Terrible resort
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 1/7/06
An open letter to Ana Mandara-- enjoy!
I am writing to follow up on my stay at Ana Mandara.
I wanted to say that the people helping us at Ana Mandara were very friendly and helpful. Kudos to them and their efforts. Our stay was made easier by their friendly demeanor and willingness to help.
However, I had a few major complaints--
*The Christmas Eve Dinner. First off, I don't understand why everyone is "forced" to pay for this dinner. I don't think my staying at your hotel requires me to have dinner at your hotel. This should be entirely voluntary-- this was a very big turn off for me. However, despite this condition, I agreed assuming that the dinner would be spectacular-- it was not. First off, the main dish was turkey. I don't know about you, but I don't expect to pay US$100 per person for a main dish that is turkey. This is probably one of the cheapest meats out there in the market. By comparison, we had a terrific meal of lobster, crab, Wagyu beef, scallops and fresh juice at the Mandarine (in HCM) for US$90 (their Christmas dinner special) before we arrived. That meal was much better than what you served. You really ought to be ashamed-- I really think you scammed the guests. Second, the staff seemed really overwhelmed-- although they were friendly, I thought you were very understaffed. Third, the entertainment was terrible. I felt I was in a second-rate bar. Nothing I would expect from (supposedly) one of the most exclusive spas in Vietnam.
*Spa. The spa was fine, but nothing special. It is unfortunate we found that Spa Tropic in HCM better. Moreover, I live at the Four Seasons in HK, and their spa and masseuses are much better than yours. Very overpriced
*Disorganization. I requested in my fax to you that I would like to have information about tours, activities, etc. in Nha Trang. However, I never received any such information. What is the use of asking that in the welcome package if you aren't going to supply me with the information? Moreover, with respect to your Christmas Eve dinner, I didn't know the time it started, not to mention the menu until I actually sat down to eat. It would have been nice to know these things and to have the information when requested.
*Value. I really don't think I got my money's worth. The tours were overpriced, the breakfast was absolutely mediocre, the spa, the Christmas Eve dinner (I think you know how I feel about that), etc. There were so many problems. I think the problem is, unfortunately, management of the resort. I didn't get a sense of professionalism that I received when I visit resorts of (supposedly) a similar level. I would like to think that I am the type of person that you like to think you target. I have stayed at Banyan Tree, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Trisara and other resorts in the region. Compared to these, Ana Mandara has to be the worst in value (by far). Don't get me wrong, although I don't travel much, I also don't complain about the bill because I expect that the money I am paying will equal the services provided. I am disappointed to have to say that Ana Mandara flunked that test by a long shot. I paid about US$1,000 for two nights and three days at Ana Mandara, when I could have stayed at some place cheaper and probably have had a better time.
I really believe that if you expect people to pay US$300 to US$400 a night to stay at your residence that you should really expect to give such effort. During my stay, this was my experience, and I have a lot of people (with similar views) that have asked me how my experience at your resort was-- unfortunately, I have told them that they shouldn't go.