This is a old and aging hotel, all the excitement (Cenang Beach) is far away from here. The only advantage is the white sand beach is quite well maintain. Also, the lobby is packed with one huge model that is not relevant for the hotel.
Everything about this resort is bad except for relatively large pool and excellent sunset view!! After nearly 13 hours flight and transit time we finally arrived at the hotel around 12 pm where we had 5 rooms booked and since the check-in time is 3:00 pm, they kept us waiting till 3! Although most of the rooms were empty! In our room, there were no soap and only a single towel. I asked the housekeeping but my soap and towel never arrived till the next day! The Egg Station during breakfast only offered pre-made fried eggs and when my wife asked for an omelette, the 'egg' chef started arguing! We were on the 3rd floor and surprisingly they kept the elevator shut down for the entire 3 days right after the bell man brought our luggage to our room. When asked, the front desk manager told me it is under maintenance although I haven't seen a single person trying to fix it! During dinner, only one person was running around and taking orders and serving foods to nearly 10-12 tables! Anyway, it is a long list of bad experiences so, in a simple sentence, if you want value for your money just don't stay here!
I’ve been reluctant to post this because the staff at this hotel are helpful and courteous and don’t want to do them a disservice but the hotel......
So we arrived and walked from the car into a big open reception that looked like it had time warped from 1960 with its huge model of the town filling the floor. As we checked in we were informed on an upgrade to sea view room which was actually huge and more like a suite which we are grateful for. However before getting to the room I can only describe the corridor like the back of a football stadium- all the walls and door scuffed so had dread building to what the room would be like. Anyway as mentioned that was a big “phew “ moment. Immediately the kids wanted to open the doors to the pool.... it looked like a pool in the middle of a tarmac car park. Anyway, I asked the nursery for a towel to be informed they are waiting, so we sat on the metal sun loungers (see picture) as I scanned the place. I then started to think, we’re at the wrong hotel. I didn’t book this but then recalled they had our name..... HOW did I book this? So I looked online and showed the family. IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE BROCHURE. The next day we went for breakfast and it was like entering a school dining hall. We barely ate.... but kept reminding myself we are blessed to be here in the country and just “get on with it” thankfully, we only had 4 nights here... but it wasn’t luxury, more motel. Now motel is fine, if that’s what you’ve booked but I didn’t. I booked 4* luxury. Like I say though, the staff are are incredible. The air conditioning broke, they were there in minutes and solved the problem. The wardrobe door got stuck, within 15 minutes they had the door off and remedied the problem. The hotel looks like it would have been amazing back in the day and we were informed it was one of the first on the island. It just looks like nothing has been improved since it’s construction. In 4 days, I only managed to get hold of 1 beach towel- they were still waiting every time I asked and no other guest had a towel either so suspect they don’t really provide it. All the toiletries etc and the cleaning of the room maintain the 4star rating but go expecting motel/BB and you won’t be disappointed.. and don’t expect to relax by the pool with your beer or cocktail.
We stayed in the hotel for 2 nights.
PROS-
- closer to airport.
- closer to food market area
- relatively wide outdoor swimming pool
- there is a private beach , pool is next to this beach
Cons-
-Not very clean, we did see a bit of fungus in the bathroom.
-Buffett Breakfast is not that great, I’ve seem much better international cuisine BBS for the same price of the room.
-Pool is manned from 8-8 and there no under water lights for swim after 8.
The place must have seen its glory days. You could see the grandeur exterior and the close proximity to the airport which should make this place a premier choice of stay. Unfortunately, once you made it past the front entrance, things started to unravel.
The receptionists were a little more animated than robots and were merely just paying lip service. They always nodded whether they knew or understood what you were saying or asking of them. Can’t really fault them as most were not proficient with communication in English and it was hard to hire good help there. They looked presentable but that was it.
While the resort only has 3 floors, we decided to use the elevator, but it was a bit of a mistake. We couldn’t help but noticed a very strong smell of urine which was a bit stomach churning. The floor button was blacked out and we were unsure if we actually got onto the right floor for a while as there was no floor indicator light in the elevator.
Finally, we got out and ascertained that we were on the right floor, the hallway was dimly lit and the overhead light in front of our door was burnt out. Once inside of the room, we realized that the telephone was not working as there was no connection. Also, the hydraulic door closer was not working right as it just slammed shut causing a loud “Bang” that would literally wake the comatose. The exterior doorbell to our room was also not working. The shower door failed to prevent water from leaking onto the bathroom floor.
Armed with all that information, we approached the front desk and asked the floor manager to help solve the problems. With one employee playing games on his phone, the other one smiled and sort of acknowledged and we left to go to the city for the evening. We figured with a 4-5 hour lead time, at least some issues could be resolved.
We were wrong. None of the problems was addressed. Just about the only thing done as a stop gap was a floor towel. Incidentally, a floor towel was left for tge duration of our stay. Suffice to say, the leak was never fixed.
Phone was still dead and the door still slamming if it wasn’t held to ease the door to the door frame. Still no doorbell which was not critical by itself but you get my drift.
The day prior to our departure, someone actually came while we were out to address the door issue. They fixed it alright - they removed the arm from the hydraulic closer and the door does not close automatically anymore but only manually, problem solved. Glad these guys are not partime surgeons and you go there with a sprained shoulder.
There were hair and dust balls on the floor near the balcony which remained a fixture for the 4 days we stayed and there was supposed to be cleaning and vacuuming daily. Maybe a Dyson would have helped?
If it wasn’t the dining room staff who were always polite and efficient, this place would have got a 0 star. Breakfast time was a bit of a zoo with the tour groups, but the dinningroom staff did their best and managed well.
They do have a very impressive swimming pool and a beautiful view of the sunset.
I would certainly stay away from this “resort” until there is a marked improvement or change of management or ownership.
