Shambhala Beach Resort

Management/ownership was the worst part. I wish I had known it was foreign-owned because it is more ethical to support locally-owned businesses. The woman who oversaw breakfast was cold and militant and the staff were terrified around her. She would upset guests by telling them (or asking local staff to tell them) where they could and could not sit, even when there were empty tables. The other owner/manager, Roland, messaged me to ask if everything was good and I asked him if they could they please play a greater variety of music, as the same 35 electro-pop remixes everyday was repetitive. His response displayed his severe lack of customer service skills, and it was incredibly rude. He claimed that they have many playlists, even though that is not true. Ownership is also stingy about renting motorbikes, and there are not even always motorbikes available. My partner wanted a bike for 30 minutes and had to pay the full 24 hour rate, which is standard practice and he accepted it but then when he returned after the 30 minutes, Roland demanded the key back. We paid for 24 hours so why didn't we have access to a bike for 24 hours? Unfortunately, this property is far removed from most of shops and restaurants on the island, and the resort's restaurant is mediocre and overpriced, so if you want affordable things, you must have a bike. I'd recommend sorting bike rental or other transport from a different place, or shop and bring water, snacks and other essentials with you on arrival. The menu is long and not cohesive. They should choose less items and do them better instead of having pages and pages of poorly cooked food on offer. It was really sad and disappointing to have flavorless Thai food in Thailand. Sometimes the fruit at breakfast was rotting. Luckily, there are 3 other good restaurants within walking distance that do not require crossing the scary main highway, but only one has proper, affordable Thai prices. They charge 30 baht for a small water There should be some umbrellas over the lounge chairs around the pool. People want to control their sun exposure. The area would be perfect for cycling, so they should offer bicycle rental. And now for the positives: The local staff is spectacular. A special thank you to Lek, Arn and Cat for their positivity and hard work. The landscape/ uninterrupted beach views at the pool are exactly what people come to Thailand for. The swim-up bar is a big plus. They offer reasonably-priced laundry service, ready in 24 hours.

At checkout, we were shocked to receive a bill for items we had consumed, including coffee. When we asked to see the price list, none was provided at the office. As a result, we felt pressured to pay whatever amount the receptionist demanded. To make matters worse, the initial bill was incorrect — we were charged for six coffee pods and four beers, when we had only consumed two coffee pods and two beers. After we pointed this out, the bill was corrected, and the receptionist became visibly angry — as if he had just lost some pocket money from overcharging us.. This entire process took nearly an hour while our taxi waited outside. The lack of transparency, incorrect billing, and rude, unprofessional behavior including the owner, Roland, who shouted at us instead of providing a price list made our stay a terrible experience.