"Hoi An Vietnam..."

Hoi An Vietnam.
After a long hard sell by there team. They didn't like no, when we wanted time to think. The promise of a free 7 night holiday, maybe not be what it seems.
Be careful !!

"Karma Club review Hoi An Vietnam..."

We were approached by Kyril and his colleague Su on a motorbike in Hoi An Vietnam and asked to visit their resort, with a chance of winning a selective prize, it was clear to me that this would be a weeks holiday in one of their resorts. They were a lovely pair and after a chat we agreed to be transported to their resort, at this point we were sceptical about what was to transpire. The resort was only a short distance and when we arrived we were met by Daniel. Daniel explained everything to us very professionally and had a lovely friendly manner and at no time were we subjected to any pressure, which I would not have stood for. As seasoned travellers in our 60’s, what they were offering was well inline with our future travel plans. We were left on our own to discuss between ourselves and then answer any questions which we had. Following this we were introduced to Craig who was very diligent in ensuring that we had been told everything correctly. We made the decision to become members, due to the confidence in everyone we had met. We subsequently met up with Daniel for dinner and had a couple more meet ups with Kyril and Su. At no time were we pressurised in any way and are looking forward to using the services of Karma over the next ten years. It is not for everyone and had we just said no I am sure that they would have accepted this.

"Huge scam company as many on Trip…..."

Huge scam company as many on Trip Advisor have mentioned.

We were approached while on vacation in Bali and informed we won a free week at one of their resorts. After a long drawn out sales presentation, we pressed them about the trip and they finally provided the information. We provided a $50 "administrative fee" and after COVID we requested to have the date moved to 2024. They denied the request and also denied the refund of $50.

To note, if you win a free week, you need to sit in on another presentation during that week at the resort. You also have to pay a daily tax for the room too given the resort you choose.

Big SCAM, thanks Jeb Quiambao for your lack of support and help!

"A 3* Hotel charging 5* prices without a captain on the bridge..."

We were regular vistor’s to this hotel and last came 15 years ago with our young children, a brilliant place to escape to. A 3*/4* hotel earning a 5* status. It is now part of the Karma Group, and we thought in pandemic world, that it would be good to give it another try without children.

This review is meant for the management, as it is too good an opportunity to get so badly wrong.

The quality of service and attention to detail is everything in managing a good hotel. Fin on reception was brilliant, full of energy and humour creating a great sense of welcome. The staff in general were trying to cope with reduced numbers because of pandemic driven self-isolation. However, it felt like it was being run by enthusiastic first year students in hotel management, and the captain was very clearly not on the bridge.

Our room had a clean and fresh feel when we arrived, but very much on the small and utilitarian side and most definitely not luxurious (other rooms very similar). The furniture in the room felt and looked like it was from Ikea, with loose doors and wobbly legs. The interior designer Tina Kirschner would appear to have been set an impossible task with a budget that only covered a fresh lick of paint for the walls.

The mini bar fridge had a rather sad bottle of milk in it and nothing else, we washed our own tea cups, got tea bags and fresh milk form reception. The pillows and duvet felt like they were a foam filled 2* offer, the towels cheap, thin, and mean (the cold electric towel rail didn’t help, leaving them always damp), mould to the base of the shower screen, an extract fan that didn’t work with unfilled drill holes in the tiles by the bath taps at eye level an unfortunate reminder of a lack of maintenance and investment.

The room was not serviced during the 4 nights that we stayed (reception warned us about this on arrival), but there was no attempt to make you feel special, nothing, not even a packet of biscuits.

We booked dinner in the Cloudesley Shovell Restaurant for the evening we arrived. The food was delicious. However, the ‘Restaurant’ felt like a seaside café, with black lacquer tables that were sticky to touch, and nothing done to dress the room to make you feel warm, welcome or special. Service was slow, inattentive, and unfortunately the dinner ruined by staff setting tables around us for breakfast despite the booking being for 7:30pm. The clattering of cutlery and crockery killed conversation and made you feel most unwelcome.

We dined out for the rest of our stay in the excellent local restaurants on St Martins, where we really were made to feel welcome and enjoyed delicious fresh local food at less than half the price.

I should also mention the much-vaunted Enomatic Wine Machine.

On arrival we were presented with a card that had been pre-loaded with £100 to use the machine… Wahoooo I love my wine !

The machine comprised two banks of 8 bottles that you could sample from, a great idea, but once again let down by a total lack of care. By the third attempt we gave up, 3-4 of the spaces in each machine was empty, reducing the offer, of those that had bottles many were nearly empty, and when they ran out there was apparently nothing pre-chilled to replace them (when we left 3 days later they still hadn’t been replaced), the one glass of white wine that we did try was tepid and well beyond its best. On checking out we returned our card with very little of the credit spent, adding a rather odd sense of being cheated despite it being a welcoming ‘gift’.

The setting out of guest facilities was also poor. The seating area by the bar was dominated by noisy family tables that left smaller tables exposed and awkward and in uncomfortable proximity in a pandemic environment. There was nowhere for a couple to sit and enjoy time to relax. The one space that could have transformed all of this was upstairs, a generous room with stunning views out over the sea, but sadly it looked like a wedding venue that was in-between hosting events with temporary furniture randomly shuffled around, again a cold and unloved space that should have been the signature place that you could retreat to in comfort.

Apart from dinner on the first evening (food great, setting, ambience and service appalling), everything else that we spent on St Martins went into the local economy, cafes, pubs and restaurants run by local families who really cared about what they did as their lives depended on it.

A sense of pride in a brand, not just the hotel, is essential, and the welcome ‘Karma’ flag on the jetty said it all, flapping for attention, badly stained and unloved.