Anantara Reviews 26

During our last lunch, all our professional camera equipment was stolen from our room. The hotel’s first reaction: ask us to settle the bill. We never felt truly believed. We had to prove, document, justify everything. I followed up more than ten times over eighteen months. No compensation, no apology, no gesture of any kind. Just “the police are investigating”, on repeat.
For a property of this standing, it is unacceptable.
The stay itself already left much to be desired:
• Safe malfunctioning twice, and on one occasion the code had clearly been forced (3 failed attempts recorded, none of them ours)
• À la carte restaurant open one evening out of three, with no warning
• Child’s mosquito net torn and impossible to close properly, my son was bitten all through the first night
• Minibar never restocked once during the entire stay
• Staff promises “now”, nobody shows up
• Additional transfer fees charged despite being listed as included
The island is beautiful. The rest does not hold up.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

We cancelled our booking 28. February, why our flight was cancelled due to the Iran crises through Booking. Com. We are entitled to have our payment returned, but 7 weeks after, Anantara refuses to refund AED +13.000,- although we have been promissed the money several times. Legal action has to be taken.

We arrived early and we were surprised by a wonderful upgrade to a suite. We only had a one night stay which was disappointing for us as this hotel is magical. Staff Service is exceptionally good the facilities and pool all top notch. We will definitely be back. 10 out of 10 really. Wished we had more than one night.

We booked directly on Anantara’s official website, received confirmation at a much higher rate, and were given empty explanations about “fluctuating rates.”
Despite clear evidence and a formal complaint, no one took responsibility — not even General Manager Jason Kruse, who ignored our correspondence.
This isn’t about the money; it’s about integrity and respect.
We found another resort and had to pay more, but at least there we felt valued.
Anantara should remember: genuine hospitality starts long before check-in.

We have just returned from a wonderful 10 night stay in the Anantara Resort in Lawana Bay Koh Samui. A truly relaxing ands wonderful stay. The accommodation was just how we imaged it would be, with good air conditioning and then and e
then a veranda where one could lounge under a fan. The restaurants and lounges were very acceptable, as were the staff throughout the resort. A special mention to the buggy men who transported us to/from the beach. Always working with a smile and an interest in our requirements.

My stay at Anantara Mina was outstanding the resort is beautiful, well-maintained, and offers excellent dining and facilities. What truly made the experience special was the exceptional service from Mr. Wasiu Ola at the concierge desk. He was warm, professional, and went above and beyond to make sure everything was seamless, from recommendations to arrangements. Wasiu’s genuine care and attention to detail elevated my stay and made it unforgettable.

As the parent of a former staff member at Desert Islands Resort by Anantara, I feel deeply betrayed by how Minor Hotels Group handled my son’s unjust termination. Over a small amount (AED 235, which was returned), he was coerced to sign a written confession without HR or legal support. No meaningful inquiry followed, and multiple emails to the Group Director and Whistleblower team went unanswered.

This case wasn’t treated with empathy, ethics, or even basic professionalism. A company that boasts about global standards should not bury junior employees' dignity to protect internal senior management mistakes.

I urge potential employees and customers to question how much Minor Hotels truly lives its values.

Disappointing Experience for a Supposed 5-Star Hotel

I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights. While the hotel itself is beautiful and the staff were generally friendly and welcoming, my experience fell short of what I expected from a 5-star property.

There are definitely areas that need improvement. Housekeeping did not clean the room before midday on any of the days I stayed, which was inconvenient. On one occasion, they failed to replenish basic supplies such as water, soap, and coffee.

More concerning, the towels were not changed for two days, and the shower was blocked. Although I reported the issue, it was never resolved during my stay.

Upon check-out, there was a long queue with only one staff member at reception, leading to unnecessary delays.

Unfortunately, despite some positive aspects, the overall service did not reflect the standards of a 5-star hotel. For that reason, I won’t be returning.

Useless NamJai membership and unfriendly and hostile staff today :
1) all the offers included in the NamJay membership are included in other plateforms such as Entertainer ( Buy one get one free deals for massage, hotel night, brunch, etc.). The membership is useless

2) Absurdity in their process : they implement a Referral system where you can refer your friends / family to enroll in annual NamJai membership… wait for it… the most inconsistent / controversial / baffling / ridiculous rule : YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SIT IN THE SAME TABLE than your referred friends / family when dining together …. Today we were 3 referred families coming together to the brunch, they did NOT ALLOW US TO SIT IN THE SAME TABLE as they apply a rule of 1 NamJay per table, so instead of having 3 separate bills for each family they FORCED US TO KEEP 5CM DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR TABLES …. To make matters worse, the staff did not recognize our 3 NamJai memberships, resulting in us being charged for a brunch that is already included in our annual membership.

Useless NamJai membership and unfriendly and hostile staff today :
1) all the offers included in the NamJay membership are included in other plateforms such as Entertainer ( Buy one get one free deals for massage, hotel night, brunch, etc.). The membership is useless

2) Absurdity in their process : they implement a Referral system where you can refer your friends / family to enroll in annual NamJai membership… wait for it… the most inconsistent / controversial / baffling / ridiculous rule : YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SIT IN THE SAME TABLE than your referred friends / family when dining together …. Today we were 3 referred families coming together to the brunch, they did NOT ALLOW US TO SIT IN THE SAME TABLE as they apply a rule of 1 NamJay per table, so instead of having 3 separate bills for each family they FORCED US TO KEEP 5CM DISTANCE BETWEEN OUR TABLES … (see the attached picture). To make matters worse, the staff did not recognize our 3 NamJai memberships, resulting in us being charged for a brunch that is already included in our annual membership.

Review of NamJay Membership
I had an unfortunate experience with my NamJay membership recently, and I feel compelled to share my feedback.
Limited Offers: I was disappointed to find that many of the offers included in the NamJay membership are also available on other platforms like Entertainer, such as buy-one-get-one-free deals for massages, hotel nights, brunches, and more. This makes the membership feel less exclusive.
Hostile Referral Policy: The referral system has a puzzling rule that prevents members from sitting at the same table as their referred friends or family when dining together. During a recent brunch with three families, we were told we could not sit together. We were forced to keep a distance of 5 cm between our tables, which not only created an uncomfortable atmosphere but also complicated our dining experience. Instead of being able to split the bill naturally, we had to navigate these arbitrary restrictions.
Billing Issues: To make matters worse, when it came time to pay, the staff did not recognize our three NamJay memberships, resulting in us being charged for brunch, which we believed was included in our membership. This oversight added to our frustration.

We stayed in Legian, Bali
This hotel is nice, staff is friendly and accommodating, helpful with absolutely everything. Rooms are clean. Overall, they do I good job and we can recommend. We were a family of 3 there.

The staff made our experience great ..At reception/lobby, staff were warm friendly helpful and went the extra mile to help us especially Ahmed Hamdani and Ahmed Rajab, Kevin, Ariel. Thank you also to Crescendo staff Diana, Faiyaz and Venu, for looking after us in every way and presenting us with a piece of cake and their good wishes on our last day, they deserve hearty congratulations, thank you also to Ariel for helping us solve our difficulties, God bless you all

Despite our room costing more than Euro 250 per night, we were assigned a room with a view of a garage! Breakfast: we received assurance that you cater an excellent vegan breakfast when, in reality, we discovered that your F&B manager thinks vegans are rabbits and they eat only grass and vegetables; in 2024, this is an ignorant approach, and there are no excuses for it. I pay a considerable price to stay with Anantara, and I expect people to know what they are saying and doing. I hope to be offered an option between a vegan sausage or vegan ham or salami, as a dessert, a vegan croissant or a vegan cinnamon pastry. I also expect all dishes and food displayed to have a clear description, including "vegan" But this is too much work for your F&B, I imagine. What is the point of you confirming you have a huge vegan option when we felt deprived of options, and we had to buy the food ourselves to make our breakfast a decent one? Shame on Ananantara. I shall return if I receive a proper compensation/solution. PS: I have been a client of this venue since it was named The Regent (September 1990....)

Just had a wonderful holiday at this wonderfully friendly hotel. Fantastic for children of all ages. There are lagoons and pools aplenty that are waist high so safe for children and plenty of bodyguards. Special mention to Jamal in housekeeping who has been so helpful.

Probably one of the most professional massages and skin treatments that we have had. Thoughtful. Attentive and knowledgeable. Highly recommend Dao and her team who carried out our treatments. Back for another pamper before our return flights on Sunday. Thank you.

I just wanted to bring peoples attention to the scam that is the Anantara Vacation Club. Replying to an advert a few years ago my family and I visited their Phuket resort and were treated to a free 2 night stay at a beautiful resort as long as we went along to the Vacation Club presentation. The salesman was very convincing and dressed the offer up in such a way that we missed some HUGE pitfalls from joining and spending a huge sum of money to do so. 1. We were never told that every January AVC charge huge (almost $2000) admninistration fees, these have been increasing yearly. So over the 30 years (length of the agreement) you end up paying more than double that which you initially anticipated. 2. At first you are lead to believe that the points will retain their value but instead the buying power of the yearly points you are given become lesser and lesser ie less points = less nights. 3. The hotels one is allowed to book, the AVC hotels is of far lesser quality than the premium Anantara hotels. Of course the Phuket resort where we bought the package was never offered to us again, it was merely the 'carrot'. 4. Customer service is awful and very unresponsive.
I have asked for a refund but i have been told that of course this is not possible.
STAY WELL CLEAR OF THE ANANTARA VACATION CUB, THIS IS A SCAM.

Anantara Hua Hin

This review concerns our recent stay at Anantara Hua Hin. We are repeat customers and have stayed at Anantara Resorts around the world. The staff at this hotel are very polite and friendly (excluding leadership). We spent around 5000 baht providing tips to the staff during our 4-day stay. We were not informed that building work would be going on at the hotel on the last day of our stay. This included using power tools such as drills, saws, angle grinders etc which started in the morning close to our room. At first, the hotel did not care but then offered a slight reduction in our room rate. I was not after a reduced rate or a refund. I would have preferred the hotel to donate to Sunshine Children's Home, Hua Hin which they refused to do. During our stay in Hua Hin, myself and my partner donated to this orphanage. Upon checking out, the hotel staff put my UK-issued Mastercard into their card machine and informed me that my card had been declined. They tried the card several times, however, they did not ask me to type in my pin number. The card cannot be authorised without a pin number, as it is issued by a UK bank. I was simply informed in front of other customers that my card had been declined. I have used this same card at 5 other hotels in Thailand, restaurants, supermarkets etc during this particular holiday. Each time I was asked to type in my pin number. I had to wait several hours before I could contact my bank which is based in the UK, because of the time difference. My bank informed me that they could see all of the attempts to charge my card by the hotel, however as no pin number was entered the card was being declined automatically. This caused my bank account to be frozen as it triggered a fraud alert due to the multiple attempts. It was not because of insufficient funds as the hotel suggested! The card cannot be authorised without a pin number, which the hotel should have known. I asked to speak to the General Manager who is apparently on holiday, but they would not provide me with her email address. The office manager who I spoke to was very unhelpful, she could not understand that a pin number is required before the card could be authorised by the issuing bank. The hotel banks with Bangkok Bank, for clarification I went to a local branch and asked them why I was not asked for a pin number by the hotel staff when the card was placed in the card machine. They informed me that all UK-issued Chip and Pin cards would require a pin number or else it would automatically be declined. Having been going to Thailand for over 20 years, I have never experienced such poor customer service as I have by Anantara Hua Hin. Very poor leadership is in place at this establishment.

MR SUPRIYA MISRA

The bed was so comfy the food was lovely the staffs were nice ayu in the lotus restaurant was so lovely and helped us get comfortable in the place, the whole place was nice and different from the other hotels…we will recommend people to come and stay here