Active Days, Quiet Evenings

The watersports centre is very active, flexible and comprehensively stocked with new brand equipment (including kite surfing and surfing), there are plenty of on-resort sport facilities and there is a good range of excursions and fishing trips. On the whole, though, the resort would be described as quiet and private. In the evenings there is a bit of action most nights in the Lagoon Bar. There is a Kids Club and baby sitting offered but with children barred from the water villas, this isn’t a big family resort.

A little under one third of the rooms are taken by British guests but a wide range of nationalities fill the resort, from Germans, Italians, Russians and French to Japanese, Chinese and Korean. Many of the Europeans come on the all-inclusive package, while most of the Asian guests come on full-board. Europeans (especially the British, Germans and Russians) also prefer the beach rooms, whereas the Asians (many of whom are on honeymoon) almost always prefer to be over water.

Two Jetties of Water Villa

There are 2 sets of water bungalows off the island, and the more expensive the rooms the further away they are from the busy centre. Two Presidential Suites sit proudly at the tip of the jetty at one end of the island. Alongside them are the five Honeymoon Water Villas. The remainder of the oval-shaped jetty is lined with 32 Jacuzzi Water Villas.

The second water bungalow jetty extends from the middle of the island and holds the 21 Deluxe Water Villas.



The Honeymoon Villas are almost apartments, with a 'cloakroom' by the entrance and a separate sitting room with gold and dark purple sashed drapes. Their deck is very large and has not only a proper jacuzzi but also a steam and massage shower cubicle.

The jacuzzis of the Jacuzzi Water Villas are bathtubs with nozzles but their position on the deck is excellent, especially for those on the west side. They look out to the nearby sandbank and away to distant islands. Inside, they boast marble floor tiles, blue and gold upholstery and swagged curtains, more than enough dark wood furniture. The bathroom is stylish, with twin beaten metal washbasins.



The Deluxe Water Villas are simpler and actually more attractive for that, especially with their muslin draped four-poster beds. The deck has good privacy and is large enough for 2 cushioned loungers and chairs. The views are less good, though, with one side looking out to a man-made 'peninsula' and sandbank and the other side looking over to the other water bungalow jetty. That is, all but the rooms at the tip, which have unimpeded views out to sea.



The Beach Rooms

The land rooms come in two categories: Luxury Beach Villas (8) and Deluxe Beach Villas (96). The Luxury Beach Villas are individual and private, with their own quiet area of beach. They have a large inside/outside bathroom that is very pleasant, even though the empty pergola at the end is redundant. Their position close to the main bar may be seen as a bonus or a detraction.



The Deluxe Beach Villas come in blocks of 4, two up and two down. 3 blocks (12 rooms) have an interconnecting door for families. They are the smallest rooms on the island but smartly decorated and well maintained. All of them are just a couple of steps away from the beach. For these rooms the nearer the centre of the island the better, for the island and the beach are less attractive towards the staff area end.



Well-Maintained For That Always New Feel

The resort keeps its new feel through good maintenance. It is not a soft, thatch, barefoot sort of place, but the landscape is growing in and the facilities are smart and impressive. The pool table and gym have their own rooms and so do table tennis and darts, which are next door to the floodlit tennis and badminton courts. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that even for all-inclusive clients most things do have a charge.



The lagoon is good for water sports, being large, quite shallow and sandy bottomed. At low tide it is only about calf-deep, which is not great but there are large channels dug into it that remain good for swimming. Snorkeling happens either side of the main jetty for about 500 metres in total. The reef is not good but the fish life is fine. There is a weekly snorkeling safari to 3 excellent reefs.



The spa is large and Chinese in concept but the therapists are Indonesian, Thai and Indian. It also has 2 rooms for hair and beauty treatments.

 

Review written 6 June 2011