Asia Gardens Hotel &Thai Spa

The gym was excellent, with the latest Technogym equipment, and our room was spacious and clean. The garden is beautiful too, but the hotel feels like a decent four-star property rather than a luxury one. The interior is showing its age, and the balcony had only two chairs and a small table, no sun loungers. Housekeeping was inconsistent: some days we got fresh towels or toiletries, other days we didn’t. The restaurant experience was mixed. Lombocci was abominable, Koh Samui was decent, and the pool grill was really good, though it wasn’t open in the evening. The free WiFi reached across the hotel but was patchy and unstable, about 40 Mbps at best and usually 2-5. It also had no password, which set off security warnings on my devices, so I’d be careful using it for online banking. The pool loungers were the deal-breaker for me. They were old and rusty, and often had bird droppings on them that weren’t cleaned off. The hotel gives out green cards for one towel a day. If yours is wet or you need another because the first one is covering bird poo, you’re out of luck. Forgetting to return the card by the end of the day costs €35. The main pool shuts at 19:00, and the pool attendant makes it very clear you have to leave, without a please or sorry. We expected much more after seeing the attractive photos and knowing the hotel belongs to the prestigious LHW group. It hosts conventions and, in my opinion, doesn’t really cater to individual tourists. Check the final bill too: someone else’s drinks were charged to us. The hotel removed them without a fuss, but it’s still worth checking.

The grounds and hotel are lovely to look at, and the staff were super nice. We also had a couples massage that I can’t fault. But the room we were given felt tired, with marked walls and tatty furniture, rug, and fixtures. The bathroom smelled so strongly of urine that we didn’t want to go in without shoes. The food was barely edible for us. My husband had steak and I had lamb shank; both were only lukewarm, and my lamb was dry. It was nowhere near the five-star meal we expected. I also don’t think a hotel that puts so much emphasis on nature and being Zen should still serve Foie Gras. That feels outdated, and the practice is disgusting and should be reconsidered. My husband booked Asia Gardens Spa for my birthday. This could be a beautiful top-notch place, but it needs work to match the five stars it claims. Asia Gardens should take note of the reviews and address the problems, since ours don’t seem to be an isolated case.

The Kids Club was a real highlight for our family. The staff were incredibly friendly, the facilities were lovely, and the children loved it. We especially appreciated that they could have dinner with the Kids Club team, giving us a quiet evening now and then. The spa was beautiful as well, and our massages were excellent in both technique and atmosphere. The hotel grounds are stunning and impeccably maintained. Driving in felt like arriving in Southeast Asia, and our room was beautiful, spotless, and in excellent condition. Breakfast was generous and tasty, though it didn’t vary much day to day. The restaurants we tried all served consistently excellent food. For a hotel in this category and price range, the guest experience felt surprisingly transactional. Nearly everything costs extra, prices are very high, and there wasn’t much effort to make us feel special. There was no welcome drink or little touch for the kids, and no proactive introduction to the property. We checked in and were left to work things out ourselves. Families don’t have many options beyond the Kids Club. There are several pools, but only one is heated and open to children, and guests there are asked to keep quiet. There’s nowhere for kids to splash and be kids without feeling they’re bothering people. There’s also no food or drink service by the pool, so you have to go to a restaurant to eat during the day. The food is good, but €10 for fries, €9 for ice cream, €5 for a soda, and €9 for a small side of basmati rice is steep. There’s no simple, casual, affordable snack option. Staff were polite but not very proactive. One evening, our drinks at the bar took a long time despite us being the only guests. We were running late for dinner and asked the waitress to call the restaurant. She first told us to walk to reception ourselves, and only made the call reluctantly after we insisted. We’d expect that to be standard service at a five-star hotel. There wasn’t much for adults to do either. We had no live music or evening entertainment, and the sports schedule was limited to a couple of yoga and pilates sessions. There’s a beach volleyball court, but no organized games or other sports activities. If you don’t book spa treatments, there isn’t much to do. We had a good stay, but left feeling the experience fell short of what you’d expect from a five-star hotel at this price. It’s a beautiful property with excellent facilities, but it needs more thoughtful hospitality, proactive service, and worthwhile activities for adults and families to feel memorable.

The grounds really are stunning, and the location is beautiful, great for Instagram. That’s the main reason this got more than one star. The attitude toward guests feels like you should be grateful you’re allowed to spend money there, and the service doesn’t match the prices. Unless you just want a pretty photo, look elsewhere. We had trouble reaching concierge by phone, trying several times over two days without an answer. An off-duty staff member later told us they routinely ignore calls that aren’t from a suite. We were also told the hotel’s own cars could pick us up from Benidorm, then that arrangement was cancelled, with no reason beyond it being “too difficult.” It wasn’t a local taxi service. If you want a digital detox, this isn’t the place. Nearly everything, from restaurant menus to spa bookings, was handled through a VR code. Service also seemed very poor for anyone who wasn’t in a suite or part of a corporate event. If a gold-plated Rolls Royce is your idea of sophistication, you might like it here. For a spa with excellent service and fine dining, I’d go somewhere else.