Samet Ville Resort in Samet Island

I stayed at this hotel recently and unfortunately fell ill during my stay. My condition became serious enough that I was unable to continue with my trip. For health reasons, I requested an early check-out and a refund for the unused nights, hoping the hotel would understand.

To my disappointment, the hotel’s response was completely insensitive. Instead of showing any concern for my situation, they simply refused the refund, citing their “non-refundable booking” policy. Even after explaining that I was unwell and had to leave for health reasons, they still wouldn’t make an exception.

As a hotel, I believe basic empathy and compassion should come first. It was already a tough situation, but the hotel's cold and rigid attitude only made it worse. They cared more about sticking to the rules than about the well-being of their guest.

I’m sharing this to warn others: if you book with this hotel, be aware that they may not support you in case of emergencies. I hope the management reconsiders how they treat guests in vulnerable situations. Hospitality is supposed to be about people, not just policies.

I have eaten at this resort’s restaurant twice, and honestly, I was not impressed either time.

The first time, I tried not to think too much about it, but some of the staff clearly seemed careless and uninterested in their work. They did not appear to care about providing good service or making customers feel welcome or happy to be there.

On my second visit, I asked whether I could order drinks at a certain counter, because I genuinely did not know where drinks were supposed to be ordered. The reason I asked was also because I did not want to order from the restaurant staff, as I had already experienced slow service and a lack of attention from them before.

Unfortunately, the person working at the drinks counter was no better than the staff taking orders or serving food. Instead of simply explaining where I could order, she did not respond at first and looked at me in an unfriendly way. I reacted with the same expression and stood there looking at her. Only then did she tell me to go to the cashier first and then come back to pick up the drink. She is a female staff member, not the owner. She looked rather old, did not smile, and her manner of speaking was not very pleasant. She was not rude or using bad language, but her attitude, facial expression, and eye contact were far from friendly. It almost felt as if she thought I was asking for a free drink!?

When I went to order drinks at the place I was told to go, which was the cashier area, there were two women sitting there. I believe that one of them was the owner of the resort, or at least a senior manager. She was completely different from the other staff members I had encountered. She was polite, well-mannered, and spoke to me kindly. I had met her before during my first visit, and on both occasions she treated me with respect and courtesy. She came across as well-educated and properly trained, which was in clear contrast to the older staff member who was preparing drinks on the day I visited.

Honestly, if someone has no mood or willingness to work in customer service, it might be better for them to find another role that does not involve dealing with customers, such as cleaning or back-of-house work. This kind of unfriendly and poor service only damages the resort’s reputation. Bad service and unwelcoming staff are exactly the reasons why people may not want to stay at the resort or come back to eat here.

I do not expect there will be a third visit to this place.