Relaxation begins as you step over the threshold. Our bags are whisked away with military efficiency & we are ushered to a comfortable seat, a cold towel & a cool drink. All travel stresses are removed with a brief neck & shoulder massage. We had selected a Grand Merchant room but an efficient check in revealed we had been upgraded to a Marina room. The Chief Concierge gave us a brief tour of the hotel & showed us to our room which was very spacious, with a balcony, that had views over the Marina. A large bathroom with rain shower & a bath that also had views of the Marina completed a very rich looking room. Fridge, safe, TV, DVD player, tea & coffee making facilities, hair dryer were all present but no iron & board. The King Sized four poster bed had quality linen & was very comfortable. Air Con & sound proofing were good, so we slept very well in this room. The staff are first class & really engage with their customers. They are very polite & helpful, always smiling, checking if there is anything they can do, welcoming you back when you come into the foyer. Annya comes to chat some mornings over breakfast & asks us about our day & provides us with useful tips & pointers. We certainly felt like valued guests & that nothing was too much trouble, we only had to ask. Loungers are available on the sandy beach & around the beautiful infinity pool. Little complimentary treats are provided periodically, such as a fruit cocktail, samosa, they even offer to clean your sunglasses. There is a continual process of cleaning & scrubbing down going on, so the whole complex is manicured & spotless. It's the little extras & the outstanding attention to detail that stand this hotel apart from so many others. Noting my wife's birthday a small cake was presented at breakfast with a chorus of happy birthday, our bed was decorated with balloons & ribbons & quite a few staff knew it was her birthday, not just one or two. When she stubbed her toe & cut it, someone with a first aid kit appeared immediately to clean & bind it. Chairs had felt stuck on the feet so they didn't make that horrible scraping sound on the wood floor. Such attention to detail takes time & training & makes this hotel exceptional. We ate breakfast everyday in the Pavilion & enjoyed the BBQ with local entertainment one evening. Sadly the BBQ had to be moved inside because of the weather, so our view of the dancers was somewhat restricted. There was a great variety of food at Breakfast & the buffet style BBQ. All very tasty, well cooked & presented. Other facilities such as spa, gym, games room, library are all available. The Marina has quite a variety of restaurants to choose from if you want to go out of the hotel to eat. We tried the Tapas, The. Loaf & the Itallian, all very good. There are more including Malaysian, Chinese, Arabic & Russian. This is a great hotel where all your needs are fulfilled, even if you didn't know you had them. The friendliness of the staff & the thoughtful touches make it stand out from the rest. Highly recommended.
