Review
Dara Hotel
The most colorful hotel in Phuket! By: Tom Fekete Dara Hotel
Many of us have driven by the funky and colorful Dara Hotel near the Central Festival intersection in Phuket and wondered what it’s all about. TSM decided to check it out and see for ourselves. The first thing you notice upon entering Dara is, of course, the colors. Colors, colors everywhere colors!! Vibrant shades of green, orange, red, blue, yellow, all thrown tastefully together to produce an experience of creativity, aliveness, and energy. This hotel definitely has personality! Hotel owner, Khun Katha Watcharapin (better know as “Boat”) says his inspiration came from fascination with Legos as a kid. Most of us over 30 have at one time or another enjoyed these simple yet challenging multi-colored building blocks during our youth, but somehow we lose the playfulness and creativity of Legos as we get older. Khun Boat has managed to reawaken this creative spark in Dara. The Lego theme is prevalent throughout the hotel, with modern, straight, minimalistic lines giving the impression of being
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assembled from a rainbow of building blocks. There is even a set of Legos in the lobby from which guests and staff have built a myriad of Dara inspired creations. The colorful theme is present right down to the smallest detail, including the light fixtures, chairs, and even the complementary soap and shampoo bottles. Rooms are offered in different color combinations and the creative schemes invoke a different feeling for each space. Warm, sexy, chic, cool, tropical, modern; there is something to suit everyone’s taste and mood. Many guests actually request particular colors when checking in, and even the layouts for the same room types are slightly different meaning a unique experience on every visit.
and has the feel of walking on polished glass. The experience is made even more interesting by the thoughtfully selected modern lighting.
Dara isn’t just about colors, though, it’s also about comfort. No expense has been spared in the high quality spring mattresses, custom made oversized pillows, and top-end linen that offer 5 star comforts at 3 star prices. The most striking feature as you enter each room area is the vibrantly colored, seamless and shiny flooring which was poured using a special self leveling resin technology
Other than the sensory candy, all the spacious rooms boast oversized fridges (convenient for those food and drink purchases from Central), LCD TV, custom built in furniture, wi-fi, hot water pot and kitchenette counter, central a/c, and surprisingly roomy walk-in robes. No more living straight out of your bag for lack of space like in a lot of hotel rooms we’ve stayed in.