Char Bungalows

The sunset view was amazing, and that was the only part I really liked. The lady wasn't friendly and barely spoke to us. Our first dishes were wrong, and the seafood wasn't fresh at all. The shrimps from the sea and fried noodles had that spoiled, melting-in-your-mouth feel. The cashew chicken was mostly fried batter with hardly any chicken. The Thai milk tea tasted good, but 70bath was extremely overpriced.

I left without eating because of how the woman at the counter treated me. After my order was wrong, the curry I eventually got was so spicy it was inedible, and my throat and stomach were burning. I politely asked whether coconut milk could be added to tone it down. She rudely told me not to eat if I wasn't happy because everything in Thailand is spicy. I calmly said not all curries are, but she rolled her eyes, spoke disrespectfully, and repeated, “then don’t eat”. I'd also suggested marking spicy dishes on the menu so customers don't have to guess. Nobody listened or showed any respect. Worse, I got food poisoning after eating my boyfriend’s dish. A terrible experience from beginning to end, and I absolutely don't recommend this place.

The sunsets and view are lovely, but there isn't much else to recommend. We had a deluxe bungalow, supposedly, with cockroaches in the bed, moldy pillows, dust and nasty stuff on the floor, unfinished paint, and a questionable toilet. The bathroom light didn't work. They replaced the bulb, but it stopped working after a couple of hours, then the next day it was hanging on the path to the bungalows. The steep steps up to the very dark bungalows are poorly lit, so be careful. There is rubbish everywhere and the place needs proper cleaning and finishing. It has potential, but doesn't feel worth the money. Taxi prices seemed inflated too: we paid 600 to Shark Bay when a city taxi company charged 500, and they wanted 450 to the pier while another company quoted 400 from Shark Bay, a longer route over another mountain. It was hard not to feel they were trying to rip us off. We don't mind paying for good service, but didn't find it here. Sorry, Jessie, we could see you were trying. You're doing the work of five people, while the rest of the staff seemed miserable. At reception, the lady's first words to us were “no service,” and that summed up our experience with her and the restaurant. The coffee had lumps, probably from bad milk, and after a while you start expecting the worst and give up. Jessie was the cook, receptionist, communicator, and the person arranging transport. Meanwhile the old man was constantly yelling at and scolding the others, which was unpleasant to watch as a guest. The hospitality, cleanliness, and rubbish all need serious attention.

We stopped by for dinner at the lovely, quiet beach. The food was so good that I ordered a second plate.