The View Condominium

The location made getting home awkward, since about two out of every three Grab drivers cancelled when they saw where it was. Joseph from Myanmar at reception was lovely and a legend, but he said his role was basically check-in and checkout. He wasn’t there overnight and couldn’t control what happened then. Since the condos are separately owned, there’s no central coordination of charges or enforcement. The listings on booking.com make the place look like a managed hotel, but these are individually owned condos and the furniture varies from one to another. The advertised 10 p.m. quiet time wasn’t enforced. We barely slept on our family holiday because of all the partygoers. Owners also often held loud gatherings around the pool and smoked there. If you’re after a party, you might have a great time. For a family holiday, I think you’ll be disappointed for the price. There were maintenance problems too: pool tiles falling off, exposed wires in several spots, loose or missing tiles in the shower and on the stairs, and a front door that wouldn’t open all the way because of building movement. Nothing seemed to be maintained, and noise rules weren’t enforced at any time of day or night. Electricity is billed separately by the day, and there’s also a cleaning fee. We noticed that when booking, but at these prices I think both should be included. A pretty disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic time in Thailand.

The view was amazing, which is why I chose this place, and the breakfast was okay. Most of the staff were polite and helpful. The accommodation itself was fine, but the bed I slept in had bedbugs. I complained and the sheets were changed, but the problem returned the next day, and I couldn’t sleep in the bed. I took photos and videos and showed the staff. They didn’t seem willing to do much, and nobody offered to move me or replace the mattress. I believe the mattress was the problem. I later saw it was very old, with a date on it that was more than nine months to a year past. The location was remote and out of the way, with little nearby if you don’t have transport. There isn’t a convenient store or many shops without driving, and the route up to the hotel is poorly lit and can be dangerous after dark. It’s not ideal for families with young children. The gym was very outdated. The equipment had cobwebs all over it, and both the room and equipment looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in months. Some night staff seemed disengaged from their duties, and reception sometimes didn’t answer calls, including on nights when I found bugs on the bed.

The view is stunning and really the main thing going for the place, although the surroundings look rather unpleasant when you look downhill. The apartments are ordinary. Our guest bathroom smelled strongly and unpleasantly the whole time, the linens didn’t feel especially fresh, and cleanliness was questionable for the price. The steep hill makes the location difficult. Taxis are hard to get, and drivers often charge extra because of where the property is. There’s just one shuttle a day to the beach, which isn’t practical, so you end up paying for transport almost everywhere. There are cleaning fees and high electricity charges on top. We paid around €100 for electricity over 10 days, even though we barely used the air conditioning. Not recommended, especially at this price.

The staff were helpful at first, but their attitude changed after we raised concerns. When I asked for an airport taxi, they told me to pay before they had even ordered it. That felt rude and unprofessional. The hotel itself is nice and has beautiful views, but the location was very disappointing. It’s on a high cliff, with a long, steep walk to get there, something that wasn’t mentioned online. Street taxis usually refuse to drive up because of the slope. In heavy rain, the hotel couldn’t arrange a ride down, even when we offered to pay. It became very hard to get around or find food, so we cancelled our last night and moved to another hotel.