Picolo recommends · Hotel in Phuket, Thailand
Keemala
Villas that look like giant birds' nests and clay huts, set among the treetops above Kamala, each one with a private pool.
From the path, the villas look less like hotel rooms and more like something that grew in the forest. Some are round and woven like nests, others are tents or huts of clay, all perched on the hillside high above Kamala.
Each has its own pool, and the views run down over the treetops to the sea. Because the ground is so steep, staff ferry you around by buggy. The spa works with herbs grown in the hotel's own garden.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose Keemala
Keemala is our design choice on Phuket because nothing else on the island looks like it. If you want your stay to feel like a story rather than another beach resort, this is the one to book.
There is no beach at the door, and walking between villas is not really an option on the steep slopes. If your plan is to swim in the sea several times a day, a hotel on the sand will suit you better.
What you get
- Private pool in every villa
- Villas shaped like nests, tents and clay huts
- Spa using herbs from the garden
- Breakfast with views over jungle and sea
- Buggy rides around the steep site
A day at Keemala
- Morning
- Breakfast looking down over the treetops to the sea.
- Midday
- A short ride down to Kamala beach for a swim.
- Afternoon
- A spa treatment with herbs from the hotel garden.
- Evening
- Dinner and a quiet evening by your own pool in the forest.
Location
Kamala, Phuket, Thailand
Open in MapsQuestions about Keemala
Is Keemala on the beach?
No. It sits in the jungle on the hill above Kamala, and the beach is a short ride away by car.
Is Keemala suitable for families?
It is designed mainly with couples in mind. The steep site and the buggy rides between villas make it less practical with small children.
What makes the villas at Keemala different?
They are built as nests, tents and clay huts in the trees, each with a private pool, and no other hotel on Phuket is built quite like it.
Other hotels nearby
Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
How Picolo chooses
Our editors pick every hotel themselves, and most of them we have stayed at. No hotel can pay to be included or ranked higher. When you book through our links, Hotels.com pays Picolo a small commission. It never changes the price you pay, and it never decides what we write.