La passion by Achariyak

The location is lovely and the rooms are well designed, but the service and day-to-day running of La Passion Resort were far below acceptable standards. Restaurant service was chaotic and painfully slow. I waited over 20 minutes after asking for my baby’s food to be microwaved. My husband’s Khmer curry never arrived, despite several reminders, and there has still been no explanation or follow-up. Even with the resort full, there were no fresh fruits or juices. Breakfast was so poor that on our second day we went to a nearby restaurant, although we had already paid the hotel for breakfast. It didn’t feel kid-friendly: there were no high chairs, and pool towels took far too long to be replenished. We were told the General Manager was on leave during peak season, and the lack of supervision and operational control was clear. The product and location are good, but management and service need serious, immediate attention to meet basic hospitality expectations.

I don’t usually leave reviews, but one staff member made this such an uncomfortable visit that I felt I had to. The other staff were friendly, but the main waiter, a man wearing red lipstick and no name badge, was rude. When we asked to put two tables together because of the rain, he rolled his eyes. While we were still drinking and waiting for food, he brought the bill twice. When I asked for sugar for my coffee, he just pointed at the bar. The pizza had unripe tomatoes and was inedible, and he was quite rude when I said it wasn’t good. At a five-star resort, that was very poor service. The prices made it worse: coffee was $4 and pizza $12, while the $2 coffee next door was better. This coffee was weak and very milky, and it wasn’t included in the breakfast price, which seems crazy. Without that waiter, I would have left a positive review. They need to train and support him in how to look after guests.

The air conditioning was cold, the shower hot, and the room clean, so those are the reasons I’m giving this two stars. For a place charging about $200/night, little else worked as it should. I agree with Mr Daniel's review from a month ago, it felt like the resort might be having financial trouble, or the people working there simply didn’t care. They seemed badly understaffed, and the staff who were there were poorly trained and barely greeted guests. The whole property needs maintenance, with broken plumbing and wooden floorboards in particular. The pool didn’t have enough chairs or cabanas or any supervision. People would take chairs, leave for hours, then return while others were trying to find somewhere to sit. There weren’t enough towels either. They often left pool towels out overnight, and in the morning there were none until after 11 o'clock. Breakfast wasn’t good. The bread was industrial quality even though it was made there, and a cappuccino with the buffet cost $4. That’s the most expensive cappuccino in the country, even more than at the raffles hotel in Phnom Penh, where it’s at least included with buffet breakfast like at most hotels that aren’t cheap. Stray dogs constantly wandered around the restaurant, and the staff didn’t seem concerned, even though rabies is fairly common in Cambodia. Our room was missing a chair, and we had to complain twice before one was brought. They wouldn’t clean the room unless we asked and handed over our key, apparently because housekeeping had no spare keys. On our first evening, we waited five minutes at the restaurant entrance without anyone offering to seat us. We went to nearby restaurants instead, where they were happy to have us, and saved money because the resort food was expensive compared with places next door. We only ate at the resort once more, on our last evening. The food was alright, but for most of the meal there was just one waitress serving the whole area. On the way there, high winds meant the boat couldn’t land at the usual pier. The hotel took guests to the larger pier on a flatbed trailer behind a tractor. The tractor wasn’t powerful enough to get uphill, so we had to climb off and walk a short way through the dust. I guess they couldn’t afford a minivan or Jeep. It was a real relief when the holiday ended. Looking back, I regretted spending so much without reading other reviews first. In Cambodia, price doesn’t always match quality. Check the photos I took if you want a sense of how neglected the resort feels.

The grounds were beautifully kept, the rooms spacious, and the views made every morning special. Breakfast is included and has a decent selection. The staff were warm, welcoming, and always ready to help with a smile. My stay at La Passion was incredible from start to finish, and I’ll be back.