GGuest UserI rarely write reviews. but feel when I do, I try to be as subjective as possible. Shantaa undoubtedly has great five star reviews, many of which comment on the idyllic, stunning 'paradise' location and great accommodation and service. For example, our suite, an 'extra sweet plus' was without doubt a beautiful space albeit, without the ocean views described! (More like a glimpse through the trees)! For us, however, we found the basic level of service and general information lacking, We stayed for a week and at no point, throughout the stay, did any member of staff ask us whether everything was The service at dinner was painfully slow and this appeared to be commonplace with a fair number of guests/tables. With the exception of one or two of the waiting staff and allowing for the language barriers) some members of staff actually came across as surly. It was difficult to grab their attention as they did not appear to like making eye contact. My husband and I dont eat that much and also eat very simply. Breakfast is served at the table rather than buffet style which we understood to be for sustainability, avoidance of food wastage. Breakfast for us was a couple of slices of toast and a yoghurt bowl each It was pretty amusing to see guests order copious amounts of food at breakfast and dinner, which is fine, yet we found it a real challenge to be provided with the most basic of things like cutlery, another plate or a little extra butter! We had seven breakfasts there and even to the last day and with the same staff, they couldn’t get it right Most days my husband resorting to going up to get these items himself. On the subject of eco tourism, our understanding is that the management (whoever they are as they clearly weren't visible or present during our stay) claim to be committed to environmental sustainability. We were at a loss, therefore, to understand the huge volume of towels and plastic bottles of water on tap that were freely available to guests throughout the whole day. As for the beach and ocean, be warned that although the small South and North rocky beach areas around the resort appeared to be cleared daily, just a few steps along past the pier, on the long sandy stretch of beach, it really highlights just how polluted the area is. To their credit, we saw guests from the neighbouring resort regularly walking out from the sea with handfuls of garbage and we witnessed a huge and diverse range of items washed up on the beach (glass light bulb, bottles of gin, flip flops, to name but a few)! In summary, on the surface, Shantaa is idyllic, but scratching below the surface, clearly reveals the cracks. This resort seems fine for returning clients who like to remain in a 'bubble' but idyllic, is definately not a term we would use to describe our experience
Show More