Babylon Pool Villas (SHA Plus+)

Babylon Pool Villas is a compact villa resort in Rawai, built for travellers who want room to slow down without being cut off from the town. The setting gives you gardens, terraces, a saltwater pool and the practical comforts of an apartment rather than a conventional hotel room.

English and Italian are spoken by the hotel team, so you can deal with the essentials without turning every arrival or request into a guessing game. Air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, a fridge and kitchen facilities make the place suited to longer stays as well as a few nights between excursions.

The mood is easy-going and self-contained. There is a bar and restaurant on site, while the pool, sauna, steam room and massage service give you several ways to spend the hours when the sea is not on the programme.

You are in Rawai, in southern Phuket, around 1 km from the town centre. The resort sits in a coastal setting with rocky hills, limestone cliffs, broad bays and tropical inland forest around the wider area. It is a useful base if you want access to local life without staying in the thick of a larger resort strip.

The sea and beach are about 0.8 miles away, with the beach reachable on foot. Rawai Beach and Nai Harn Beach are among the nearby places to explore, and Phuket Shooting Range is also listed around the hotel. This is not a beachfront address, so plan on a walk, a vehicle or a transfer when the beach is the main event.

The location also works for days out rather than only beach time. The hotel can arrange excursions, and the surrounding offer includes shopping, cultural outings, golf, sea kayaking and boat trips.

The accommodation is apartment-led, which suits you if a fridge, a kitchen and a little separation from the bed matter more than a standard hotel layout. The two-bedroom apartment is the practical choice for up to four people travelling together, while the one-bedroom apartments keep things more manageable for a couple who would rather have cooking space than a room with only a kettle.

Several double options are available, including a studio with a balcony. That gives you a straightforward choice: apartment space when you expect to stay in and organise your own meals, or a balcony studio when outdoor seating is the part you will actually use. Every listed option has a private bathroom.

Air conditioning should make the return from a hot, salty day easier, while the fridge is handy for keeping bottled water cold. Rooms also have a shower, television, wardrobe and mosquito net; selected accommodation includes a balcony. The property is non-smoking, and a lift serves the upper floors.

There is one restaurant and one bar on site, giving you an easy option when you want food or a drink without heading back into Rawai.

The apartment set-up gives the evening a second route. Kitchens, a microwave, a kettle and a fridge let you keep simple supplies to hand, with bottled water available on site. Useful after a long day when the idea of searching for dinner feels more demanding than the dive itself.

A barbecue area is also available, adding another way to eat at the property. The exact meals included with a booking depend on the selected rate, so check that detail before assuming breakfast or another meal is part of the stay.

The main place to reset is the outdoor 7 by 12 metre overflow saltwater swimming pool. Pool towels are available, and the sun terrace, garden and outdoor furniture give you somewhere to sit when you have had enough of being horizontal in the water. An indoor pool is also listed among the hotel facilities.

For a slower recovery, the spa includes massage, a Finnish sauna and a jet-pool spa. There is also a steam room, while the fitness facilities cover those who still feel the need to exercise after a day that already involved more fins than footsteps.

If complete idleness starts to itch, the hotel can help arrange excursions. Options include elephant trekking, a Muay Thai gym, ATV touring, sea kayaking, golf and shopping; fishing and boat excursions are also available. A library offers the quieter alternative, with no timetable and no helmet involved.

Phuket airport is about 28 miles away, and the drive can take up to an hour depending on traffic. Airport transfers are available and should be arranged with the hotel. Car hire is also available, while parking is offered on site; the hotel's own service information lists parking and airport transfers as chargeable services, so confirm the arrangement before travelling.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is by 12:00. Arrivals after 17:00 require advance contact so that check-in instructions can be arranged. The reception desk operates from 09:00 to 17:00, which makes that small piece of planning worth doing rather than leaving it until you are standing outside with luggage.

The property has free Wi-Fi throughout, luggage storage, laundry and dry-cleaning services, a safe, lift access and facilities for guests with reduced mobility. Visa and Mastercard are accepted. A security deposit and a key deposit are required during the stay. Foreign visitors entering Thailand must also complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online three days before arrival.