We've been toying with this conundrum for a short while, looking to go to Phuket over Christmas and New Year but there's no availability for an exchange into Phuket Beach Club whereas there is and has been everytime I've looked, getaways for Mai Khao. Whilst almost everyone recommends Phuket Beach Club this has primarily been because the resort is on the beach and the close proximity to the JW Beach Resort whose amenities you can use. However, Mai Khao is certainly not a poor cousin, whilst not directly on the beach (neither is Phuket Beach Club as it's still seperated by a road) it is only a few minutes walkaway whilst the JW resort, who amenities you can also use, is a 7 minute walk away. Mai Khao is also a newer resort and if you can snag a villa with a splash pool (I've yet to find a way to do that with a getaway) then I would suggest that it's a better option than PBC.
I've yet to go to either however I'm certain that neither are going to be a poor choice, it's not like deciding between a Courtyard and a Ritz Carlton, so rather than try and wait for an exchange into PBC we're going to book Mai Khao as getaways.
Flights have been booked, flying to Kuala Lumpur first (managed to bag first class flights to KL cheaper than business class to Bangkok so thought we'd take the opportunity of visitiing KL for a few nights). Looking at the Rennaissance there, it looks great, anyone able to provide any feedback?
