Overall, we had a great stay at the Anantara. Staff showed dedication and passion. Shout-outs to Jimmy, Plathong, Fit and colleagues at the sea sports hut, and Tar at the Chang Club. Property was very well-maintained, and staff were ever-attentive. Only downside was the uncomfortable insistence that guests pay for pricey bottled water at the restaurants, when clearly, they were able to get free drinking water elsewhere on premises and in their room. Understandably, beverages help pad the margin, and every dollar is needed by F&B/hospitality in these challenging COVID times, but perhaps there would be a better way to approach that that sets guests more at ease and allows them more peace of mind and enjoyment of your beautiful hotel. Yoga at over USD130/session is frankly also excessive. I felt bad for the visiting yogi who was on site; our room was next to the beautiful pavilion used for yoga, but attendance was nil to 1-2 people max. Again, this calls to question the overall pricing of a la carte items. Might there be ways to mitigate the onsite sticker shock, so that guests can set their minds at ease and fully embrace their holidays rather than being forced to do the mental calisthenics of whether these add-ons were “worth splurging on”. A potentially restorative yoga session with an untested instructor should not be viewed as a splurge.
