My wife and I stayed at Coral Beach Hotel during December of 2008. The staff was amazing. Everything that we wanted from a hotel. Excellent food, drinks and nightlife!

I spent about 6 weeks total at the Coral Beach last Dec-Jan, and am back again for another stay.

Since I've been gone, the hotel has become part of the Best Western family, and while I would expect this to elevate things, for some reason the hotel feels a little more shabby than my last visit. There is nothing specific... just that the pillows don't seem as nice, the breakfasts are a little less appealing, the reception desk has been renovated and doesn't look as nice. The grounds however, look great-- they've done a great job of landscaping.

I think the thing that bothers me is that while to rooms look great when you enter, some of the little details are off-- for example, the phone by my bed is dying, 2 lamps in my room don't work, and the shades on the door and window can be hard to open and close.

That said, this place is still miles ahead of the Colosseum, where I spent 2 nights last year and had to escape!

If you are thinking about Coral Beach, there are a few things to note:

-- the rooms on the pool side of the new wing are actually much nicer than the ocean side, as they have a balcony and a stronger wifi connection.

--the small pool is lovely, but fills up with children on the weekends. I had been looking forward to a lazy weekend afternoon at the pool, but there were 15 kids splashing and screaming. Great if you are here with your kids, not as appealing if you are a solo traveler who wants to swim a few laps or lounge with a book.

--the rooms never get completely dark at night because the shades are slatted and there is light that comes in from the frosted window in the bathroom. I sleep with an eye mask to block out the light.

--The bathroom has a slatted sliding door-- fine for the solo traveler, but it might make people on a romantic getaway a little uncomfortable since you get visual privacy, but not from sounds or smells...

-- the desks have a powerstrip that takes a variety of plug types-- a nice touch as my computer has an american plug and my cell phone, the 2 pin euro plug.

--use the in-room safe. I had some cash and my american cell phone go missing last time I was here. I didn't alert the management since I only discovered that they were missing after I'd left. This could happen anywhere, and it was a good reminder that I need to be a little more careful.

I booked a standard room which was a big disapointment - rather shabby, leaking taps, etc. and as I had 5 days of work combined with a weekend I moved to a superior room the next day which was quite lovely. Stunning views over the indian ocean, nice finishes to the room, free wireless internet . This hotel is great if you like a quiet place to relax and/or work. The pool is reasonably sized for a good swim, the gardens are well maintained and the terrace by the sea has the best view for sunsets. The staff were very friendly and helpful - but do not expect the polished service of Sea Cliffs or the Kempinsky.
I would recomend this hotel for both business and holiday travellers .