For reference, At the time of this review I am a Titanium Elite Marriott Bonvoy member.
My experience started on a rocky footing. As you all know I don’t eat from the buffet breakfast but instead opt for some fresh avocado on toast, a little fruit, 1 fresh coconut and sometimes an Indian lentil dish along with a coffee or freshly squeezed orange juice.
As always I contacted the hotel in advance and explained what I would like for breakfast – which probably costs them less as many people overeat or waste when helping themselves to the buffet breakfast. So I didn’t think it would be a problem and thankfully they confirmed they can accommodate this small request. However, they did add that if I was to have any further food or drink then these will be charged separately from the a la carte menu. I queried this and asked, so if I have an extra cup of coffee, would this be charged? The answer was yes! This was very strange and I was anxious in staying at this hotel so I aired on the safe side and only booked 1 night.
On the day of check in, check in was smooth and the restaurant manager Tarta had very kindly arranged to upgrade my room to a family room which would mean I get tons of space and a bath tub, and it would have been a corner room which is my favourite! However, after inspecting the room, I noticed a leak from the air conditioning vent. The engineer came and fixed it, or so he thought. I left the room to explore the hotel and have a snack and a drink. I came back and the leak had started again so late evening I had to change room. Thankfully they had availability but I no longer had the spacious room This was not Tarta’s or front desk’s fault however, housekeeping should have noticed this and arranged for the engineer to have fixed this prior to any guests arriving.
Marriott have extensive notes on my file regarding my blindness, dietary requirements and so on. They know I love a fresh coconut and avocado! So, normally, in most Marriott hotels, I receive a nice welcome amenity in the room after checking in, but on this occasion there wasn’t anything.
You can watch the full review on YouTube at Luxury Vegan Travel and may more videos of hotel reviews in Thailand. I have many more videos coming up showing hotels in Bangkok, Phuket, Ko Samui, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumper, Singapore, Hawaii, New Orleans, New York, Miami and more as well as many flight reviews! So, if this interests you, please follow the channel – it’s free.
At check in I was also given a (one) drinks voucher. So I thought I would have a beer at the pool bar with some chips (French fries) and then later have a drink at the bar down stairs to see the evening atmosphere. The pool bar was fun but wasn’t fond of the music. The bar on the ground floor also lacked atmosphere. So I only had the 1 drink and left.
I then took a shower and found that the force was not very powerful. I’m not one to spend too long in the shower anyway so no issues for me but I know many people like a power shower!
The bed was comfortable and I had a decent sleep. I was anxious about breakfast as I had to watch what I ate as I didn’t want to be faced with a bill at the end. So I stuck to what I had requested and when the staff asked if I would like anything else, I politely declined as I had no idea whether this would be charged or not.
The restaurant manager, Tarta, was actually meant to be off on this day but came to the restaurant to check if everything was okay. She sent me messages to let me know she is on her way and wanted to be here to check that everything was okay with my breakfast. That was very sweet.
Some parts of the hotel have recently been renovated and I presume they will continue to do this. However, I think the renovation is cosmetic rather than ripping out bathrooms and installing a new one and so I think for this reason the shower will remain powerless.
Overall, I don’t think I would stay at this hotel again. Generally, I like luxury and I only stayed as it was recommended to me by one of my viewers. The main reasons why I would not stay at this hotel are:
1) Breakfast – limited as I would be charged for additional items. Not the best for a Titanium / Ambassador Elite Member.
2) There was no atmosphere in the ground floor bar in the evening.
3) I’m not too keen on the location as I like to walk rather than jumping in a taxi or motorbike and it is a little far from the main tourist streets and bars.
I hope this review helps and hope you enjoy the video.
