Cherry Bean Hotel

I had a very disappointing stay and found the hotel’s practices questionable and dishonest. On checkout day, after we’d already checked out, staff asked me to pay extra for a pillowcase and towel that they said had hair dye stains. It was standard hair dye that washes out in regular laundry, as anyone who colors their hair or stays in hotels knows. They explicitly said they’d wash the items that day while we were still on the island and refund me if the stains came out. I paid, and told them we’d return for our luggage around 6-7 PM. Minutes later, the explanation changed: they could no longer wash the items that day and would do it the following morning. That shift came only after they had my money, and felt deceptive. When I raised it, they said not to worry, that they’d refund me electronically if all was fine, and took my contact details. Two days after we got home, I had to contact them myself. They replied without providing proof, saying they had to use an “extremely strong detergent” that supposedly damaged the items, so they couldn’t refund me. I strongly believe that explanation is false and just an excuse to keep the extra charge. The motorbike rental was another example of unfair treatment. We arrived late afternoon on the first day but were charged for a full day. On the last day, we had to return the bike the evening before checkout, losing more than 12 hours of paid use. That pricing felt misleading and unacceptable. During our 8-day stay, there was only one day with hot water, and it was lukewarm. We complained and were told the problem was fixed, but the showers stayed cold the whole time. The Wi-Fi signal was poor, so I had to get mobile internet for work. Because of all this, I can’t recommend the hotel. Future guests should check extra charges and rental terms carefully in advance to avoid being overcharged or misled.

The room I had was very basic and didn’t really have a window. There was one, technically, but it was part of the shared wall with another building xD The place is fine if you’re just sleeping there and spending your time out. It’s close to the night market and a convenience store.

I suspect some of the glowing reviews were written by hotel staff. I was fooled by the great reviews on trip.com and here, so I want to warn others. The elevator to the 3rd floor isn’t broken, but seems to be used by someone living there, maybe the owners. For guests, though, it might as well be broken. My sea-view room on the 3rd floor smelled of fried meat, gasoline, or something from that apartment. The rooms are old and run down, and the mattress was too hard. The smells made my back hurt, so I checked out early and lost one day of my vacation. I also had to work too hard to sort out the cancellation policy, since the hotel and trip.com couldn’t resolve the issue themselves. The staff’s English wasn’t good enough to handle it. If you stay there, especially in a sea-view room, be aware of these downsides.

I managed to get an immediate refund, at least. The room looked nothing like the Booking listing: there was no window, just a huge concrete block. I’m not sure how that can even be legal.