LaVilla by Holiday Villa Cherating

The beach was a short walk away and stayed surprisingly quiet, even though the front desk said the hotel was fully booked. We made a last-minute booking at Vi Villa for one night. The two-room villa's dipping pool was my favorite part, though the nearby villas were full of children playing. Families seemed to enjoy having the pool available whenever they wanted, even late at night, so I wouldn't recommend visiting during school holidays if you're after a peaceful break. The villa is in the same compound as Holiday Villa Hotel, but it feels quite old. We had to keep the bathroom door shut because a sewer smell came in when it was open. My son stayed in the main room and also spent time on the living room couch, and ended up with bedbug bites. For the high price, especially with breakfast not included, the stay was disappointing.

The price made us expect a five-star stay, but the resort and accommodation need major improvement. We picked it for the two-bedroom villa and beach within walking distance, hoping for a relaxing visit and beach walks. On arrival, the resort looked run down. The staff member at check-in confirmed our requested extra bed was in the room, but it wasn't there. In Villa Kedah, the swing door didn't work properly and had no hook to hold it. The sitting area's ceiling fan wasn't working, the lights were dim, the floorboards were uneven and some stuck up enough to hurt a friend, and there was only one usable plug for the TV. There were cockroaches in the master bedroom, and its water heater didn't work. In the second room, lowering a wooden blind was difficult and hurt my fingers. The shower head, sliding bathroom door, and bidet were broken, and shower water leaked into the toilet area. There was no hair dryer as advertised. The bathroom was a disaster. Breakfast was our only meal there, and a friend who travels a lot called it the worst.

Our traditional-style villa had a private pool big enough for my family, and we found the resort grounds, landscaping, facilities, food, and swimming pool very pleasant. I love nature and have several children under four, so I highly recommend it to others in a similar situation. We stayed at Villa Neger Sembilan. The breakfast buffet was RM35 per person and included nasi lemak, pastries, bubur, omelettes made to order, English breakfast, and a 3 in 1 coffee machine. It was totally worth it. The clean, beautiful Cherating beach was another reason to visit. Overall, it was a very pleasant stay and worth the price.

Encik Faiez, the technician, was polite and tried to fix the floor, though other boards came loose while he worked. Encik Rahmet at the front lobby was welcoming, and the restaurant servers were smiling, polite, and helpful. Those were the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing stay at chalet Kedah. The swinging door was broken, the shower head and bathroom sliding door didn't work, the chalet was generally dirty, and shower water ran into the toilet area. The wooden bedroom shutters were stiff and hard to roll down. In the sitting room, a floorboard was uneven and someone in our group tripped. The sitting room fan was broken too, the lights were dim, and the walls were dirty. The beach was lovely and long, but full of sandflies. We only walked there briefly, yet my friend got so many bites that she needed medical treatment after we left. For the price, the place fell far short of Holiday villa standard.