Very comfortable beach resort experience

I have stayed at more than a dozen different accommodations on Phuket Island and found Crowne Plaza to be among the most relaxing and pleasant.
1. The welcome registration process is certainly impressive as we are whisked though the hotel's spectacular entry lobby, seated in the ocean-view lobby area and presented with tasty Thai Ice Teas.
2. The room (Adaman Sea View) was spacious, quiet, beautifully decorated and enjoyed one of the most spectacular sunrise views I have ever seen -- with the sun's rays emerging over the bay and filtering through the palm trees.
3. Nice swimming pools
4. The brunch was wonderfully expansive and tasty -- great fresh choices and espresso drinks and both western and eastern dishes.
5. Ate at hotel both nights at Mosaic forThai and then Patio Al Fresco for Italian utilizing coupons we were given at check-in and found the meals to be a very good value (for beach-front hotel setting) and quite good food (though not necessarily uniquely memorable cuisine).
The last point brings up what I found to be the main drawback at Crowne Plaza Panwa - its isolated location with other restaurants, shopping, beaches and sites all several kilometers away on a scary, busy stretch of highway. We did cross the busy street to a tiny minimart to buy some snacks and a beer, and contemplated eating at the scruffy looking restaurant there. The hotel suggested we rent motor scooters to explore Phuket, but we found this to be too dangerous and risky proposition (note - Thailand has ranked #2 globally for motor vehicle deaths). The hotel also provides an infrequent daily shuttle but only to a couple big, uninteresting shopping malls during middle of day.
Also I was slightly annoyed by the aggressive effort to up-sell us to the hotel's more expensive room-class which marred an otherwise magical check-in process.
All in all I think for most people looking to relax with family, Crowne Plaza Panwa is a great choice. Personally I preferred staying at