"I had several issues during my stay, but the two stars is largely for the slow and very disappointing response from the hotel to the feedback I provided prior to leaving any kind of review. The property is very nice and my room was lovely (which I would hope would be the case for the high price). Check-in process was fine and the woman helping me was kind and helpful. My experience at the spa was excellent, and the spa manager was wonderful. That was the highlight of the stay.
However when I came back up after the spa, a different woman was working reception. I had not been given an overview of the aperitif/bar/outdoor situation, and there was no one at the bar outside, so I asked her if I was able to get a drink from there to take back to my room. Rather than assisting, she just said to ask the bartender. I explained no one was there, but she again didn’t offer to help, so I just went out to wait for someone to come back. After getting ready for dinner, I returned and asked again at reception if I could push my reservation back a little so I could sit outside for the sunset. The same woman again just told me to go and check inside the restaurant, and I had to explain there was no in there when I had just walked inside in full view of the reception desk. It was very odd. I was also surprised that for a rather small and intimate boutique hotel, there were multiple large families there, which resulted in children running around yelling as I tried to enjoy a drink and watching tv programs out loud throughout dinner. Trying to enjoy an expensive tasting menu while listening to Peppa pig playing for the entirety of the meal was not really the experience I was hoping for or expecting for this caliber of hotel. I woke up to a text from the hotel asking if they could send someone to get my bags at 10:45, which felt a little pushy. Breakfast was a nice spread, but service was hectic and my order came out wrong twice so I eventually just gave up. But the biggest issue for me was that as I was showering and getting dressed, I realized that there were men directly outside cleaning the small private pool of the room. The small window of the shower looks right to that area and is not covered, and the curtains of the front sliding doors are see through, so it was pretty uncomfortable. I quickly threw on a robe and asked if they could wait till I left. I then texted back to the hotel explaining the situation, but when I got to the front desk to checkout they hadn’t even looked at the message, so I had to explain again. They apologized but did nothing else.
I reached out to the hotel membership site I booked through after and provided all of this feedback which they sent to the hotel, but it took over a week to get a response, which rather than being apologetic or taking accountability, was really just defensive or countering everything I said. Some of the responses were, "We apologise if you did not feel supported by the front desk team during what was a particularly busy moment.”- neither time I spoke to the front desk was a busy moment. There were no other guests present and the woman was not dealing with something else. "Should guests request a quieter or more secluded table, our team will always do their best to accommodate this.” The outdoor terrace is small and there wouldn’t have been anywhere I could move where I would not be able to hear the show playing; it seems pretty silly that I would be expected to isolate myself inside rather than the restaurant just asking the table to turn the iPad down to respect the other guests dining. Per the incorrect breakfast orders- "The hotel was unable to verify the specific details but apologises if this was the case.” Why would the hotel be able to verify the specific details of an incorrect omelette? And as for the pool, "The hotel notes that the pool cleaning was part of the daily service routine and not related to your checkout. They also advised that the curtains in both the living area and bedroom are made from high-quality, non-transparent fabric, and that the bathroom window is positioned high and not visible from outside.” If this really is a daily service, then guests should be notified of the time men will be entering the private space of the room, but regardless, it seems unnecessary to have the cleaning occur 20 minutes prior to checkout time when guests would be getting ready to depart. Most importantly, if I could see the men through the window and through the front door blinds that are absolutely not “non-transparent,” then they could certainly see me. Finally- "Overall, the hotel noted that you were kind and polite during your stay, and as no concerns were raised directly at the time, they were unable to address them in person. The General Manager is available to speak with guests at any point during their stay, and they expressed surprise at receiving the feedback after departure.” Of course I tried to be polite. Given that I spoke to the reception directly to ask questions that were not assisted with properly, and that I did in fact message the hotel WhatsApp about the privacy issue and explained it again at checkout, this statement really makes no sense. Reception barely offered an apology for it- they certainly did not say they would get the general manager to assist, and no one ever followed up about it until I raised the issue again through the booking site. This just felt like such a disappointing way for the hotel to handle the feedback, and turned what could have been minor issues that needed improvement into a much larger customer service issue."
