Saracen Bay Resort

I liked having the staff meet us at the dock to handle our luggage

We liked everything about Saracene Bay Resort.

Had a wonderful stay here where Hong and the team look after you extremely well. The resort is a couple of minutes from Rumi pier where GTVC and the Island Speed ferries will pick you up and drop you off. The resort team also meet you and take your bags over to the hotel. The rooms are incredibly comfortable and spacious with a balcony and seats out front, along with an outside foot shower to clear the sand. We were very kindly upgraded from the rear row of garden villas to the middle row of deluxe villas with a short walk out to the beach. These are fine and I wouldn’t recommend paying the significant difference for a beachfront villa. The beach itself is lovely - the tide goes out quite a way so you’ll need to wade out a distance for a good swim. There are a fair few other resorts and restaurants/bars along the beach (a head torch will help at night) so you’ll have a range of options. The restaurant at Saracen Bay itself is OK but not spectacular.

Nothing - it was an excellent choice

We stayed for 4 nights. The hotel was perfectly located for us at the quieter end of Saracen Bay sandwiched between the stunning sandy beach and the jungle. The air conditioned room we had was very clean, very nicely furnished and with a view directly onto the beach. It is a very peaceful, green and laid back hotel with wonderful, friendly staff who helped us book ferries and taxi transfers. They even had a small boat pick us up from the ferry pier when we arrived which was a lovely touch. The restaurant is lovely, overlooking the turquoise sea and white sand. I thoroughly enjoyed zoning out there each morning over breakfast, it was so peaceful. It is a short walk (10mins) along the most perfect sand we've ever seen to a handful of beach bars, hotels and restaurants. There are a couple of nearby short jungle treks to other beaches which are just stunning.

Leaving felt a bit sad as we wanted to stay longer and explore the island a bit more.

Lovely bungalows close to the beach with loungers offering a relaxing setting. Restaurant close by for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Beautiful views. Good Aircon.

The bed was uncomfortable with one small pillow. Poor shower. It was also incredibly quiet and somewhat eerie. Especially when there are 5/6 members of staff and maybe 6 guests. Door didn’t lock properly, staff were unhelpful with direction. One veggie option on menu meant we had to go elsewhere. This contributed to a frustrating stay where you could see the potential in the property, but poor staff who were more concerned with playing on their phone than doing their job hampered our experience.