Mai House Resort

The one practical issue was communication. The staff could use better English, because mixing up cabin 13 and 30 caused a real problem. Still, the service was really friendly, the cabins were spacious and clean, and the food was good. Breakfast was a simple but delicious buffet. Tucked away in a lovely quiet corner with beach and pool access, this may be the nicest place I've ever stayed on vacation. I'd absolutely come back.

The staff's English was poor, and they gave us almost no information. They didn't suggest things to see around the island and seemed to expect we would stay at the resort the whole time. Better communication would make this an easy five stars from me. We visited in the off-season, so there was plenty of rain and few other guests, though the sunny days were amazing. The resort itself is beautiful, with lovely bungalows and a fantastic pool. Breakfast was good, while lunch and dinner were all right. There are also some great, cheaper places up the alley. There's a fridge in the room, but only two small bottles of water per day. I would have liked a bigger supply. They offer one free cocktail each day, but it doesn't carry over if you skip a day. Even with those drawbacks, I would still give it five stars if the communication improved.

The beach loungers are complimentary, and the place feels quiet for a tourist destination, without being very crowded. It's the kind of paradise I look for: clean, pleasant cottages in a tropical garden right by a clean beach, with a good beachside restaurant and a spa. The cottage has WiFi and a/c, but no TV, which is fine by me. The staff are kind and helpful.

The location is gorgeous, and some of the food is delicious, but you have to be careful what you order. We came back for lunch with friends after enjoying the Curry here two days earlier. This time we ordered a shared seafood platter for two and two of the same Curry. The seafood wasn't fresh and felt very skimpy for over 500 k. One Curry was tasty, the other completely bland. Our Vietnamese is basic, so there was some understandable confusion when we explained it to the waiter, but the two dishes shouldn't have tasted so different. We went back and forth for 20 minutes, then showed that we were writing a low-star review. The manager came over, heard what had gone wrong, returned the Curry with more spice, and deducted the price of the shared platter. Service still wasn't up to international standards, especially for the price.