Villa Mathan

The setting is beautiful, and the staff are lovely, which makes the condition of Villa Mathan such a shame. The access road is an unmaintained grass track through the rice fields, with overgrown, abandoned properties on either side. The pictures had made us expect much more, and for the price, a lot needs fixing before this feels like a five star place. Some of the problems were hard to miss: the kitchen was dirty, the living area lamp shades had mould, and the kitchen and dining area air conditioner did not work. In one room the lights were out and the air conditioner did not cool it. One bathroom was muddy where there was no grass, and its bath was dirty. The toilet seats were old and stained and, in my opinion, should be replaced. The pillows and sheets smelled of sweat. When we checked, the pillows had sweat and blood stains, and the sheets were stained too.

The villa itself is beautiful and the staff were lovely, but I wouldn't recommend it as a five star stay. Housekeeping needs a lot of improvement, and I think more training would help. The road in also needs mowing and clearing. Getting to the villa means taking an overgrown track through the rice fields, though our first impression of the place was absolutely wonderful. After settling in, we found the pillows smelled stale and were badly stained with sweat. Some pillowcases had stains, and there were brown marks and blood stains on some sheets. I slept on top of the doona, first wrapping a pillow in a filthy bathrobe, then using a towel that was clean but not soft or fluffy. In the morning, the kitchen sink was absolutely filthy. The bathtub in one bedroom's outdoor bathroom was rotten and dirty, not something I would bathe a dog in. The toilet seats in all the rooms need replacing. The air conditioners need checking too: one bedroom unit barely blew cool air, and the kitchen unit did not work, so it was too hot to eat inside.

Between the sea and the rice fields, this place felt magical. The staff took great care of us, and the food was really good. We had a wonderful holiday and will come back. Thank you.

A very nice villa, with a huge garden, an amazing swimming pool, and a really good cook.