Summary
The Two-Bedroom Pool Villa is indeed spacious and attractive, and having a private pool is enjoyable in the beginning at least. The sea view from Villa 2055 is nice.
However, I am not sure the significant price premium is justified - and in any case, we would not choose to stay at Barceló Coconut Island again.
The property itself, formerly The Village Coconut Island, is somewhat dated but generally acceptable. In several areas, however, maintenance appears inconsistent.
Most importantly, the service experience left us feeling unwelcome, which should not happen in a hotel of this category. I expect more reliable service delivery and better follow-through on commitments.
Compared with other hotels we have stayed at (Sofitel Krabi, Banyan Tree Bangkok, Amatara Phuket, Waldorf Bangkok, Santhiya Koh Phangan, Conrad Bangkok), Barceló was by far the most disappointing in terms of both service and F&B.
Pre-arrival Communication & Arrival Experience
Prior to arrival, I communicated with the Barceló team by email and asked whether the difference between the Jacuzzi Suite and the Two-Bedroom Sea View Villa was significant enough to justify the substantial price premium. I was advised that the villa would naturally offer much more space for our family of three and that the sea view was excellent. Based on this recommendation, we booked the sea-view villa and requested a quiet unit with a nice ocean view. We were told the team would do their best to accommodate this.
I had also informed the hotel that we would arrive at Laem Hin Pier by speedboat and provided our arrival time. I expected to receive instructions on how to proceed upon arrival. Unfortunately, no such email ever arrived.
When we reached the pier, there was no Barceló representative and no signage. After asking around, we eventually learned that guests must walk several hundred meters to another pier used by the hotel (depending on the tide). This lack of guidance was an unnecessarily confusing start.
Check-in Confusion & Villa Allocation
Our stay continued unusually. At check-in at the pier, we were told (and our luggage tags confirmed) that we would stay in Villa 2055. However, upon arrival at the resort, the front desk informed us that Villa 2055 was unavailable due to a defective door lock and that we would instead be assigned Villa 2050.
Assuming the reservations team had deliberately selected Villa 2055 based on our prior requests, I asked whether we could wait for the lock to be repaired. The staff member reacted quite firmly and insisted this was not possible.
After unpacking in Villa 2050, we quickly realized that the sea view was almost non-existent. You had to stand upright and look carefully between trees and rooftops to catch even a glimpse of the sea. We returned to reception to explain that we had specifically requested a better sea view and that Villa 2055 had originally been planned for us.
This time, a different staff member seemed genuinely surprised about the alleged door issue. He repeatedly stated there was no problem with the lock and offered to show us Villa 2055.
When we arrived, a welcome card with our name and a small amenity were already placed inside. The staff member again confirmed there was no lock issue and that we could of course have this villa if we wished. The view was indeed significantly better (as also visible in the photos).
To this day, it remains unclear why the first front desk employee was so reluctant to assign us the originally intended villa.
Unfortunately, this experience set a very disappointing tone for the beginning of our stay. Hopefully other guests will have a smoother arrival.
Transport Between Mainland and Island
The hotel operates a shuttle boat between the mainland and Coconut Island:
• Every 30 minutes from 09:00 to 15:00
• Hourly thereafter
Outside peak hours, waiting times can thus be up to one hour if you just missed the previous boat.
Important:
• It is recommended to book boat transfers in advance
• On Coconut Island, either the hotel pier or a remote pier (with cart transfer) is used depending on the tide.
• On the mainland side, departures are from either the hotel’s own pier (The Village Coconut Island) or Laem Hin Pier.
Room: Villa 2055
👍 Pros
• Very spacious (separate living/dining area)
• Large master bedroom with ensuite (shower and bathtub)
• Smaller children’s bedroom, also ensuite with shower
• Tasteful interior in calm, neutral tones
• Pleasant sea view over the pool and lower villas
• Terrace with two loungers plus a daybed
• Pool mostly in shade from around 13:00
• Plenty of drinking water provided daily in glass bottles (great to see less plastic use)
👎 Cons
• Villas are semi-detached. While terrace privacy is adequate due to walls and planting, the interior wall is extremely thin.
• You can hear almost every word from the neighboring villa.
• Water noise (e.g., neighbors showering) becomes very loud in the bedroom and can wake you at night.
• Wi-Fi quality fluctuates heavily; on some days Teams meetings were impossible. Local SIM hotspot was essential.
• Midway through our stay, all three room keys suddenly stopped working one afternoon.
⚠️ Important Location Note
If you specifically want Villa 2055:
• It is located quite far from the central facilities (main pool, breakfast restaurant).
• Walking distances are longer and partly uphill.
For us, this was actually a plus - the quieter location was very pleasant.
Also recommended: bring strong mosquito repellent if you plan to sit outside in the evening. That’s the trade-off for staying in a small tropical paradise 😉
Private Pool
👍 Pros
• Nice length - you can actually swim a few strokes
• Great view
• Fantastic feeling to jump straight into your private pool in the morning 🏊♂️
👎 Cons
• There appeared to be no effective water filtration.
• Increasing numbers of dead insects accumulated daily; one morning even a dead mouse.
• While the pool was cleaned at one point, overall water quality deteriorated over the 11 days.
• By departure, the pool was barely usable.
My personal conclusion: the premium for a pool villa is definitely not worth it here.
Wildlife Note
The villas are set within beautifully landscaped tropical gardens. Naturally, this means wildlife is present. On one occasion we watched a snake glide across the terrace, enter the pool, and disappear into the plants. Not dangerous, but something to be aware of.
Public Pools
There are two main pool areas:
• Main beach pool with children’s section, animation, and music (full sun)
• Smaller upper pool (several loungers, partial shade)
👍 Pros
• The upper pool is quieter
• Partial shade until midday
• Water generally appeared clearer than in the main pool
👎 Cons
• Water quality in the main pool sometimes looked rather questionable. Supposedly, that’s why even exterior pumps were installed at the main pool
Beach
Expectations should be realistic: this is not a classic white-sand, turquoise-water postcard beach. We were aware of this from other reviews and were therefore not disappointed. However, several other guests we spoke with at the pool expressed clear dissatisfaction, as they had expected something quite different. Unfortunately, the photos on the hotel website are somewhat misleading and suggest a more idyllic setting
During our stay, jellyfish were present on several days, occasionally preventing swimming.
👍 Pros
• Sandy beach
• Nice views from the beach loungers
• Staff clean the beach daily (important - some guests complained in other reviews about debris, but this is largely tide-related and not the hotel’s fault)
• Shaded loungers available
👎 Cons
• Water often murky and not very inviting
• At low tide, the beach becomes quite muddy (natural, but affects appearance)
• Some guests reserve loungers early and appear much later
Staff & Service
👍 Positives
• A small number of staff members were genuinely friendly and helpful.
👎 Major Concerns
• The majority of staff appeared disengaged or uninterested.
• Many did not respond to greetings - even in the breakfast restaurant.
• This was a new and surprising experience compared with other hotels we have visited.
Particularly notable:
• The egg station staff member came across as openly unfriendly; after two unsuccessful attempts we stopped ordering omelets.
• At breakfast, only two or three staff members served coffee courteously; some appeared so disengaged that the coffee was placed on the table rather abruptly.
We have since moved on to the next part of our holiday at The Pavillons Phuket and are curious whether service standards there will differ.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping was inconsistent:
• Used towels were sometimes removed but not replaced.
• Roughly every second day something was missing (bath towels, pool towels, or both).
• One day we had no towels at all 🤷♂️
• Issues reported (dirty pool, missing towels) were sometimes ignored until we followed up very firmly.
• Guests are encouraged to use the Barceló app for requests - however, on my phone it was impossible to send messages through the app.
Breakfast
Serving times:
• From 07:00 at the beach restaurant Kabang
• From 08:00 additionally at the Kucina restaurant
• Until 10:30
👍 Pros
• Large selection: Indian, Thai, Chinese hot dishes
• Bread, cold cuts, cheese, pastries
• Pancakes and French toast
• Salad bar and fruit buffet
• Egg station
• Smoothies and yogurts
• Even Bloody Mary ingredients available
Tip: Go early - cooler temperature, fewer crowds, and better chances for a sea-view table.
👎 Cons
• Overall quality only average
o Bread often soft and bland
o Fruit sometimes unappealing or underripe
o Some salads/vegetables looked wilted
o Sauces occasionally dried out
• Limited beverage selection
• Little day-to-day variation
• Empty items were sometimes not replenished promptly
Dinner
We did not book half board or all-inclusive. Based on the rather unambitious breakfast experience, we were happy and chose not to dine at the hotel in the evenings.
Instead, we visited nearby local restaurants. While often simple in appearance, the food was generally very good and a worthwhile alternative.
We enjoyed dinner at Cocohut Food & Drink the most. The service was friendly and attentive, and the food tasted excellent. It is located just a few steps from the Barceló resort. The path to the restaurant passes the hotel’s service area, which unfortunately did not appear particularly sustainable or environmentally friendly ☹️
Another option is the Coconut Seafood Restaurant (next to the hotel), which offers a great sea view at high tide and also provides massages. However, among the island restaurants we tried, this one was our least favorite — not bad at all, but simply not as good as the others in terms of food quality.
Fitness Center
👍 Pros
• Air-conditioned gym near the spa
• Basic but adequate equipment, including:
o 2 treadmills (one frequently out of order)
o spinning bike
o cross trainer
o leg machine
o multi-gym tower
o lat pulldown
o benches, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls
• Towels and water dispenser provided
• Pleasant garden view
👎 Cons
• Taller guests may hit their head on the ceiling when using the treadmill
One positive note:
Unlike a previous all-inclusive resort we visited, we did not experience issues with heavily intoxicated or rowdy guests. In our impression, all-inclusive guests were in the minority.
Final Note
My review is based on the fact that this property is marketed as a five-star hotel. Accordingly, my expectations are different from those I would have for a three-star property.
I have tried to highlight the aspects that I personally would have wanted to know in advance. I hope this helps other travelers decide whether Barceló Coconut Island is the right choice for them.
If anyone has questions about aspects I did not cover, feel free to reach out.
