Balok Hotels with Bars

Firstly, I have to say, The Kasturi is probably my favourite place in Pahang. I first came here in 2018 - and it made such an impression that I couldn't wait to come back. Came back as soon as PKP was lifted (review here somewhere) and a tad disappointed. Husband booked a night's stay for our 18th wedding anniversary and I have to admit the service has improved by leaps and bounds. Check in was warm and professional - villa is clean and hubby had made arrangements for flowers and some refreshments in the room which was so appreciated by yours truly. Had same villa as previous stay - toilet is still wonky. Hand bidet in indoor shower compartment is still non functional and the fish keropok was left untouched this time (learnt my lesson from last time - pls get new supplier - I am sure there are many more keropok makers who can make better keropok sira) This time however, husband ordered food to be sent to the room - FYI, room service is limited to the asian food selection (not advisable to preorder western dishes as these will end up cold by the time it gets sent to the room) Loved the caprese salad and the fried rice. The seafood fried in batter was above average. The white rice and chicken was too sweet for our liking. Breakfast was served 'unlimited ala carte style' The variety was ok - choice of nasi lemak, western and chinese congee. Nasi lemak - much much better than the last time I was there - but had an issue with the sambal sotong, which I informed the staff. Saw that they offered 'DANISH' as part of breakfast - but we only received toast and baguettes - so I'm not sure if I was confused about the danish being pastries? Barista also needs to learn to make proper latte art. However, the F&B staff - Deedi was extremely friendly and warm. He looked like he knew what he was doing despite being his 6th day at Kasturi - thought I would make a special mention about him. Would I come back for a fourth time? Some improvements have to be made about the upkeep of the facilities in the room and definitely better improvements with the F&B - but Kasturi's one life-saving feature is definitely its location....

I recently had the pleasure of staying at The Royale Chulan Cherating Villa, and I must say it was an unforgettable experience. From the moment I arrived until the day I checked out, the staff and services at this resort exceeded my expectations! Without a doubt one of the best resorts in Malaysia and if you're ever in Cherating, THIS is the place to stay! First and foremost, the staff deserves a standing ovation. Their warm welcome and genuine hospitality made me feel like a VIP guest. Whether it was the front desk staff, the buggy drivers, the housekeeping team or even the F&B staff, everyone was attentive, friendly, and always ready to assist with a smile. They went above and beyond to ensure my stay was comfortable and enjoyable, and for that, I am truly grateful. Kudos to Rizam for introducing us this hidden gem. The dining experience at the resort was exceptional as well. The Ocean restaurant offered a delectable array of dishes, catering to various tastes and preferences during my breakfast and dinner. I was particularly impressed with the chef's culinary skills and the waitstaff's impeccable service. Shoutout to Mahdi and Nizar in building a strong service team. Each meal was a delightful journey for the taste buds, and the dining experience added another layer of enjoyment to my stay. However, while the staff and services were outstanding, there is room for improvement when it comes to the resort's facilities. Although the property is well-maintained, some areas appear a bit outdated and could benefit from a renovation. I was told that they have very limited budget provided by the management and the improvement process is quite slow. They don't even have a gym or a large banquet hall which I understand is a requirement for a 5 star resort. The rooms, while clean and comfortable, could use a modern touch to match the high level of service provided by the staff. Additionally, the pool area, though enjoyable, would be even more appealing with updated loungers and a fresh coat of paint. These are my two cents which I hope the management would consider to do as soon as possible in order to maintain this amazing place and their regular guests. Despite these minor facilities-related issues, I wouldn't hesitate to return. The exemplary staff and top-notch service is more than enough to compensate for any facility shortcomings. In fact, I look forward to seeing how the resort evolves in the future, as I believe that with some upgrades, it has the potential to become an even more remarkable tourist attraction. I truly hope the management takes care of it's staff by giving rewards or incentives as I can see they worked really hard to maintain this resort's standards. In conclusion, my recent stay at The Royale Chulan Cherating Villa was a delightful experience, primarily due to the exceptional staff and services. While there's room for improvement in the facilities department, it doesn't overshadow the overall positive impression I have of t

The beach is approximately 100m away. There are no sea-view rooms. The price is reasonable. You can request a buggy if you need to go to the restaurant at Royal Chulan Villa. The room condition is average – the air conditioning is cold, and the bathroom is clean. However, the sofa might need an upgrade. Breakfast is not bad. The staff are helpful and friendly. It’s also within walking distance to Marion Cafe if that’s important to you.

Check-in was smooth. Booked the family room, facing the sea. Had a pleasant stay, room was spacious and clean, bed was comfy, view was amazing. Provided towels, bath foam, shampoo,electric kettle and packed drinks, bottled water. However no mini fridge in the room. Happy that the hotel provided hot/cold water dispenser at the foyer, we just refilled our bottles whenever needed. Staffs attended me with a smile whenever i needed something. Breakfast was decent. Only frustrated with the big piles of stones placed along the beach, block views and can't really enjoy the beach. But when the tide comes in we did made the best of it. Affordable room for family of 5 with nearby eateries and groceries.

The bed is very comfy. The room service is fast (I complained need 1 more towel and they showed up within 5 minutes with extra towel). Check-in is fast and the room is clean with clean bed sheet. Unfortunately the room not sound proof, I can hear my next door room talking and the room is near to the road, so it is quite noisy. The breakfast is okay but since it’s free, I have no complain.

Our extended family - 32 pax in total had our family day at this resort last weekend. We had great time here! This hotel has a number of swimming pools which the kids will surely love. It’s almost like a mini water park. The hotel area are well kept and clean. We had the hotel organised telematch games for our group at a field within the hotel compound. The hotel staffs who organised the games for us were nice, friendly and funny too. It was great fun for us! This hotel is a beachfront hotel but unfortunately, during our stay, the public beach in front of the hotel was quite dirty. Probably because of the high tides and rains. Since we are still under movement controls because of the Covid19, there’re SOPs which we have to follow but not a problem at all for us. For meals, the hotel organised banquet style serving in a private room for us. That was really nice and made a lot of difference for us. We had BBQ dinner and we were able to have our own talent show since the room is only for our group. The food served buffet style for us and it was delicious! The hotel is an old hotel but i believe it was recently refurbished. The room are spacious and very clean. But the toilet is quite basic. At the moment, the hotel is offering very, very good rates. I highly recommend this hotel for large group who would want to have team activities. Many activities can be organised here.

My wife and I stayed here in October for an overnight staycation. For the high price paid, we expected much better. After all, the price is equivalent to a 5-star hotel in KL. The villas look quaint from the outside, but inside they are EXTREMELY dated - The decor is straight out of the early 80's, before my wife was even born ! The bathrooms are in a state of disrepair. You can't take a shower without the water backing up through the toilet and making loud glugging noises. The water took forever to drain from the sink, presumably clogged with decades of hair. Several lights in the room were not functioning and the safe box was totally broken. The only modern thing in our room - a large flat screen TV, is connected to an old-style Astro satellite box with only a few channels subscribed. Unfortunately the 'traditional' wooden sofa was as hard as a board, so uncomfortable to watch TV for long. The bed - set up as a mock four-poster - was fairly comfortable, mattress a bit too hard for my tastes; but we slept well, particularly with no outside noise. Luckily, the aircon was working very well . A kettle is provided, and there is a refrigerator in the room which (eventually) keeps drinks cold. Take note that only two small bottles of water are provided. Also provided are some sachets of no-name coffee, and tiny bottles of no-name shampoo/shower gel (it appears to be the same stuff inside each!); So make sure to bring your own. The small pool was adequate, dark, and actually resembled a fish/turtle pond rather than a plunge pool. The main pool of the hotel is a different story: It appears to have been recently modernised and is wonderful. Better still, we stayed mid-week so there were no noisy local families & kids. We had it pretty much to ourselves. Breakfast was nothing to write home about. A very limited selection compared with Holiday Villa Langkawi where we have stayed many times previously. Went for dinner in the restaurant, and our first choice for meals and drinks were 'finished already'. The satay was terrible, and the milkshakes were straight out of a bottle. I really hope that HV now spend some money to modernise these overpriced villa rooms, and improve their F&B offerings. Won't hurry back until they do.

As soon as we enter the resort, the waiter will deliver the luggage to the room where we are staying. We will also wear a bracelet, which is also the room card and the pass to enter the resort. The guest room is in a wooden house, 21 square meters, very small, one side is by the sea, and the other side is by the wooden house. The scenery outside is very good. I was woken up by the birds in the morning, and it took less than three minutes to walk to the beach to watch the sunrise. The environment of the resort is very good. There are four restaurants in total, and there is another restaurant on the beach. We usually eat in the main restaurant. The beach restaurant needs to be booked in advance on the mobile phone. We were lucky to go there twice. The resort has a large open-air swimming pool, which is divided into several pools for children and adults. You need to wait in line to take a small train to the beach restaurant for sailboats and rubber boats. There are Chinese waiters in almost all areas from the front desk to the restaurant, and they are very friendly to Chinese. There is no language barrier, nice! There are custody for children from a few years old to teenagers, and adults can secretly give themselves a vacation here. Because it is all-inclusive here, the consumption of less than 7,000 for 3 nights, plus all kinds of services, it is still highly recommended. I will definitely come here for vacation if I have the opportunity.