On balance, I thought this was a great place to stay. I would definitely consider staying here again, although I'm also keen to explore other similar and possibly better options.
We stayed in one of the waterfall villas during the last week in May. The staff were very friendly, attentive and keen to assist wherever possible, even possibly too much some times - although no complaints here.
The waterfall villa was amazing and looks just as it does in the pictures on the website. We also managed to get a good deal on Wotif.
Highlights included:
- Spacious villa and plenty of room to move around - the bedroom and bathroom was on the ground floor and the upper floor included a table for breakfast, basic kitchen facilities, a day bed with TV / DVD player, a sound dock for your ipod / iphone (although an iPod is supplied) and a balcony overlooking the pool.
- The villa is very private with high walls.
- An iPad is supplied for your use in the villa
- You place your breakfast order every day for the following day and choose what you would like from the menu + time and it is delivered to your villa each morning
- The car service to and from the airport costs an additional USD25, but was well worth it with air conditioning, bottled water and a video (on the screens in the back of the headrests) showing you some of the higlights of the villas and the local area. This took a lot of stress out of having to find a taxi
- Whilst we were staying at the villa, almost every time we were heading out, one of the cars was available to take us (at no additional charge)
- The Guest experience menu provided before you arrive allows you to tailor your stay. We added a bottle of champagne on arrival and whilst expensive was a great start to the stay. Although it also has some minor drawbacks - see below.
Lowlights included:
- The villa was showing a little wear and tear, e.g. doors sticking and tiles broken away from the pool floor and walls - very minor but it takes the edge off of the experience a little.
- We selected the candlelit dinner in the villa for one of the evenings in the garden with candles, flowers, etc. The idea is that a chef comes to your villa and cooks on the grill. It rained on the day and there was no option (without incurring 50% of the charges) to cancel. The dinner was served in the upper floor of the villa instead of outside and the food came from the kitchen instead of being cooked in front of you in the garden. It was nice but it really wasn't the experience we paid for. In addition, the food was cold and whilst we selected the option of being provided with a wine list on the guest experience menu, this was not available on the night. We were advised they only had one bottle of locally produced red wine available and wine needed to be ordered one day in advance. When I had asked for a wine list on the guest experience menu I filled out before arriving, I expected a wine list, but this wasn't the case. Whilst I am convinced the staff had the very best intentions and the guest experience menu is a great idea, the execution just isn't quite there yet. But overall, this didn't have too much of an impact on the overall experience. Thankfully, the last bottle of local red wasn't too bad.
- I put some laundry in early one morning, and it was indicated it would be returned the same day. It didn't find its way back to me until the next day. Again, no big issue, but if we had been heading out to dinner, I would have needed it.
- The electricity stopped working one morning. After raising this at reception, it was fixed within 20 mins or so. I gather this is not a regular ocurrence.
- The provision of a SIM card on arrival was a nice touch but was one of the older bigger cards which does not work with iPhones.
All in all, a few minor points and I wouldn't recommend the candlelit dinner based on our experience, but this is not to say it wouldn't be a good experience for others and probably would be better outside in the garden by the pool. I would recommend Amana Villas.