Overall-excellent
COOL THINGS - free kayaks & mountain bikes, peackocs running free on campus, sun screen in the pool (low protection) & anti-mosquito spray,shuttle to the ferry

THINGS TO KNOW
LOCATION-10 min drive from city-shuttles leave only at 1100/1400/1700/1900
shuttles back 30mins later - if you miss it - 300bt for special taxi or 60bt/person in a tender
FOOD/WATER-expensive in the hotel-plan meals in hotel/city, snacks/water-buy from the city
PILLOWS - very high, actually caused a neck pain
BATH & SHOWER-you can't get a stable water temp-changes between cold/hot/boiling-actually annoying when showering
BEACH - not comfortable for swimming
FOR KIDS - there's a toddler playground by the pool & a kidzone by the gym

We stayed in a garden villa with connecting rooms. This was very convenient travelling with two kids 14 years old. We stayed in FuramaXclusive from 1-7 January and we paid absolute top prices for this 5 star resort so we had very high expectations. We understand that this hotel is in transformation from one owner to the other. But with the name and fame of FuramaXlusive they can't afford the level of amenities offered in FuramaXlusive today. Everything in this resort need to be renovated. Rooms, restaurants, swimming pool, beach chairs, gardens, playgrounds, kayaks, services etc. It will take a long time and big investment before this resort will be able to claim to be a 5 star resort. Staff is absolute very friendly but not able to deliver the service and approach you can expect from FuramaXlusive or any other 5 star hotel. Two evenings we had dinner in hotel and our orders were served one after another. The manager or dep.head had breakfast at the same time in the restaurant as the hotelguests had and used his private phone loudly during breakfast. We had a laugh about it but this is not acceptable. And many more examples we could give. It would have been better if FuramaXlusive had explained the transformation phase before arrival and had charged us a 3 star rate. Then we would have feld we received value for money. Now we are very disappointed and will not come back to FuramaXlusive.

This was my second visit to Furama Xclusive Ayapura (guess which one is the key word). Same feelings for the different money. 50 euros per night in November, and about 150 in December... This time I booked 2 rooms for 3 nights from 30.12 to 02.01 a week in advance on their website. Few days later I've made another booking from 28.12 to 30.12. Both confirmations got on my email immediately. When we arrived to the hotel, it was surprise for the hotel staff... So they didn't get our bookings from the central office. Thanks to the front desk staff, they've solved the problem very fast despite peak season. First time i stayed in Premier Room and it was ok. Bathroom bigger than bedroom. In fact i liked bathroom more. This time we stayed in Garden Villa. What can i say? I believe, many years ago it was probably the best hotel in Koh Chang. But i think many years ago. Rooms need to be repaired if they want to see returning customers. This is 1 of 2 biggest problems in this hotel.
I understand that investments need to be approved, and returned back, but if they will leave like it is, they will loose more. Coz this is not a 3 star hotel, they pretend to be a 5 stars beach resort. I don't know whether other hotel in Koh Chang have such a nice territory. It is a huge tropical paradise with private beach, mountains and peacocks seating on your terrace...
The other problem which they should resolve ASAP is the quality of food. I'm living in Thailand almost 2 years already, and i eat Thai food everyday. I know it is delicious almost everywhere. Except Furama. On my first visit we ate just once. We got 4 dishes, and we left it on the plate. This time we had a Gala dinner on NY Eve and 1 more dinner. Gala dinner - sushi, sashimi were ok. Rest was uneatable. Next and the last dinner was same story. 7 people ordered different food, and everyone was disappointed. Sorry to say, but it was the worse food in this country. Although the breakfasts were ok.
Regarding the staff... Ms.Eh from the front desk, and Mr.Giant from the restaurant. They are the best in this hotel. They know what they do, and they do it very good. Thanks to them for that. Others are just ok.
Location in my opinion is good, because i like to stay in the silence But if you rent a bike, White Sand Beach is just 10 minutes away from your hotel. Would i recommend this hotel to others? Yes, if you dont care about the food, and rooms quality. Will i come back? Yes, but only for the low-season rate. If they change the chef and renovate the rooms, i will definitely go only in this hotel.

We stayed in garden villas which have a lovely view of the bay, truly outstanding views from the porch with adirondack chairs. The hotel is quiet and a world removed from the hustle and noise of White Sand Beach. The rooms though are dated, some have ants, one had a phone that did not work, the pillows and beds were hard, the exercise room is in poor condition with only one working treadmill, the beach is almost non-existent, and it took 2 hours each night to have dinner due to the poor service (1 1/2 hours to get the food). We have older kids (12/14) but there was an excellent playtround area for younger kids. The spa service is excellent and felt luxurious. Overall, the spot has potential but is truly a second tier hotel without a luxurious feel. If you come, go out for dinner at Invitos instead of the hotel food.