After traveling for 3 weeks throughout Asia, my husband and I stayed here for 9 days in May. We were tired from going from place to place - I was ready to relax and my husband was ready to surf. If you are a surfer, this is by far the best hotel option for you. A company called Tropic Surf runs the surf trips everyday, which was perfect for my husband. He was able to get in a morning AND afternoon session everyday, and the surf guide, Amy, was just the best. We LOVED her! It was a perfect setup because I could stay back at the hotel and relax in our suite. I never really even went by the pool because our private beach in front of our suite was much nicer. When we checked in, the hotel occupancy was very low, so the hotel offered to upgrade us to a larger suite for $50 per night. They showed us 3 different suites that we could choose from, and after reading other reviews, I can tell you that depending on which side of the island you are on makes a HUGE difference. One side of the island is much much nicer than the other. Also, I would recommend the beach bungalows over the suites over the dock. Although it sounds romantic, realistically it's much nicer to have the extra space of your own plunge pool and private garden. The dock rooms are exposed and less spacious, with a much further walk.
The whole staff was incredible throughout our stay. We were there 9 days but it went by way too quickly. We definitely plan to come back when we have kids - with their kids room it would be the perfect place.
I took a cooking class - and was the only one. Considering how expensive the meals are, it was well worth it. You get the class plus the food pretty much for the same price as if you were to only order the food. I really enjoyed it and the chef even gave me some packaged garam masala to take home. Loved it!
We knew going in that being on an island they would be able to charge anything they wanted for food. We brought plenty of snacks with us to avoid ordering room service or eating in the restaurants for each meal to save a little bit of money. It was worth it - a hamburger costs $29! Other than that, everything was well worth it's price tag.
The spa is unbelievable and we loved taking the boat over to the island. It makes it a more special experience. We had many treatments and loved the feeling of the open bungalow over the water, looking down through the glass window at the fish beneath you...Amazing! Well worth the money.
We can't wait to go back!