
The spa villas were beautiful, peaceful, spotless, and calming the second you walked inside. Tum greeted me with such kindness, offered me fresh juice, asked thoughtful questions about areas needing attention, and made the entire experience feel personal and relaxing. My massage therapist Varn was incredibly gentle, professional, and calming, and the experience was so relaxing that I immediately booked another treatment. My second massage with Teddy was equally amazing and one of the most relaxing massages I’ve ever had.
I also spent several days scuba diving during my stay, and the new dive instructor Rhys was incredibly helpful getting everything organized for me. Beyond that, he regularly stopped by just to say hello and check in throughout my stay, which again speaks to the overall culture of hospitality at this resort.
One other thing worth mentioning: the technology and communication here were excellent. The resort app was one of the best hotel apps I’ve used anywhere. Concierge responses were always fast, professional, and helpful.
Honestly, I could probably write a short book about this stay.
What stands out most is that while the resort itself is visually stunning after the renovations, the soul of the property is the people working there. That combination is what creates truly memorable experiences.
Luxury is easy to build. Creating warmth, peace, and genuine hospitality is much harder — and this resort achieved both.
The only minor thing I noticed was that a few villas appeared to still be receiving some finishing touches from the renovation process, but it looked like most of the major work was already completed and it never negatively impacted my stay.
Thank you to everyone at Outrigger Phi Phi for making these 5 nights so memorable. I will absolutely be returning in the future.
