My Greatest Vacation Experience

My greatest vacation experience was in Pimalai Resort & Spa, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand. It was a winning prize for 2 person from a Treasure Hunt event. 6 of us went to the resort while only 2 of us checking in and staying there. When we arrived, the staffs greeted every one of us, handed us a fresh towel to wipe face, and each of us got a mock-tail as welcoming drinks. Then, they have buggy to send us and the luggage bags to our private villa. The price range from USD218 for a standard deluxe room on a non-peak season to as much as USD2,767 for a 3-bedroom villa on a peak-season.

There are a lot of resorts out there knowing that they are not, and they will not be providing their guest a five star experience and yet they are comfortable with that. We all know that, not all resorts are created the same way; hence the different qualify of service and experience that you will get. Some of these resorts / hotels get by through the power of convenience and a low price strategy.

However there are some resorts / hotels that created some false claims or “half truths” through fake reviews by fake accounts to boost their reservations. So, how do you choose the resorts / hotels that you are going to stay for your next vacation? I have gone through this dilemma and I would like to share my some experience with you so that you can avoid being cheated by some of the reviews in TripAdvisor, Booking.com and so on .

All-in Inclusive Price. Really?

The all-in inclusive resorts / hotels would be the one that is most attractive. We all want a perfect, no fussy-messy type of vacation. All we want is just pay the money, show up and enjoy ourselves throughout the vacation, and let the resorts / hotels take care of the rest.

But when you look into details on what exactly is included, many resorts / hotels only cover the basics of food and some activities. There will be still a lot more hidden cost for you such as the private driver, premium drinks, excursions and transportation, airport transit, etc. Larger excursions, which are more private or luxury, will always cost you a fee beyond your expectation.

It’s very important to really read through all the review, do your research and see what is really offered for that all-in inclusive price. After doing your research and you still find it unclear or difficult to get a straight answer, my advice is to look at another resort / hotel. Not to worry as there are so many option out there.

Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover

Sometimes, after I check out the resorts / hotels in the booking engine, I will always refer to their own website if there is any to get more information as possible. Some of the resorts / hotels would show images of opulence and luxury. Would you ever wonder such a high quality resorts / hotels could offer such a cheap price?

Don’t just a book by its cover. Don’t judge a resort / hotel by its pictures. Sometimes, you know, angle and direction of the prhotoshoot. I know this best as a model, where my photographer will always find the best position for me to pose in order to cover up all my weaknesses. When something looks too good to be true, do more due diligence to check it out.

Some of the website might still portraying outdated marketing materials they created years ago, hence it will not reflect the experience you will get today. How old are their promotional brochures or videos? Can you expect everything they are promising in these materials? When was their last review by a customer? Check it out, don’t get deceived by what they say or trying to show.

FAKE Upgrades

Had you experience a last minute upgrades where you are being offered a free room upgrades to encourage your quick booking and decision making?

The price that you might be paying could be the price for a standard room but the resorts / hotels offer you their master suite at no additional cost. Sounds great. Once again, it looks too good to be true. If they are a small resort / hotel, ask yourself how they can upgrade everyone to a master suite when there are only limited numbers of suites?

The truth is they can’t! It could be a bait for you to make the decision to book the room, make the payment and when you are about to check in the resort / hotel staff would switch you back to a standard room at the last minute, giving you all different excuses such as how their master suite is full and you’ll have to settle for another room, or the resorts / hotels themselves are very slow during that period, having few guests in the first place, or their service is so bad that no one is booking until they happily give you a free upgrade to a master suite.

Lower Price Leads to Lower Quality

Sometimes you book a resort / hotel because they offer you a superb discount for your stay. Look, there is always a standard fixed cost for a room that you stay in. Anytime when a business decided to lower their costs, they may have to cut their expenses somewhere. So, for a resort / hotel, where do you think they will cut cost?

The easiest way for them to cut expenses is in personnel. Think about it, when you stay in a resort / hotel with no service personnel, you have to carry all your luggage bag into your own by yourself, there is no polite and welcoming guest services; there is no helpful employees; no fresh towel for you when you arrived at their resort / hotel.

You get what you pay for. They have to make up somewhere for cutting prices. The truth is that the best experience usually costs a little more for you to experience an exceptional value.

Location, Location, Location – The Property Investor Secret

When a property agent promote a new launch or a sub-sales property, the agent will always tell their prospect that the property is in close proximity to many exciting and enticing attractions, for example the famous shopping mall is just minutes away, which could be actually hours away. This is same as what happening to the marketing team by the resorts / hotels to promote their place attractively. The private exciting getaway you imagined will have to remain a fantasy because the reality is very different.

Just because a resort claims to be close to some great attractions doesn’t mean that those attractions are convenient to get to or even worth visiting at all. Do research for the actual websites of these great attractions and pay attention to where they are located. Do a Google search of the areas you're thinking of visiting and compare for yourself.

The resorts / hotels may claim that they are near to world famous beaches, casinos, golf courses, restaurants and nightclubs. Check it out yourself because everyone’s definition of beautiful, famous and whatsoever description it is, differ.

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