Ouch!
Choosing the wrong resort for a holiday can be a very expensive mistake.
Buy a car or even a house, decide you don’t like it, and you can sell.
Go on holiday and by the time you’ve realised the resort is not for you, it’s too late. The money has gone for good.
This Camel has made a few costly mistakes over the years, and that’s after researching the resorts. The difficulty is finding accurate, honest reviews. Hotels and resorts are sold on spin. In these desperate ‘credit crunch’ times, some of the sales spiels would make Alistair Campbell blush.
Pangkor Laut, in Malaysia had me seething.
The web site greets visitors with an idyllic image of villas on stilts, over a dreamy blue ocean. The words…
‘Number One In The World – Conde Naste Traveller UK 2003.’
…lie reassuring beneath the web page palm trees. I’m sure Conde Naste Traveller had good reason to award this accolade in 2003, but it is now 2008 and, whilst the standard of luxury resorts has risen dramatically, I suspect Pangkor Laut has declined.
I expected to be able to swim from our villa on stilts over crystal clear water. Unfortunately, to attempt this would have involved negotiating morning sewage and the occasional deadly sea snake. The Spa was good but everything else was awful.
Another costly mistake was a seven night stay at Amanyara in Turks & Caicos. The resort architecture is extraordinary. The spectacular heart of the resort would not be inappropriate as the lair of a Bond villain. Indeed the location of the resort, 4 miles along an unmade track, at the top of the island, would be perfect for a reclusive megalomaniac.
So why was it so disappointing?
The isolated location is a problem if you wish to eat out. You are held to ransom by the resort transport, which is very expensive.
The biggest issue was that our ‘Ocean View Pavilion’ did not have, what I would describe as, an ocean view. After a few days we felt like prisoners in a luxury cell, surrounded by bug infested vegetation.
Another Camel error was the Taj Exotica in Goa. Once again a Sea View Villa struggled to achieve sight of the sea, which was 300 metres in the distance, beyond a small golf course. The Leela, a few miles away, seemed a better option, but by the time we’d realised this, we were committed to the Taj.
It hasn’t all been doom, gloom and financial ruin.
Six Senses ‘Ninh Van Bay’ in Vietnam was fantastic. Actually, the Rock Villa was fantastic. However, if you stayed in a Beach Villa, you might not feel quite so enthusiastic.
A lesson I learned was to be careful when selecting accommodation. It’s always worth looking closely at the options. Two couples staying at the same resort can have very different experiences, depending upon their rooms.
Bedarra Island on the Australian Barrier Reef was also a tremendous experience, but once again, the accommodation was a key factor.
As in everyday life, it’s not only about the town in which you live, it’s where you live in the town, the house you live in and the view from your window. Your holiday home is exactly that – your home for the duration of your stay, so choose it with care.
Within the extreme boundaries of blatantly bad and blindingly brilliant, there is clearly the variable of personal taste. For example, I wasn’t wildly impressed with Carlisle Bay in Antigua, but most guests seem to love it.
I am now very careful before committing to an expensive trip. Despite global recession, there seems to be no stemming the creation of top end vacation venues, which push the boundaries of spoiling indulgence.
Huge investments require huge income to pay the bills, so resorts are increasingly desperate to sell themselves. There are no rules to regulate self-promotion and most review sites replicate the resort spin in return for booking fees.
When you identify a resort which tempts you, search for as many reviews and comments as you can. When you’ve made your decision, book the best room you can afford at the best price you can negotiate, and with a bit of luck, you won’t end up winter sun burnt.
Buy a car or even a house, decide you don’t like it, and you can sell.
Go on holiday and by the time you’ve realised the resort is not for you, it’s too late. The money has gone for good.
This Camel has made a few costly mistakes over the years, and that’s after researching the resorts. The difficulty is finding accurate, honest reviews. Hotels and resorts are sold on spin. In these desperate ‘credit crunch’ times, some of the sales spiels would make Alistair Campbell blush.
Pangkor Laut, in Malaysia had me seething.
The web site greets visitors with an idyllic image of villas on stilts, over a dreamy blue ocean. The words…
‘Number One In The World – Conde Naste Traveller UK 2003.’
…lie reassuring beneath the web page palm trees. I’m sure Conde Naste Traveller had good reason to award this accolade in 2003, but it is now 2008 and, whilst the standard of luxury resorts has risen dramatically, I suspect Pangkor Laut has declined.
I expected to be able to swim from our villa on stilts over crystal clear water. Unfortunately, to attempt this would have involved negotiating morning sewage and the occasional deadly sea snake. The Spa was good but everything else was awful.
Another costly mistake was a seven night stay at Amanyara in Turks & Caicos. The resort architecture is extraordinary. The spectacular heart of the resort would not be inappropriate as the lair of a Bond villain. Indeed the location of the resort, 4 miles along an unmade track, at the top of the island, would be perfect for a reclusive megalomaniac.
So why was it so disappointing?
The isolated location is a problem if you wish to eat out. You are held to ransom by the resort transport, which is very expensive.
The biggest issue was that our ‘Ocean View Pavilion’ did not have, what I would describe as, an ocean view. After a few days we felt like prisoners in a luxury cell, surrounded by bug infested vegetation.
Another Camel error was the Taj Exotica in Goa. Once again a Sea View Villa struggled to achieve sight of the sea, which was 300 metres in the distance, beyond a small golf course. The Leela, a few miles away, seemed a better option, but by the time we’d realised this, we were committed to the Taj.
It hasn’t all been doom, gloom and financial ruin.
Six Senses ‘Ninh Van Bay’ in Vietnam was fantastic. Actually, the Rock Villa was fantastic. However, if you stayed in a Beach Villa, you might not feel quite so enthusiastic.
A lesson I learned was to be careful when selecting accommodation. It’s always worth looking closely at the options. Two couples staying at the same resort can have very different experiences, depending upon their rooms.
Bedarra Island on the Australian Barrier Reef was also a tremendous experience, but once again, the accommodation was a key factor.
As in everyday life, it’s not only about the town in which you live, it’s where you live in the town, the house you live in and the view from your window. Your holiday home is exactly that – your home for the duration of your stay, so choose it with care.
Within the extreme boundaries of blatantly bad and blindingly brilliant, there is clearly the variable of personal taste. For example, I wasn’t wildly impressed with Carlisle Bay in Antigua, but most guests seem to love it.
I am now very careful before committing to an expensive trip. Despite global recession, there seems to be no stemming the creation of top end vacation venues, which push the boundaries of spoiling indulgence.
Huge investments require huge income to pay the bills, so resorts are increasingly desperate to sell themselves. There are no rules to regulate self-promotion and most review sites replicate the resort spin in return for booking fees.
When you identify a resort which tempts you, search for as many reviews and comments as you can. When you’ve made your decision, book the best room you can afford at the best price you can negotiate, and with a bit of luck, you won’t end up winter sun burnt.
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
