Guest User
February 4, 2024
Our overall stay was ok, however in the context of the price we paid - the following issues were clear: - Privacy. There wasn’t much. We stayed in Hope, and on the balcony we felt very public - with the people next door constantly walking across the front balcony, and when people are using the pool (including people not staying at Ark, but they either didn’t notice or care) it feels like they are right there with you. As Hope is an adjoining room, we could hear everything from the room next door, not just their loud conversations, 1am phone calls and barking dogs - but we could actually hear them on the toilet - which is a horrible experience! - The website says that the hotel is situated on a private beach. It is not. It is a public beach. Yes it is quieter than the main Palolem beach, but it is not a private beach - the website should not claim that it is. - Sleep. Neither of us slept well due to the amount of light in the room. The curtains are far too thin, and the curtain which separates the bedroom from the entrance hall was too small for the doorway - so light poured through. - Restaurant. The guys in the restaurant were lovely, but during the day in particular were far more interested in watching videos on their phones (on full volume). At one point, we had finished eating and sat with dirty plates in front of us… when a cat jumped up onto the table and started eating the leftovers off our plates, the waiter got up and chased it off - before returning to watching videos on his phone, rather than actually clearing the table!! - Facilities. The room had no real wardrobe space. There are coat hangers above the safe - but not enough space to hang even a shirt. There are two sun loungers below Hope, which were presumably for our use - but they are in direct sunlight and have no shade. The only sitting space was the small uncomfortable rattan sofa on the balcony, which was only just big enough for two people - but not enough to recline and relax. - At one point, while trying to relax and read a book on the balcony - there was a group of guys came to use the pool, and brought a speaker playing very loud dance music. We phoned reception to ask them to turn it off, they didn’t. We phoned reception again to complain, and again were ignored. I asked the security guard who walked past - who just shrugged his shoulders. In the end I had to confront them myself to ask them to turn their music off (we paid good money for peace & quiet and NOT to sit listening to loud dance music like on the main Palolem Beach). All these things are only being raised due to the very expensive price. The location is good and the rooms are lovely, but on their own, that is not enough to justify 5* prices - you need to get all the details right as well. Ultimately this was poor value for money.