Sarah Resort Gazipur

We had a great annual office retreat here last weekend. The grounds were calm and refreshing, a welcome break from the city. The rooms were spacious, clean, and looked after well, and the staff were friendly and attentive. Buffet meals were fresh and tasty. We also got good use out of the sports options, including badminton, tennis, and a football field. There isn’t a basketball court, but the other choices kept everyone moving. The only small hassle was finding the buggies sometimes, so we walked to quite a few places. Not a major problem. A lovely setting, good service, and enough to do for a corporate retreat or a relaxing weekend. I’d like to return.

The experience was good overall, though the food prices are far too high. One restaurant only offers a very costly buffet, while the other has individual dishes but not many choices. Even the soft drinks are all imported, so a regular Coke costs over 400 tk. They add a 10% service charge and 15% VAT to all food, including imported soft drinks.

What let Sarah Resort down for me was mainly the food and service. I recently visited Grand Sultan Tea Resort & Golf, and it felt much more complete as a resort. The look and atmosphere there were impressive and well maintained, qualities I felt were missing at Sarah Resort. The food at Grand Sultan was also noticeably better. Since I’m paying for the experience, I naturally make comparisons, and I think Sarah Resort has room to improve, especially on service and food.

I booked Sarah Resort’s day-long package for Friday, hoping for a nice family day together. Some details that matter aren’t obvious in the policy. Weekend bookings require 100% payment in advance, and it’s non-refundable. The reservation process was tedious too, with email needed to go from reservation to confirmation. The package includes morning snacks from 11am to 12 pm, buffet lunch, swimming, kayaking, playgrounds, kids zone and a zoo visit, but no room. The snacks amounted to 3 pcs of nuggets, one slice of awful cake, and a cup of tea or coffee, all self-service. The pool was okay, not great, and the kids' pool water looked murky and needed cleaning. After swimming and showering, I had an allergic reaction. I can’t confirm the cause, but my wife had the same reaction, so it might have been related. The rest was good if you could manage walking everywhere. They have 10 plus electric buggy cars, but transportation is offered only to staying guests. Day-package visitors can’t ride unless they’re checking out. We couldn’t request a buggy to show us around, even for someone elderly or with a medical condition. I wouldn’t go back. I felt my money wasn’t valued and we weren’t cared for.