Completed a 9-night stay at the StR- overall pretty satisfactory and would like to revisit.
Villas (★★★☆☆)
We spent 5/3/1 nights at a 2-BR SOWV (207), 1-BR SOWV (541) and GV (104).
Room space: 2-BR SOWV (excl. the 2nd floor)> 1-BR SOWV ~ GV
Pool space: GV > 1-BR SOWV >> 2-BR SOWV
Interior: they are just different
Snorkeling experience: 1-BR SOWV > 2-BR SOWV
View: 1-BR SOWV > 2-BR SOWV >> GV
Overall our couple likes a 1-BR SOWV the most. It offers a convenient access to snorkeling spots which include the area near the JJA Suite and more feeling to be on the water versus a 2-BR SOWV. We strongly advise to avoid 544 and 543 as they are too much exposed to people at the Whale Bar between 6-10pm so really suffer from a lack of privacy- they can see your room if you turn on the light. I still can't believe the resort initially assigned us to the 544 despite my multiple requests with strong room preference. Anyhow if I can choose my own SOWV then I will go with one around 535 (only StR Suite with a sunset view) for the best sunset view (vert West) and proximity to the JJA Suite for snorkeling. Again you would really want to avoid 544.
Regarding a 2-BR SOWV, the resort assigned us to 207 furthest from the Whale Bar per our request. But after staying in that villa, I think 208, 209 or 210 should be fine as well. Just avoid 212 if you care about privacy. While having a dinner at the Whale Bar, I had a view exactly towards the deck of 212. The 2-BR SOWV also had a nice sunset view which we appreciated and as always it was good to have two bathrooms. But the rest space on the second floor was really in no use honestly except I could escape to this floor frequently as my wife hates A/C. My real complaint on this villa type is the pool size. It is more like a tub- you can't swim really. And there is no umbrella (parasol) provided on the deck while my butler also could not install it per the resort's policy, which should be improved after the renovation in June/July.
Finally on a GV, we actually liked it. After 8 nights in OWVs, it worked as a good refresh and offered Bali/Ubud vibe which we really enjoyed. And we appreciated its large pool size. Amongst the three categories, the GV has the largest pool size approximately double vs. OWVs pool and quadruple vs. 2-BR SOWVs pool. But as mentioned previously we won't spend our whole stay in this category.
Butler/staffs (★★★★☆)
Our butler was Abanoub, a young guy from Egypt. Initially and honestly, I was not much comfortable due to his restaurant pre-booking for all nights but we cleared the air eventually (I don't have OCD!
) . Except this minor dent, he was very attentive through our stay. For the first time, I had to visit the clinic due to some splinters and minor cuts in my feet unexpectedly and and I could see he really cared about our couple.
I also highly appreciate politeness and professionalism of our airport butler, Muaan, another young intern guy. His English and attitude were simply flawless. We forgot to take our PCR result print after check-out but he smoothly and calmly dealt with it on the way to the airport in limited time. He definitely deserves a promotion.
All the other staffs whom I met at the restaurants and villas were also super nice. I would not forget Janif who remembered my name through the stay and automatically served mango and mangosteen plates upon arrival the Alba with his happy smile. Pop was another impressive staff from Thailand with her big and warm welcome every moment. My wife also was very happy about various animals made of towels in our villa provided by our villa attendants Almas and Ali with warm handwritten letters. In everywhere and from everyone, we could feel their hospitality.
As a Korean, I am not used to giving tips and generally I don't. However I think I paid total about $500 through my stay this time as I was really moved by them.
Snorkeling (★★★★★)
The marine life around this resort is pretty impressive- lots of fish kinds while I could encounter turtles and sharks occasionally. We advise you to stay in a SOWV (near 535 or JJA) if you are big fans of snorkeling like our couple. The best house reef is in the West and especially the area from the Whale Bar to the JJA Suite would be the best to be explored. A large coral garden in front of the JJA is a must.
However the reef in the North which includes the area near BVs would be less impressive given strong currents and relatively weak marine life.
Here are some my clips uploaded to YouTube- enjoy.
Activities (★★★★☆)
We joined a whale shark tour ($490++/p) and a night snorkeling ($110++/p).
The whale shark tour was awesome as you can see in above clip. The group size was favourable- only 6 people joined including us while 3 staffs guided us. At the spot, we could see many of other groups but their group size was certainly a lot bigger. This activity depends on weather and luck but I highly recommend this activity if you haven't encountered whale sharks. They are simply... stunning.
On the other hand, the night snorkeling was not that impressive although I still recommend it. We were luckily enjoyed this activity as a private event thanks to no other guests. And on the way back to the dive centre, the team provides a speed boat so you really don't need to swim much so it is very comfortable. This boat return was not provided at the WA, fyi. We could not spot night marine life as much as we expected or we had watched at the WA. However it was still thrilling and was astonishing to see stars in the sky on the speedboat.
Dining (★★★☆☆)
First of all, our couple are not much into fine dining especially dinner so not much to comment.
Clearly I think all the restaurants and mini bar selections here are overly priced. One sushi piece is near $10... no way
. We just simply enjoyed the vibe of the venues. Obviously we liked the Whale Bar the most and didn't visit the Orientale.
What we pretty liked were calzones at the Crest and a whole reef fish (white snapper) at the Whale Bar.
Management (★☆☆☆☆)
I might not able to score this category as I didn't get any chance to meet any of them during my stay. They didn't show up even in the breakfast restaurant. Simply not a good attitude which was frequently complained by other FTers here.
StR vs. the WA
It is a tough decision but if you haven't been any of them or experienced both, then I would recommend the WA. Otherwise please visit the resort which you haven't been.
But please note my stay at the WA was before the pandemic.
Villa: StR < WA (larger pool size, more spacious room and deck, better chance to get upgraded)
Breakfast: StR < WA (wider selection at the buffet)
Staffs: StR > WA (more attentive butler, more smile and politeness etc)
Snorkeling: StR > WA (better marine life amid calmer currents)
Resort size: StR < WA (i think the bigger the better after staying at the Residence, Conrad, WA and StR)
View from the villas: StR > WA (most of WA villas have no sunset/sunrise view)
Transportation StR < WA (yachts should be always better than seaplanes)
Long story short, I have decided to revisit this resort around this Christmas although I should try different ones in Feb 2023- perhaps RC or WA.
I am happy to take any questions, cheers.