We booked the Club Bamboo in Phuket for 3 nights over the 2011 New Year period based on the descriptions, reviews, and the nice bungalows from the online pictures. We were forced to pay for an extra bed (extra $30/night) for my 10 year old son even if we didn’t really need it.
We requested taxi service from the hotel (600 Baht) and this worked quite nicely (waiting for us when we arrived and cheaper than a generic taxi), my son felt car-sick in the taxi and the driver was extra nice with him.
When we got to our bungalow we found out unpleasant surprises: in the patio outside the bungalow there were two old and dirty plastic chairs and a strong stench of sewage. Inside the bungalow there was fortunately not stench but most of the decorations were broken or chipped; the floor had a broken wooden plank covered with some type of wood-like mask tape; under the sink and on top of furniture there was plenty of dirt and dust; air conditioning was in the bedroom only and not in the bathroom; the stone wall panels on the side of the bathroom were covered with lizard droppings; the bath tub was spotted with rust and incrostations; an additional foldable bed was in the bedroom but no additional towels.
We had company in the bedroom: a small gecko. My wife called reception and they sent a guy armed of rubber bands. He took him a good 30 minutes but eventually killed the gecko.
When we were ready to go to sleep we found out that the extra bed has not been prepared properly: there was one linen to cover the mattress (with holes) but no linen between that and the blanket. I went to the reception explaining the situation and asking for an additional linen. Instead of apologizing and getting the linen the receptionist told me that there was no house keeping service and I had to wait till tomorrow. I explained that all I was asking was for one linen so that could I properly make my son’s bed. She went to get the linen clearly showing that she was not pleased at all.
The day after they forgot to give us our wake-up call. Fortunately I always set up an extra alarm on my phone else we will have missed our excursion.
Walking from the hotel to restaurants is not far but it is not an easy walk as you have to cross mayor intersections with no clear pedestrian crossing.
There were many other issues and unpleasant things with this hotel and we were very happy when we finally headed back to the airport.
- Hotel Bamboo Boutique
- Resort Bamboo Boutique
