We were at the Golden Sands during Thaipusam - an Indian holy celebration. The trip was for two things - first a short break to enjoy the 4-day weekend and I then continued on with some business meetings at the hotel for two more days while the husband returned home.
We arrived almost midnight due to some flight delays and found that the room we had requested was not available due to extremely high occupancy. However, the front office staff assured us that the matter will be looked into in the morning and we changed rooms with no problems at all.
Overall Ground - looks like they've updated the lobby and the surrounding facilities. Very Good!
Rooms - beds are comfy with ample space in the deluxe room we booked in. However, toilets would need a revamp. It's been several years and while there are some updates, perhaps a little more investment to go all out would be a pretty good idea. However, overall, it's really not that bad as the rooms (both the one we got the night before and the one they moved us to) are generally clean and nicely furnished. Funny though that there weren't the usual offerings in the fridge except for the coffee and tea facility. Flat screen TV and lots of pillows on the sofa - quite nice. Overall decor - we'd say it was tasteful rather than luxurious, befitting the Shang brand. (Ok ok, so this is its four star chain so by that standard, it's quite good!).
Housekeeping and Room Service - not too bad. They did look a tad frazzled and upon breakfast the 1st morning, we really understood why. It was indeed a full house so we could imagine housekeeping having to attend to almost every single room available in the hotel !! However, the team were pleasant, always smiling and polite. Service, though working under maximum capacity, was quite prompt.
Hotel gardens / pool / beach area - very nice. Plenty of deck chairs below coconut trees for sun tanning, very large swimming pools and the restaurant and bar by the beach served some nice buffets and drinks. Through no fault of the hotel though, touters were just outside of the hotel zone on the beach selling their wares / watersport services etc. The beach looked pretty busy too. It's definitely not "private" for hotel guests only.
F&B - breakfast buffet spread was quite good with a nice self served coffee machine for the morning capuccino. Turnover of tables were quite fast so even if it's full, one didn't have to wait a long time nor be turned away. However, lunch buffet was not so great with less offerings.
Meeting facilities - our team had no complaints either. Every request was attended to and we had a personal "butler" assigned to us at all times. The equipment worked fine and our two-day workshop/meetings went without any fuss.
Gym - fully equipped, in good condition, and not crowded located next to the Cool Lounge - for Golden Circle members - but we noticed that almost anyone could come and go as they please. They have a small library at the Cool Lounge for leisure reading with three internet stations and super friendly staff there too. That's a bonus!
(the outdoor common lounge and the indoor "Cool Lounge")
The hotel's good overall and we don't mind staying there again. However, there are other choices too which will give the Golden Sands a run for their money!
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