Ok, so we’re here now and I think the perspective as to whether things have got better or worse really depends on the point at which you were here last. We came for the first time in Jan 2020 and thought it was amazing (we stayed in the Royal Villa), so much so that we rebooked for March 2021 but that didn’t quite work out due to Covid so this is the postponed trip. Last time, Marco Araujo was Ops Director and he was superb, constantly chatting with guests, making sure everything was spot on and going completely above and beyond. Unsurprisingly, he is now GM at the WA Maldives but there is a very clear void now he has gone and senior management are nowhere to be seen, ever.
There is at least one constant and that’s the front line staff - they are all lovely, just as they were last time. It’s a real shame but we only recognised one face - I guess some really hard choices had to be made during Covid.
I think milelion’s review is spot on - the gym was already in its new location when we were last here and it still looks like it only opened yesterday and is a pleasure to use. The F&B was already very good, however the choices have been cut with Jahn gone, the Wine Cellar gone and Azure being open only for lunch although they will serve that menu in Zest if you give them a few hours notice (and it was excellent) and Zest covers the room service menu as well so you can always order from that menu in the restaurant. However and essentially as a venue, it’s Zest or nothing in the evening apart from speciality beach dinners, your own menu at Jahn in consultation with the chef or in-villa dining and all arguably rather limited for a hotel of this standing.
It’s Zest for breakfast too with the newly modelled outdoor area which was being built when we were last here which is lovely but which basically saves overspilling into the bar area as they did previously and which is now generally deserted. The breakfast choices are now limited in comparison - it’s still good, very good, but the a la carte options have vanished and there are fewer choices - the sushi has disappeared too.
That said, the quality has improved - as milelion said, the hotel now has its own farm just down the road and we took a tour of it. Considering there was nothing there 2 years ago, it’s very very impressive and the proof literally is in the pudding. The home smoked salmon at breakfast is extraordinarily good, as is the home made butter, home grown coffee, the eggs and all of the veg that comes from the farm too.
The spa is now better value and we had a couple of trips there for a 90 minute herbal massage at THB 2,000 each, a pedicure at THB 1,200 for an hour and foot reflexology at THB 1,300 for an hour - all superb.
Overall, the place is indeed looking a little rundown - there is a bit of work going on but they should really be trying to do more - most is cosmetic and so easy.
The Royal Villa is very tired but so so fixable. If you run a hotel and want people to say wow when they see your flagship unit, you should be checking there are no blown bulbs, that the sliding doors open without a monumental struggle, that the toilets flush properly, that the steam machine in the shower works, that all the windows are clean and particularly without bird muck on the inside of the shower windows etc and all in between each guest stay but this clearly isn’t taking place and these are real-time observations. It also took us the first 3 days to work out you have to have the main lobby lights on in order for the ceiling fan in the bedroom to work… As with the rest of the resort, the Villa has had a bit of paint but it’s insufficient and when housekeeping isn’t thorough either (dead flies not removed for days, bath gel not checked and restocked, aircon vents blocked with dust, foreign objects in the pool for days etc.), it all starts to add up a bit.
Would we come back for a third time? Definitely. I think a lot of the problems are down to the number of available staff as there are far fewer than previously. With no Marco doing the rounds and with the property trying to get back on its feet under difficult circumstances, our observations really aren’t the end of the world and I’m sure our next trip will be as good as it was the first time. Did we still have a wonderful time - of course we did. At the end of the day, this property is quite unique and it just needs a little time to get back into the swing of things again and once the authorities lift the bonkers entry rules, this should take no time at all. One last point and if you’ve been before and used online supermarkets to deliver, they still do this but they won’t deliver booze, with this being another authority-imposed regulation. You can stop off at a supermarket and buy it in person but expect this to be in place until all the restrictions are lifted.