We stayed here, on the east coast of Malaysia, for just over a week as we wanted a relaxing time after a busy fortnight travelling around Burma/Myanmar. We treated ourselves to an Orchid Club suite (just under £200 a night) and it was well worth the money. We relaxed thoroughly and were looked after extremely well by all the staff. Our suite was very spacious and had a long balcony with views from the front over the ocean and from the side over one of the pools. Plenty of storage was available and they supplied a DVD player for us, a daily newspaper and an hour a day of free wifi was included.
The Orchid Club is open all day for wifi and soft drinks. In the early evening a good selection of tasty nibbles, both hot and cold, are provided as well as a wide range of alcoholic drinks. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting outside looking at the ocean with a plate of food and a glass (or three) of wine. We sometimes had breakfast there as well but we usually went to the main restaurant as there was more choice and we had been told that with our booking we could eat at either. We also had lunch several times in the main restaurant – the satay was very good.
The hotel itself is built in several 4 storey blocks linked by undercover walkways at different levels. Lifts were plentiful and we rarely had to wait for them. There are two pools which were only crowded at the weekend. My only minor complaint is that several of the pool umbrellas were broken and it was impossible to move the remaining ones where you wanted them for maximum shade as they were fixed in large pots. The pools themselves were clean and a lovely temperature. The beach was sandy and the sea warm and more sunbeds and umbrellas were available on the beach.
We had booked a hire car so we could explore for a day but when we went to pick it up were told that only drivers under 65 were permitted so we had another lazy pool day – no real hardship for us as we had been to this area several times before but could have been annoying for a Silver Traveller on their first visit. A few minutes walk from the hotel is the main public beach area where there are a few shops, fast food restaurants etc. Handy if you want a few beach toys for children or a cheap meal.
Overall a great holiday and we shall certainly go back.
