Elements of our stay makes me think that all might not be well financially ....
We purchased a 5 night package as part of our honeymoon, it included speedboat transfers from Samui and massages; shortly before we were due to arrive, we were contacted by the hotel informing us that both the transfers and spa package were no longer included (after we had payed $300AUD for them). So... off to an excellent start that really didn't get any better.
Before we get much further in, I should point out that the resort has the potential to be amazing, but it's a long way off right now.
We upgraded to a pool villa, however the one we received, 511 was in a state of disrepair. The outdoor woodwork has not been maintained, for a very long time, to the point that we were concerned about getting splinters walking on the deck. The shower didn't work for the first three days of our stay (we kept calling to have it fixed, someone would arrive, 'fix' it, and....it would break as soon as we turned it on). Yes this went on for three days. The room we were 'upgraded' to had a separate lounge room that could only be accessed by walking outside, over a waterfall on a rickety half tree bridge. It's a nice idea, but isn't in any way practical. It meant we had our suitcases at the side of our bed and spent he whole stay tripping over them. We had asked to change rooms but were shown a smaller room without a view, another broken shower and the bathroom stank.
In terms of facilities and housekeeping it's very basic and well below expectations.
No coffee machine in the room and the restaurant is a 10 min hilly treck away (and we were in a nearby room).
They have citronella oil burners in the bed and bath but we didn't get replacement candles after the first day.
We had to ask for someone to clean the pool each day.
Water wasn't replaced in our room some days and for part of our stay we weren't left washcloths.
The very expensive (and incredibly poor) spa, food and tours point to a lack of investment in repeat business, a complete disregard for the strengths of the premises and staff training.
Take the spa for example, I had noted allergies to Dermalogica products before having a facial. Without any consultation, Dermalogica products were used for the facial. The therapist clearly had no training, given her technique was terrible, more 'taking makeup of after a big night out' than 'relaxing 5 star facial'. Her fingernails were so long, or her technique was so bad, that she scratched my face and didn't stop when I flinched and said 'ouch, you just scratched me'.
We took a 1/2 day snorkeling tour. At AUD$50/pax we expected to see at least one lovely snorkelling spot. What we got were 2 sites that were just around the corner from the hotel, in populated areas. They were so damaged (looked like they had been dynamited 5-10 years ago) and so polluted that the remaining coral was covered in weed (read nutrient rich water or sewage pumped into the ocean) and we saw just as many plastic bags, bottles and bits of old rope as we did fish. needless to say, we didn't take another tour with the hotel.
The food was appalling. I'm not sure if the chef was on holidays or just not tasting anything that left the kitchen, but it was disgusting. I had a Phad Thai on our second last night that I couldn't eat, it tasted so bad. It went back untouched and surprise surprise, still appeared on our bill.
The thing that I find really surprising from all of this is that the hotel is so secluded, (it's miles from anywhere) that if they just put a little bit of effort into the spa, F&B and tours they would make an incredible amount of money from the patrons. Instead, the guests realize it's average or worse and make the treck into town to spend their money elsewhere.
So yes, this hotel has the potential to be amazing but really wasn't for us.