So we’ve been back to reality for 2 weeks after a blissful 5 night stay in a beach villa.
It’s a place my husband and I will go back to and that doesn’t happen very often. The transfer service from the Air Swift flight to the island was well rehearsed and very smooth. The heavens opened just as we were nearing the shore but staff were on hand to assist with umbrellas and lovely cool drinks.
We stayed in villa 7 which was half way between the main areas and the pool. I have read some reviews that said the resort needs updating, we saw a little of this in some areas but were more than happy with our villa. It was kept spotlessly clean and the little touches of the sun hats, beach bags, insect repellant and snacks were very welcome.
We didn’t use the trips that were included as part of the package but we did do a couple of private trips. The first one was a 4hr hire and we set off at 7am. Our guide Joar was wonderful, knowledgable and a really nice guy. We went to secret beach first and I got a shock when he said we had to swim through an opening in the rock face. I’m not a confident swimmer in the sea so Joar stayed with me as we swam through. I was pleased that I did it and that was mainly down to him. We kayaked round another island and my husband went snorkelling with Joar looking for turtles. An unforgettable day. My husband also did a private fishing trip with Joar and again had a great morning. Raynel was a super snorkelling guide too, my husband saw a 5ft reef shark thanks to his spotting ability.
Staff on the whole are excellent, however we felt there is a need for management direction in the main restaurant. As other reviews have stated, you see the manager on arrival and when leaving, it would be prudent to be more visible to guests.
Now for the only downside to our stay: the food. I would have been more than happy to give our stay 5* but the food just lets it down. The breakfast was ok, chefs made a wonderful omelette. Other items ok.
We had lunch at the pool bar, that was really good. We had dinner 3 nights at the main restaurant and it was really poor so we ate dinner at the pool bar again and that was cooked really well. Thanks to Alvin for looking after us so well, works very hard for all guests.
The worst dishes were a prawn tikka and chicken vindaloo. Ive never had to de shell 3 large prawns covered in a tikka powder before, tasteless and very messy. What we couldn’t understand was why there was no “fish of the day” for 3 out of our 5 days? Seemed bizarre for a 5* resort.
As I said we will definitely go back with the hope that the food improves. Thankyou
