We review Angsana Laguna Phuket in Thailand, a luxe lagoon-front resort with a soulful heartbeat
Once a hidden gem, this beachfront sanctuary effortlessly blends barefoot elegance with refined comfort.
While some may know Phuket for its hedonistic beach clubs and kaleidoscopic nightlife, if you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find a quieter, more seductive rhythm. Thailand’s largest island is a sultry tangle of lush hills, powdery coves, and Andaman waters that shimmer like silk. From its spirited old town with Sino-Portuguese facades and sizzling street eats, to its opulent resorts tucked into rainforest-cloaked cliffs, Phuket is proof that paradise can have both polish and personality.
We review Angsana Laguna Phuket
First impressions
I didn’t plan to fall in love. I only wanted a short break. Maybe some sun, a few scrumptious coconut cocktails, a decent massage or two. But then I landed at Angsana Laguna Phuket, and it wasn’t just a quick getaway. It was a full-blown affair.
Tucked away on the sugary shores of Bang Tao Bay, along Phuket’s northwest coast, the resort feels less like a hotel and more like a breezy coastal rhythm. A place where hospitality feels truly human. The elegance, while evident in the manicured gardens and well-starched linens, is never performative; it simply is.
There are certain places in the world that don’t demand attention so much as they silently deserve it. They do not overwhelm you with spectacle or razzle-dazzle with chrome and crystals. Instead, they disarm you gracefully like a late afternoon tide. Angsana Laguna Phuket is one such place.
Living the (loft) life
Let’s start with my digs. My suite was a quiet masterstroke in design: a two-storey loft perched above the lagoon, a triumph of form and function. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed sweeping views that shifted with the light, and a king-size bed with sheets smoother (and far more dependable) than your last situationship beckoned each night.
An open-air rain shower allowed me to indulge in the underrated pleasure of bathing under the sky. Mornings unfolded gently with sunlight dripping through sheer curtains, the distant calls of mynah birds gossiping in the trees, and the soft lilt of water lapping at the edge of the lagoon. It was the kind of space that did not require any embellishment. The kind that holds you in silence, and somehow, in doing so, fills you.
Not your average Thai massage
Much has been written about Thai massage, often with the breathlessness reserved for rites of passage. But the Angsana Spa earns its praise in quieter ways, through technique and through presence. My treatment was a blend of locally sourced oils and pressure-point alchemy. It was less about muscle and more about memory. It coaxed tension out of places I’d forgotten I was holding it.
While there was no pan flute soundtrack, nor Instagrammable, over-the-top tea tray, it offered a rare and radical kind of calm that I needed. Afterwards, I didn’t walk out. I glided out all spiritually exfoliated and ready to conquer the world (and the pool).
Bites of bliss, from dawn to dusk
The culinary ethos at Angsana is driven not by flash, but more by fluency. Each restaurant speaks a different dialect of taste, and speaks it well.
Mornings at Market Place were anything but sleepy. By 8:30am, the entire space was humming with the gentle chaos of holiday joy: clinking cutlery, the soft chatter of multilingual families, and the occasional triumphant squeal from a child who’s just discovered the pancake machine. Yes, that brilliant contraption that magically delivered perfectly golden, palm-sized pancakes at the push of a button. Amid the cornucopia of international offerings, I found myself gravitating towards the noodle soup station, where a chef stood behind bubbling pots, ready to custom-build bowls. Slippery rice noodles, crisp bok choy, aromatic chicken broth, a scattering of garlic oil, and just a hint of chili, it was restorative, comforting, and so deeply flavourful I decided it was quite worth skipping lunch altogether.
At Azura, the menu reads like a love letter to the Italian countryside. While the appetisers were reliable crowd-pleasers, it was my carbonara that quietly stole the show. Silky, unctuous, and unapologetically rich, it arrived in a swirl of hand-cut pasta ribbons perfectly coated in a sauce that whispered of slow mornings in Rome. And then came dessert, a deconstructed tiramisu. Instead of the usual layered affair, what arrived was an elegant tableau. Crisp, golden sponge fingers artfully arranged beside a shallow dish of silken mascarpone cream and a tiny shot glass of dark espresso, still warm and gently aromatic. There were zero instructions, just full on self exploration. I decided to dip a single ladyfinger into the coffee (generously, until it threatened to collapse), then swirl it through the mascarpone, letting the cream cling and melt. Each bite was bitter, velvety and yet featherlight.
But the culinary crescendo was the resort’s Seafood Market, an immersive, ocean-to-table ritual. Guests are invited to select their own catch of the day from a glittering bed of ice. There were sweet clams, scallops still in their shells, plump tiger prawns, and more. Once you’ve made your selections, you’re guided through a range of cooking styles. There, I chose a Phuket lobster, still slick with the sea, its spiny shell the color of coral at dusk. After a brief discussion with the chef, we agreed on a classic yet utterly decadent preparation: Thermidor-style. The lobster was bathed in a velvety brandy-infused bechamel, topped with just enough cheese to gild the lily, and baked until bubbling and golden. Every bite was sheer bliss, the tender meat swaddled in a sauce that clung like a well-told secret. It was a slow-burn kind of seduction and quite possibly the most vivid memory of the trip.
The art of doing (just) enough
Boredom is quite an impossibility here. There are resorts where you lounge. And there are those that invite you to live. Angsana Laguna Phuket belongs to the latter. With over 101 curated experiences on offer, your days can be as packed or as still as you choose. I tried my hand at paddleboarding (wobbly), watched families chase hermit crabs by the beach, and ended one morning with Muay Thai under a banyan tree, led by our nimble instructor who moved as rapidly and mysteriously as mist.
Elsewhere, children vanished into the kids’ club with joyful abandon indulging in a plethora of activities like Loy Krathong making, and multi-generational families gathered around infinity pools, swapping juicy salacious stories over fresh coconuts and sunscreen-slicked shoulders.
Final thoughts
What Angsana offers, beneath the polished surfaces and attentive service, is a kind of return. Not just to nature, but to reconnect with time, with yourself, with the people you love but rarely get to fully see. This family-friendly resort doesn’t over-program or overwhelm. It provides the stage, then steps back to let your story unfold as you like it.
Discover more about Angsana Laguna Phuket or Book through Booking.com
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