Ngapali Paradise Hotel

We stayed three nights. The resort is close to the airport, and the sea was clean; the beach also felt almost private. When we arrived early in the morning, the team let us have our room, which we really appreciated. The housekeeper did a good job, but the staff generally weren’t very friendly, and breakfast wasn’t much to praise. My wife doesn’t eat chili, so we asked for an omelette without it after finding chili in the buffet omelette. They said they couldn’t do anything and that we could just have what was on the buffet. The receptionist also needs to learn how to welcome guests and thank them.

The staff were nice, and I appreciated that they honored our refund when we cut our stay down to two days. But the place was a big letdown. Even after paying extra for a beachfront room, we didn’t get a good one. It was worn and dirty in spots, and dust in the cupboards was unpleasant. The bathroom flooded every time we showered and stayed that way. There was no Wi-Fi, despite them handing codes to new customers, which was really bad. An unfinished bar or something by the pool made the area look ugly.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and the airport next door didn't create too much noise. But most tourist amenities are about a 20-minute tuk tuk ride away, the hotel feels tired, and the rooms smell damp, which I know is common in the tropics. The management's approach to customer service was the real problem. They were renovating rooms above the pool and bar with power tools, including hammer drills, and seemed to wait until guests arrived to start. The noise went on as late as possible and drove away people who might otherwise have stayed for food or drinks. We’ve lived in Asia and Indonesia for five years and are pretty tolerant of this sort of thing, but this was on a whole different level.

The views are great, the location is convenient for the airport, the staff are generally friendly, and using the free bicycles was fun. Still, this wasn't a good stay. The Wi-Fi was a joke, and when I asked about it, I was told to complain to Yangon. Breakfast was poor: although it’s meant to run until 9:30, most things seemed to be gone by 8:45 and weren’t properly replenished. There was also a constant foul smell in the room and bathroom. I wish I’d stayed elsewhere, and I definitely wouldn’t return.