Beach Villa Kamala

We left after just one full day of a four-night booking, and got no refund. I’ve traveled for years and spent the past seven weeks in hotels around Asia, and this was by far the worst place I’ve stayed. The Glam Habitat offered very little value for its price. The arrival process was already a problem: they demanded a cash deposit at check-in, with no advance notice, no card option and no exceptions. The property is beside a very busy multi-lane road leading to an amusement park. Traffic, motorcycles and sirens were deafening, and the walls did little to keep the noise out. Sleeping was hard on the very uncomfortable, cheap bed. There was also a major construction site on one side and a loudspeaker facility right behind the property. The pool sits between the two buildings, so when children got noisy, the sound bounced into every room. The whole place was dirty, from ceiling to floor. At breakfast, the food was poor quality, the serving dishes weren’t clean, the coffee maker was disgustingly dirty, liquid was left pooled on the floor, and the glass walls and doors were greasy. The breakfast staff didn’t seem happy to help, and the shuttle driver was extremely rude. The hallways were draped in solid black curtains, like a haunted house. Our room was spacious, but dated and not properly cleaned. The water pressure and temperature were inadequate, and the TV had no channels at all, only Netflix. I wouldn’t book this hotel.

For the price, this was a good hotel, and I’d stay again. The bathroom was the highlight, with the best shower I’ve had at a hotel. Breakfast was really good too, and the rooms were spacious. A few things could be better: the AC was temperamental, the rooms were rather dark, and the sofa felt worn. There were TVs in both the living area and bedroom. The patio doors didn’t seem very sturdy, though for our two-night temporary stay, the room door’s lock was reassuring enough.

The buffet breakfast was much better than I expected, and I appreciated how clean and spacious the place was. The apartment felt quite dark, though, and the pool got no sun, leaving the water cold. It was especially chilly on rainy days without any sun. There was no furniture or seating by the pool, which made it awkward for our group to spend time outdoors. The stay was okay overall.

We found the beds comfortable, the breakfast very good, and the staff wonderful. They spoke enough English for basic communication. The hotel is within walking distance of Kamala market, the beach, and Magic Carnival, though getting to some nearby places means walking along the road edge, and crossing the road takes care. We had a two-bedroom room with a pool, but the weather was disappointing, so we didn’t use it. The streamer/TV box in the smaller bedroom didn’t work properly. We weren’t using it, so we didn’t ask staff to look at it. For the price, it was definitely worth it.