I stayed in this hotel in January 2012 for a week. Overall I have the following comments:

Positives:

- Tranquil settings, beautiful surroundings, simple but charming huts. This is an ideal place for those who wish to stay somewhere secluded (but not too far away) from the buzz of Phuket.

- Interesting wildlife on the beach. (But please note that the beach/sea is not enitrely suitable for swimming because of the sharp corals, unless it's high tide.)

Negatives:

- Whilst it may not be an issue to some people, it is worth pointing out that the huts do not have locks on them (no keys, no inside lock either). Whilst I should stress that it feels safe (to me) on the island, some of the huts are actually very close to the village - in fact much closer in distance than to the reception area (the hotel is not in an enclosed compound) and there is nothing to stop anyone from walking in the hotel grounds (no security cameras, no walls separating the hotel from the rest of the island/village houses, does not appear to have night patrolling staff, no room telephone, no room safe). I have in fact seen villagers walk through the hotel grounds. There is also nothing to stop any villagers (or anyone from further afield) easily landing on the far end of the beach and walking straight into the beach front huts at night.

- There is only one longtail boat which transports guests to and from the island and the last boat back from Phuket main island departs from Chalong Pier in Phuket at 8.00pm. The wait for an available boat could be long. What's worse, the boat service isn't actually available every day (despite what I was led to believe when I made the booking). During my week's stay there, there were 2 days when the boat was either not available all day or that the service was disrupted (e.g. on our last day there when we had made a booking to a special seafood restaurant in Phuket main island, we were bluntly told that the last service for the boat back to the island was at 5.30pm. In the end we had to call the owner of the hotel and make a big fuss before they finally arranged transport for us).

- The food in the hotel restaurant is mediocre and also very expensive, when compared to the restaurants in Phuket. For the same price you can get top quality seafood in Chalong Bay (but please note the point above re: limited boat transfers).

- The service levels vary amongst the staff (ranging from very good to poor). The matron who was in charge of the place whilst the owner/manager was away was rather unhelpful and also kept pestering us to go on certain day tours (on the last day she even suggested the amount we should tip her when we were settling the hotel bill). But the owner (Daeng), who was there for half of the time during our stay, was very friendly and extremely helpful and so are some other members of staff.

Some other points to note:

- The beach huts are charming but may not appeal to everyone. They are very simple (I would say international standard 2-star perhaps) and the open-air Balinese style bathroom attracts all sorts of insects (including mosquitoes). The shower is right next to the toilet seat with nothing separating the two.

- What makes this hotel special is its peaceful and unique setting. I think that perhaps this hotel is a bit over-priced for what it offers and that you are paying a premium for its unique tranquil setting. If you are looking for a hotel with all the mod-cons and comforts that you would expect in a 4-star+ hotel, then Baan Mai is probably not for you.

- Finally, despite some of the negative points mentioned, overall I did enjoy my stay at Baan Mai.

Went last January to this lovely resort. The staff is friendly, the food is nice and the beach very pretty but full of sandflies! Please, if you are sensitive to insect bites take care or don't go. However lovely the resort was, the sandflies ruined my time there. Read up on sandflies (and how to repel them) before you go. It is more itchy than a mosquito bite, very painful and in some cases can be lethal. Lots of deet (minimum 60% is advisable), no perfume and no crawling around on the beach to take pictures of the hermit crabs.
Because I didn't know what to expect I ended up with 63 sandfly bites in 4 days. If you haven't got access to anti-itch cream treat them with toothpaste and hurry to the pharmacy when back on mainland.
I would recommend the resort, it's great for 'desert island pictures', discovering pretty birds, lizards and lots of fantastic hermit crabs.
Use common sense and be prepared.

Being the only guests we had this wonderful little resort which was in the process of being sold, all to ourselves.
The cottages had a comfortable bed with mosquito net, A/C and fridge.
The staff were charming and helpful and the food, as soon as they understood that we want tahi not european thai, was supurb. A masseuse is available from the mainland, the pool was a delight. Beach combing was top quality.
The Hotel boat can take guests to sandy beaches or to cral island (advised).
If you want action go somewhere else. If you want to unwind, walk the beach, doze in a hammock watching the sunset
or laze by the pool doing nothing slowly then this is the place for you

When we arrived on the island which was just before the new year, the tide was out so there was very little of the sandy beach visible, and it was mostly the exposed rocks and seabed which could be seen. To compound the problem there was a large group of family and friends celebrating a family wedding with young children which ruined the idyllic peaceful image that we were both looking for.

The room although it was overlooking the beach, it was dark and small with barely enough space to place our luggage and the restaurant menu was basic and limited in choice bearing in mind that this was the only place one could eat, I would have thought that the range should have been wider.

The only swimming pool was green with algae and as the tide was out during the daytime hours, it was not possible to swim.

It is evident that the place has been neglected for some time and there has been very little interest in maintaining a basic standard of accommodation bearing in mind that this is not a cheap place to stay in.

On a more positive side, on the second day, the large group left and we were the only guest on the island apart from one other couple, we were also told the pool will be cleaned and it will be available for use in a couple of days.

We also found out that we could use the hotel boat to take us to other parts of the island where there were larger sandy beaches which was a relief.

The staff were excellent and did what they could to help, it is a shame that there seem to be little interest from the owners to keep the place well maintained and professionally run.

Overall, I would say that we were not disappointed with the 5 days we spent on the island, but this was because we were fortunate enough to be the only couple on the island for some of the days we stayed there and not because of the standard of accommodation. One couple that arrived a few days after us and were booked for a week left after 2 days so be warned.

Food and beverage prices are a bit more expensive than on the mainland but this is understandable especially as everything has to be brought over on longboats, the trip to coral island was worth doing especially if you like snorkelling but the place was very busy with day trippers which seems to be a daily occurrence and a benefit of staying at Baan Mai.

My advice would be if you are looking for a peaceful location, Baan Mai could be the ideal place but check in advance if there are any large groups at the time staying over. Also do not expect that the daily rate you pay will in any way reflect the standard of accommodation, I think the main issue with the place is that our expectations were not met in terms of the standard of accommodation, I de believe if the price was substantially less and it was made clear that the accommodation is basic and functional, we would not have had the initial disappointment when we arrived.