Nirwana Resort Hotel

The grounds are large and expansive and the location is heavenly. There is lots of wildlife and if you know where to find them, you can spot the monkeys regularly. There are multiple beaches that you can wander to and explore. We didn't confirm our arrival time but was pleasently surprised to find a complementary driver waiting for us at the ferry terminal to take us to the accommodation, and there are regular services to return you to the terminal. All of the staff were extremely friendly and helpful throughout our stay. We had hoped to go on the snorkelling trip but couldn't because they won't take partes fewer than 4 and there was only 2 of us. This was disappointing but the hotel tried to add us to existing bookings twice; unfortunately on one occasion, the other party pulled out, and the following day the trip was cancelled due to bad weather, but the staff did an excellent job of pro-actively trying to get us on the trip, and communicating with us. We couldn't have asked for more (apart from a more flexible approach to small groups of travellers). There are a number of accommodations, bars and restaurants across Lagoi which are all connected, and there are shuttles running between them, so you can get around easily. The range at breakfast at Nirwana was good, especially given the hotel was quiet at the time, and the Indian curries were particularly delicious. Soya milk was available which is a great but rare treat for dairy-free guests. The food on site was overall good, and as a veggie there were a range of options. We took the shuttle to the Indian restaurant which was our favourite; the service and food were exceptional. We didn't try the range of activities on offer apart from fun fishing; this was very cheap and the guide was helpful - my son caught seven fish.

Firstly, the cost of food and especially drink. The bar menu was VERY expensive overall. Of course you don't expect 'cheap' in 5* and have to factor in import taxes but £68 for a bottle of wine, PLUS 20% tax is absurd; this isn't the Shangri-La! Even a small tin of local beer equated to £6. All of the restaurants & bars across the complex share the same bar menu, so you can't just find somewhere more reasonably priced. The on-site shops are no help as they're poorly stocked; I could get ion drinks, condoms and rosewater, but not Coca-Cola??? The Lagoi area is effectively one large complex which, although mostly unspoiled forest, did make it pretty much impossible to get anywhere else. We managed to get to a local shop en route to a mangrove excursion and picked up 3 large tins of beer for less than the price of 1 small beer at Nirwana, excluding the 20% tax. Regardless of whether I could afford the prices or not, I felt guests were exploited because we had no other option. Had the prices been more reasonable I'd have spent far more than I did, but I curbed my spending simply because I felt ripped off. We travelled on to Singapore and spent far less on food and drink there, so it's not just an inevitable symptom of being 'almost in Singapore'. My other complaint is that, while the beaches in front of the accomodations were impeccable, there was noticeable trash elsewhere. We found some beautiful little beaches to swim and snorkel, but not only were the less visited parts awash with plastic bottles, trash bags had been dumped where, assumably, they'd be less noticeable to visitors. IMO it would be better for staff who spend hours cleaning already-immaculate beaches to attend to these areas instead, as much to protect the many species of wildlife here as for tourists' benefit. At the floating bar/seafood restaurant, we observed the live fish were kept very unethically and were in very poor condition.

We stayed for two nights at a ground floor room with views of the back garden. We very much liked the location, the very friendly and always smiling staff, the beach, the pool and the breakfast, Great location , on logs, in the sea for the Kelong sea food restaurant and the Kalypso Bar

Needs a little bit more attention to the general maintenace of the premises. Food at the Kelong sea food restaurant is very expensive.

It had beautiful views and was very relaxing. Everything was easy to walk to or get the free shuttle and the staff went out of their way to look after us. We enjoyed the white sand beaches and warm sea, pools with different depths and jacuzzi jets, ten pin bowling, scuba diving, snorkelling, massage, reflexology and the info centre helped us book a taxi for a private trip to temples. There were various places to eat around the resort and buffet breakfasts were plentiful and there was plenty of choice.

The bed was a bit too hard but okay when we slept on top of the duvet. I had to ask for vegan food at breakfast, but on subsequent days they brought me suitable foods.

Beach side view.

Rooms too far from breakfast. Lift was not working, had to take steps after swimming.