Azabu Retreat & Spa

The rainforest setting and pool area have real potential, but my birthday stay fell well short of the peaceful boutique retreat I expected from the advertised “Brekkie & Champagne” package. The property could be genuinely relaxing with better oversight, clearer communication, up-to-date marketing and more consistent maintenance. As things stand, it doesn’t meet a four-star boutique standard. The package was still promoted on the website, but the Champagne and breakfast weren’t delivered. The advertised day spa wasn’t operating either. I also had cold showers several times, even after letting the taps run for more than 10 minutes. Drilling and contractors near my room made noise early in the morning, although I’d been told there’d be no work on my final day. A shower knob came off while I was adjusting the temperature, there was no proper place to hang clothes at first, and the clothing rack later collapsed. To be fair, staff did try to fix some things once I raised them. The hot water eventually came back, they provided extra hanging space, and the on-site manager acknowledged that the experience wasn’t up to standard.

The bed was very comfortable, and the room itself was okay, but that was the only positive from our weekend stay. When we arrived to check in, nobody was at the front counter. There was just an envelope with my partner’s name on it and the room key. My partner had been told at booking that breakfast was included, but we didn’t get any. Massages were advertised too, but there was no staff around to explain how to arrange one. The toilet seat was broken, and some of the floorboards were rotting through.

The room was filthy, with no sign it had been vacuumed. I had to wipe my feet before climbing into bed. The spa's surrounding wood was rotting and felt unsafe, and the owners brushed off our concern by saying it would be renovated soon. The Wi-Fi never worked, either. At night, plumbing from nearby rooms was so loud that the bed shook whenever someone showered. We raised it with the owners, but they dismissed us. We asked for half the stay back, a modest refund given the problems, and they refused while mostly ignoring what we'd reported. The owners were absent throughout our stay and never tried to welcome us. As far as we could tell, there was no staff on site. Having worked in holiday letting myself, I think guests should always have someone they can contact. We were very disappointed and would advise staying somewhere else.

The accommodation has real potential and a lovely, enchanted-forest feel, which is why I wish I could say better things. Instead, our refrigerator was broken, there was no milk for tea or coffee, and we had neither hot water nor drinking water. We were frustrated, slept poorly, then woke at 7am to power tools. I spoke with reception to see if anything could be done, but they didn't seem to care. I'm upset to leave a bad review because I know how hard it is to provide a good experience, and I didn't want to rate the place poorly. Still, I do want compensation for what happened. The new owners seem dodgy and don't care much about customers.