Originally Posted by
washeelers747
Thank you so much for sharing your insights. CKS told me hotel isn't busy during my upcoming stay in late October. I am HH Diamond, and would value privacy over short distance to Zest so I should go ahead to make request to stay in 300s level (I assume they will upgrade me to oceanview villa room, minimally instead of standard waterfront villa room)? Any feedbacks or specific room suggestion will be much appreciated.
Also, curious if diamonds get free sparkling wine in their rooms?
Diamonds get a basket of fruit (size seems to vary depending on various factors, I never got the largest one...) and 4 drink chits instead of 2 for golds, although I cannot absolutely recall if they were still handed out on my last stay (some cost cutting has been in effect, when CKS opened the amenities were truly luxury class, e.g. thick cotton letter paper, organic mosquito repellent spray, plush slippers, silk robes, etc.)
If you want to enjoy a bottle of bubbly in your villa, you may wish to use your 1l allowance to bring one from home, as local prices are very high (>THB4k for a bottle of e.g. Moet before markup).
Late October is indeed a quiet period, with good upgrade prospects. The last half dozen or so 200's may -deservingly, as they are somewhat higher up and isolated - be classified as retreat as well, as when I stayed in them they had the silk day robes and wooden board games which were only found in retreat villas.
The villas on dead ends are marginally quieter, as the few on the main path have a steady flow of hardly audible golf carts passing by.
Honestly I have never made eye contact with another guest while in my villa. Given the strength of the sun (pools are to my knowledge unheated, so most guests won't spend much time in them when the sun is not up), people do not spend much time hanging over the edge of their pools...
The only time you'll notice anything nearing a crowd is during the latter half of breakfast. I recommend going there when it opens at 7am if you enjoy sitting outside, as it will be cooler, quieter, and the 4 seat tables by the edge will be available to parties of 2. Many customers are East Asians, who prefer eating inside.
Incidentally, you may wish not to arrive by motorbike when you check in: depending on who checks you in, especially if local staff, that may affect your upgrade chances... I was not looking my best when I was assigned to the villa near Zest mentioned in a previous post.
One last tip: if you experience electrical gremlins such as a tiring AC unit (2 per one bedroom villa, IIRC 4 per two bedroom villa), it is quicker and more effective to remove your keycard from its holder by the door once a day for a few minutes than calling maintenance.