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Ayr2l8
Santa Monica, California

Not worth the money!

Review of Zeavola Resort
3.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed Feb 17, 2013
This resort came with high praise from several sources and I was looking forward to spending time here. Although it is pleasantly located away from the very touristy part of Koh Phi Phi, it is still closely situated along a strip of 3 or 4 resorts/hotels or varying quality. It is quite expensive and, frankly, does not merit the cost.

The villas were comfortable but lacked privacy. They are fairly close to one another and the villas have a lot of windows so you had to pretty much close everything up to have privacy. There is a designated swimming area at the beach but there are a lot of boats coming in and out all day long so it's like swimming in a parking lot. Also, there is quite a big tide variation with the beach being basically unusable around low tide.

The food was average. At dinner, there were not enough tables out for the number of guests in the resort and the service staff got into a bit of a fracas with a table full of customers over how many candles they could have on their tables ... not very professional. Also, during the dinner hours, there was a constant stream of workers hauling things onto the beach from boats which disturbed the peace.

There is functional wifi in the villa. The pool is nice and was a break from the heat when it was low tide.
Date of stay: January 2013
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
2.0 of 5 bubblesValue
3.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
3.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
4.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
3.0 of 5 bubblesService
4.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
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Florian H, General Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this review
Responded Feb 23, 2013
Dear Ary218,
Thank you very much for your review on trip-advisor. While still a positive rating, I'm sad that you did not perceive the value which we try to provide. There are things in our resort which are just facts. Yes we are located on a beach with 3 other hotels and we have to make the best out of it. Our resort style is that of a Thai village 30 years ago, so privacy was not the most important aspect of our concept. In order to increase privacy levels we installed Bamboo curtains for the outside living rooms we also installed sheer curtain so that the light still can come in, while protecting the privacy and certainly black out curtains are there too. If our guests look for a very private room please talk to us we will try to find a better villa.
In regards food quality, I just mentioned in another response that we are cooking for up to 30 nations on one day. If you perceived our food as average I'm sorry but rest assured that we will continue our efforts to get better.
Once again thank you for your review and giving us the challenge to get better.
We are wishing you a healthy and successful year 2013.
Florian and the Zeavola Family
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Reviewed February 17, 2013

Wow, pulling into the Palm tree swaying, white sand beach after a 1 hour speedboat ride from Phuket, you knew this was going to be special. Gracious, attentive & respectful staff from the gardeners to the masseuse staff, the superlatives extend to the numerous parts that make up the Zeavola experience.
My wife & I treated ourselves to 1 week of scuba, snorkeling, a great trek to a gorgeous cove but for foodies like we are, the cuisine of the chef & his staff was simply a joy, every day. This is a first for us. We have never stayed one week at any property covering 15 countries of travel, and had no desire to "try something different" No need as every day at Zeavola, the culinary team executed traditional & innovative Thai cuisine that was nothing short of exciting & satisfying. Bring many books & drift for a week in the slow lane as the accommodations are much more idyllic that the photos on their website, and when have you ever experienced that ?

Date of stay: January 2013
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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2  Thank pepperchef
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florian H, General Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this reviewResponded February 22, 2013

Dear Pepperchef,
Thanks for your very positive review, which we enjoyed reading. Its great that you settled in for one week. That actually gives you a lot of time to get to know us and the wonders of PHi PHi as well as just relax and be yourself. This is what we want to achieve.
Being in the business to we are extra happy that our food was to your delight. Its sometimes not easy to cook for such a grand selection of different Nations. Imagine sometimes we have 30 different countries in our hotel all with different expectations and tastes. But we try it one guest at a time and it seems most of the time we can celebrate small successes.

Once again thank you, have an excellent 2013, we would be very happy to have you back one day.
Florian and the Zeavola Family.

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Reviewed February 14, 2013 via mobile

We were blown away by the attention to detail at Zeavola. Everything has been thought of, it's clear the staff really care.

The end result was an extremely enjoyable and relaxing stay away from the hustle and bustle you find in the main area of Phi Phi. I wish we could have been here for longer than 3 nights!

Date of stay: February 2013
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1  Thank EssBeeGee
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florian H, General Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this reviewResponded February 22, 2013

Dear EeSBEEGEE,

You really brought a big smile on my face that morning I read " Rancho Relaxo" for the first time. If any chance I would love to rename the Zeavola exactly this. But I guess 'm bound to branding guidelines. Maybe a future hotel of mine.

Great review and great description, we all thank you for your efforts and are delighted that you had such a good time. We would love to welcome you back to our little Rancho.
All the best for 2013, stay healthy and productive.
Florian and the Zeavola Family

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Reviewed February 10, 2013

We stayed here for three nights and loved it. We had a garden suite which was amazing! All outdoors except bedroom and bathroom, but also had an outdoor shower. Can make your area more private by putting down bamboo blinds if wanted. Mosquito equipment was provided. Literally just walked out and were on the beach! In lots of reviews, people have mentioned about it being busy with boats etc. There are some boats on one end of the beach, but they didn't bother us at all - how else do you do any excursions?! They have an area where the boats can't go, and therefore isn't noisy or busy at that part of the beach (right in front of hotel).
There are a couple of other resorts around which was nice as had a few restuarants you could walk along the beach and choose from. Was very nice eating on the beach. Breakfast was very good.
We did 3 excursions with the resort and loved them all. We did a sunset cruise, diving/snorkling, and maya bay/monkey beach/blue lagoon. Cian, Dan and our snorkling guide (we cant remember how to spell his name!) were all very friendly and helpful and we had a brilliant time. They helped you in the water if necessary and the provided food was fantastic.
Would very much recommend, was a lovely place to stay! We had an amamzing, relaxing time!!

Date of stay: January 2013
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Thank tinksamore87
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florian H, Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this reviewResponded February 22, 2013

Dear tinksamore87,
Sorry for the late reply I was traveling but enjoying to read all the great comments we have received in the last 2 weeks. Thank you for your very positive review and a very accurate description of our resort. We are delighted that you had such a good time and so many great impression.
Cian and his team is trying very hard to fulfill the expectations of our guests and show them the beauty of our island. Its our pride to do a good job and introduce you to a couple of sharks and turtles to them.

We are wishing you the very best for 2013 and all the success. We look forward to welcome you back.
Florian, Cian and the Zeavola Family.

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Reviewed February 4, 2013

It was our first trip to Thailand, we were able to spend 2 days in Bangkok, 2 days in Chiang Mai, and a full 7 days at Zeavola Resort which was amazing. The place is beautiful, the resort very relaxing and full of activities (very nice salt water swimming pool, boat rides around the island, snorkling tours) at the same time. The staff is very friendly, always with a smile on their face. The food is very fresh and tasty, and there are many different options to choose from. The spa is something not to miss...
Some of the people from the staff are outstanding, such as Tip from the beach restaurant, and especially Derek who is the assistant manager and really makes the experience fantastic ! Will go back for sure.

Date of stay: December 2012
  • Trip type: Traveled with family
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1  Thank Christopher J
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florian H, General Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this reviewResponded February 8, 2013

Dear Christopher,
It seems that you truly enjoyed our resort and all the different activities you did. We are very thankful that you had such a great time and hope that we can welcome you back sometimes at our shores.

We welcomed our new Executive Chef in November and under his guidance the food became even more tasty. While Thaifood is most certainly a big part of his knowledge, his love is truly in the Western cuisine. Like this our guests can taste so many different tastes. We also conduct Thai Cooking Classes for our guests.

Wishing you the very best for 2013, stay healthy and successful.
Florian and the Zeavola Family

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Reviewed February 1, 2013

We travelled to Thailand in Nov/Dec '12 for our honeymoon and stayed in Bangkok, Ao Nang, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta. The Zeavola hotel was by far our favourite 3 nights of the whole holiday! We were collected from the public ferry port by one of the hotel's long-boat drivers who took us by boat to the resort on the north-east tip of Koh Phi Phi. From that moment on we were looked after by attentive and helpful hotel staff. The hotel has a very laid back and relaxing atmosphere. When we arrived we were upgraded to a Village Suite, the room are a lovely mix of in-door and out-door areas and even showering outside felt very private as the individual suites are surrounded by quite thick trees and plants. The attention to detail was evident from everyone who works at The Zeavola, from the General Manager (who is often around at meal times mingling with guests) to the cleaning ladies who left little messages and gifts on the bed. We loved our time here, the food was excellent the beaches quiet and beautiful. We took one trip out snorkelling to nearby islands, we had the boat and driver to ourselves, and he was only too happy to stop off where we wanted and the snorkelling was amazing! There are also options to eat nearby the hotel in the sea-gypsy village about a 5-10 min walk along the beach too. We ate there a couple of times and loved the array of local food to try. In short, we LOVED The Zeavola, we would recommend it to anyone and would definitely go back there in future.

Date of stay: December 2012
  • Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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3  Thank Jo O
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florian H, General Manager at Zeavola Resort, responded to this reviewResponded February 8, 2013

Dear Jo,
Thank you for your kind note and your excellent review. We truly appreciate when our guests have a wonderful time in our place. That is really our purpose to be here. Nothing makes me more happy than being in the operation and assisting my team to do an excellent job. We strongly believe that little details, small surprises and our honest smile will endear our resort and our team to the heart of our guests.

We are wishing you both an excellent 2013, stay successful and healthy, hopefully we see us again.

Florian and the Zeavola Family

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