Please look and the many other reviews I have written. I try to be honest fair and constructive if there is any critisism of anything BUT this hotel beggars belief!
We were staying at sister hotel Le Tropical and offered to try some of their other hotels as they were overbooked. We were told that 'Emeraude' and 'Bouganville' were of the same standard and service. We accepted. Emeraude- fantastic-better than Le Tropical.
We wish we hadn't come here!
Rooms: We could barely breathe for the smell of sewerage in the room they gave us..207. We left the room and complained .When my husband took a member of staff to show them, someone was already in there ''spraying the walls with air freshener''!! We said no, the smell was coming up from the shower-having put the plug in the sink hole already. We were then shown room 210 on the ground floor..We had earlier watched a gatherig of staff enter this room...including a workman in muddy boots. We were right with what we had thought. On looking at yet another room which was better -room 215- the recptionist who came with me to see it admitted there was a sewerage pipe problem at the back of the other rooms and the staff had been trying to unblock it! Even this room had battered, old dark, furniture that was badly marked with glass marks etc.We never put any clothes into the rotten wardrobe that stank of damp. No safes in the room and it was the first time that 'safety deposit at the reception' meant you put all your important documents and money into a brown A4 size envelope which was then covered in sellotape and stored in the open room behind the reception! What was really scarey was that lying awake in bed that night I wondered whether the staff had changed the number on the envelope when we moved from the original room....next morning I rushed to reception to find it still had the old number on it. I said about the change and without any questioning or checks she altered the number and asked did i want anything out of it!!???
We had no option to stay so decided to make the most of it.
The restaurant: Well bird cage really. it was situated at the beach end of the hotel. The food,what selection there was was disgusting. Self service buffet but we couldn't tell what the food was. That Lunch time and every other day time meal was a fight between us and the birds! I have never sat on so many chairs or at so may tables that were covered in bird droppings! The restaurant had staff but the male members were more interested in gossiping behind the kitchen doorway than helping the poor one and only female staff member Cindy. She was so rushed trying to take and serve you your drinks order, collect plates and re-lay any tables. It was just too much for her.And it was a pity because if the tables had been cleared there would be no food on offer for the birds! In the other hotels there were also the odd bird or two getting in -fine you're in a tropical open air country.That's why they were so quick to clear the tables to stop the number of birds! I can't decide whether they were so demoralised with the job or just plain lazy but the tables just weren't cleared and flocks of between 8-10 birds would swoop and help themselves to the remains on the plates. Wine was given by the glass and had to be signed for everytime. Only one glass could be ordered at a time.Red wine served very cold is not nice! Breakfast was a slightly more succesful mealtime if you avoided the birds eating your food while you were up getting something else. Eggs cooked any way with cereals and toast.The evening meals you could not decscribe. Lunchtimes' meat stirred into some kind of curry or stew. We love eating ''Local'' food but one night after telling the chef he had sent the soup out without any seasoning( and he admitted it when I asked him to try it) and adding our own salt/pepper to flavour we asked for fries......And sat at the same tables with the same droppings now dried still there.
The Beach: This was fantastic.Mostly clear of any rocks...but with really good snorkelling just out from the shore. Please wear sea shoes as even with the smallest area of rock sea urchins loom in large numbers! The beach beds were wooden with comfy tops. All had a coconut matting umbrella for shade. The only problem was that if you arrived a little late you would find that some of the Beach sellers had taken some to hang their wares and sit on the beds for some shade. The first day we arrived late and the only beds left had these sellers on them. I just looked at the one until he got the message. He moved with no problem but I could see this being an issue if you were of a slightly reserved nature. There was no hassle from them though, very polite and left you alone after the initial enquiry as to whether they could interest you in anything.The beach really the saving grace for the hotel.
The Bar: Really was made by the wonderful Monty. He was always pleasant and helpful and would love a natter in between serving customers. Good free Wi fi around here too. Only spoiled one day by a rather drunk Russian(yes they are starting to invade here as well) who after already eating 5 chocolate pancakes threw his glass across the bar at Monty because he hadn't served him the other 2 he had ordered before giving another guest their first lot. Monty was up for him though and told him in no uncertain terms that he was to wait his turn. He soon left the bar...but it was the throwing of the glass, the threats to poor Monty and the language that really scared us. And the Manager, well wimp shall we say, heard the start of it all and got ''called away''. Not a nice man when we spoke to him.
The Pool: very tired and run down looking. No one around there really. Lots of the plasctic beds broken.....The grounds were kept quite neat but with a nice tropical feel.
So to sum up.....knock the building down and rebuild it. The Beach is fantastic here. Get in a new manager who could train and motivate the one's who wanted to work, sack those lazy one's who couldn't be bothered. The only thing I ever saw the manager do was stroll around shaking people's hands and waving them goodbye. We were given a Questionnaire but instead of ticking the boxes I wrote about what was wrong on the back. When we wnet to reception to leave he asked did we enjoy our stay. We said no. He didn't even ask why. my husband gave him the form and said we had explained on the back.He gave it straight to the Receptionist and walked off. He did not stay to shake our hand or wave us off! I wouldn't recommend anyone stay here in it's present state- better off at The Emeraude or Le Tropical...both 3* as well but much better in every way except the Beach. But you can walk from Le Tropical to Bouganville beach in about 5 mins.......