Andaman Hotel

Okay first of all I am stunned at some negative posts on the Andaman. My wife and I stayed here for 12 nights and loved ever minute of our time here. The design and layout is very impressive as was the private beach and pool with plenty of room for rest and relaxation. Admit the cost of food and drink was quite high but the choice was very good and more importantly of high quality, therefore we didn’t mind. Overall we spent around USD 550 not bad for a 12-night stay in such a high quality hotel. We found the staff, well they were very courteous, extremely polite and friendly, nothing was too much trouble for them - very genuine. We had a go at the water sports on offer and the view of the Datai Bay from the Andaman Sea was breathtaking as is the view from the spa. Overall a truly wonderful trip, yes we'd highly recommend this hotel and would return.

Stayed here for 5 nights with 2 small children. Booked a car pick up from the airport from the hotel via the travel agent we booked though. It wasn't there to meet us. Maybe the travel agent's fault but it meant waiting at the airport for another hour at 9pm with 2 children - not ideal. Arrived at the hotel & was greeted by the duty manager who was very apologetic. Taken to our delux seaview room - very disappointing. Small, stained soft furnishings, chipped bath, dirty a/c unit etc etc. It looked very tired. We'd pre booked a baby cot for the room weeks before which wasn't there - considering we'd been waiting at the airport for an hour (and were obviously not too happy about this) you'd think the manager would have made sure the room was going to be ready when we did evetually arrive. A fold up cot did turn up which was dirty and had a bug crawling in it - this was the final straw. The assistant manager was called and we made it clear what we thought our our experience thus far, he agreed to move us to a large suite which was all that was available. We would have been much happier to be picked up on time and given the room we'd booked; clean, well decorated and justifing the $300/night price (room only). This initial experience just left us with a bad taste for the rest of our holiday. On the plus side the grounds and beach are beautiful, the food very good (apart for the Japanese which is not great) and the local staff are fantastic. Spa is also amazing with views over the beach. The gym on the other hand is dreadful! Down a side corridor used by the staff. No music, no water in the fridge. They'd be better off closing it down until they can open something on par with the beautiful spa. Overall the rooms I saw were no way good enough for the prices being charged. This would put me off visiting again despite almost everything else being great - a shame as the location is amazing!

We stayed here after Christmas to early Jan. Rooms and facilities were great and the spa was wonderful, with the best views in the world. No idea what the gym is like... well we were on holidays after all! However, what really stood out was the most professional and friendly service and the great food. Staff were helpful, amusing...just great..and nothing was a problem. Food was to die for-whether it was seafood, indian, malay, sushi, pizza. Even at the all-in BBQ/ buffet evenings, which we normally hate, food was excellent. Really recommend this hotel to families or even, like us, to couples. Their sister hotel, the Datai, is also highly recommended.

We stayed at the Andaman with another family and decided on this 5 star hotel on recommendation. First impressions as you walk into this hotel are stunning, but as you enter the bedroom the disappointment begins. Ours had just been decorated as the smell of paint was strong, paint spills were to be found on the carpet and spots smeared on the bathroom floor. It was clearly a rushed job as they had forgotten to take some bits of masking tape off around the bed when they had finished. Our friend didn't do much better and complained so much eventually the management upgraded them, but the hotel was full (or under refurbishment)so they had to wait two days. We didn't bother trying as we were only there for 3 nights. Our curtains had dirty spots all over them and the room felt damp, probaly due to the fact our balcony window had a gap along the bottom. On the positive the staff were friendly, the childrens inside play area was very clean with computers for the older ones. The spa had a beautiful setting with views over the bay from the hillside. The beach was lovely, but could have done with some more sun beds. Food was good but on the expensive side. The wild life kept the children amused by the pool, but watch out for the monkeys if you are eating food. Would we stay here again, no, as there are better hotels for the money in Asia.

Okay so I've noticed some mixed reports on the Anderman and wanted to post my own thoughts on this hotel. Firstly I had a truly wonderful vacation in Langkawi. Now I admit as highlighted in some reviews on the Anderman that the food and drink is expensive compared to other hotels in Langkawi, but after staying at the Pelangi for 4 nights in 2004 I wanted to try elsewhere, I'm so glad I did. The Anderman for me was perfect, the bedroom and bathroom were impressive as was the layout of the hotel. I found there to be plenty of choice for restaurants and the menu in each gave you enough choice to satisfy even the fussy eater. It has a lovely clean pool with more than enough loungers and the beach I thought was amazing with more than enough room to spread out. The beach is in a cove and stretched right along the to it’s sister hotel The Datai, to give you an idea it was around a 10 minute leisurely walk. The private beach I found to be clean as was the sea and more importantly jellyfish free! Yes I got bit but if you’re visiting South East Asia you always will at some point. Overall I loved my stay be it only 8 nights and would return to the Anderman instantly. Oh my stay here was early December 2005.

We stayed at The Andaman for 10 nights at the beg of December and it is of the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The setting is idyllic as you are in the middle of the rainforest which is totally unspoilt and very peaceful. The rooms are very clean in an Asian style, with the huge beds being very comfortable, there is also a seating area to watch tv. There are 3 resturants at the this hotel and all are to a high standard, our personal favourite was the Japanese restaurant, (we would recommend the tepinyaki counter). Guests may also use any of the restaurants from the Datai. The only downside is that 15% service charge is put on top of any food or drink ordered. The staff are all very friendly and can not do enough to help you. The beach is fanatastic and very quiet, with the sea being as warm as a bath and quite shallow. The pool is actually better than the one at the Datai if a little on the cold side! All in all Langkawi is a beautiful island and we would highly recommned The Anadaman hotel.

First, the good things... The beach is just wonderful compared to any other beaches in Langkawi. The hotel provide a cold fresh towel and a glass of ice water to cool down the temperature. The hotel looks grand and the pool look gigantic. Upon your arrival, the hotel provides cold towel and a glass of pineapple juice. Now the bad part... the reservation gave the wrong information regarding the balcony of our rooms. They told us that they have a big balcony, but in reality it is a standing balcony. So, if you want to stay there, would be helpful to ask in detail to be sure. We booked 7 rooms altogether for one full week and despite the up to the roof price in the high season, we're not complaining. However, the services provided was very bad. So, we complaint. Reading the positive comments from some of you, i wonder, is it the hotel manager's inefficiency, is it the season or we were just plain unlucky. We paid around USD 380/night/room for your info. And total was USD18620. So i have the rights to demand for 4 star service from a 4 star hotel. Talking about the room, it was very disappointing. The curtain, carpet and pillows are full of spots. The telephone was not working, so every time i wanna order room service, i had to go to the reception counter. Annoying isn't it??? I like the monkeys there..but you might wanna lock the sliding door, otherwise they'll come in and make themselves feel at home. :) The staffs are not helpful and not friendly. The hotel staff served us spoiled milk for breakfast. The breakfast is USD23. We don't deserve spoiled milk when we pay this much. Don't be surprised, the pool's temperature was even cooler than the sea. I think it was around 26C. During my stay there, I just can't wait to check out and go home. It was a nightmare. I've written a complaint letter to the top management regarding their poor services. Anyway, that was my first and last stay at The Andaman, Langkawi. So, i don't bother waiting for the reply.

I felt compelled to write this review after reading a couple of very negative remarks about this stunning hotel. I have stayed at The Andaman on 6 occasions over the last 3 years, needless to say I think it is just wonderful. From the moment you drive down into the rainforest and appear at one of the most beautiful lobbys I have ever seen you cannot help but be captivated by the Andamans unique charm. The rooms are very tasteful and Asian, beautiful large beds and we have always had stunning sea views of the surrounding bay, rooms are large with a nice seating area in the window, well stocked mini bars and great products in the bathroom. The restaurants are some of the finest I have ever eaten in and I have tried a few in my time, The Gulai house which is a Malay/Indian fusion is probably the best ever not just for the food but its unique setting in the heart of the rainforest, book one of the floor dining tables for a truly unique experience, The Japanese is superb and you can either sit in one of the private Titami rooms (very special) or at a Tepinyaki bar (great fun). Aside form these you have a great Western/Asian fusion restaurant, superb beach bar which is perfect for sundowners as well as poolside dining throughout the day. They also lay on special BBQ's depending on occupancy levels. The beach is out of this world, contrary to what you may read, on my 6 visits the beach is one of the quietest I have ever been on, it is huge and takes about 20 minutes to walk from end to end, when the tide is in is does become narrower but it is still one of the best beaches I have ever sunbathed on, there are ample sunbeds and you can always get a spot on your own away from other guests, shade is offered from the rainforest trees overhanging the back of the beach and it does get full sun all day which if you are a hardened beachworshipper like myself you will enjoy. You will see loads of wildlife here, huge monitor lizards, monkeys, eagles, flying squirrels all which add to the very unique experience. The pool is vast and laid out amongst the rainforest trees so again there is always a quiet corner to escape too, you do get children staying here but they have never caused us a problem and the pool is so large and private you can definately escape from them. Another great asset to the hotel is the great band who entertain in the lobby in the evening, I know some hotel bands are just dreadful but nine lives as they are known are without doubt the best band I have seen in a hotel and never fail to entertain over a few coktails sitting amongst the rainforest, Joy and the gang are worth looking in on even if staying at another hotel. All in all I cannot praise the hotel highly enough, the staff are out of this world, a truly unique setting, beautiful unspoilt beach, the best in Langkawi without some of the usual stuffiness experienced at other big 5 star hotels. In comparison some of the other resorts such as Tanjung Rhu and the Pelangi Beach appear very tired and run down, you will pay a bit more at The Andaman but it is worth every single penny, go you wont regret it.

My girlfriend and I went out to Langkawi for Christmas & the New Year. We spent the first four nights at The Tanjung Rhu Hotel and loved it to bits! Everything was perfect. The room was large, there were two nice quiet pools to choose from, the beach was one of the best I've ever seen (so uncluttered with no one hassling you). You had a choice of restaraunts ranging from the basic, to beach BBQ to the posh a la carte jobbie. There was an elevated bar where you could watch the sunsets. Shear bliss. We were so, so relaxed.... ...and then we went to The Andaman.. Our first impressions were good. It's tucked away in the rain forest just as we expected. The room was spacious and well laid out and the view from our balcony of the tree tops was impressive. However things started to unravel when we went down to the pool. Now don't get me wrong. I like kids. I have two of them and know what they are like, but they made The Andaman's pool a very noisy and very unpleasant place to sit and relax. The kids congregate around the water slide and naturally they scream and shout like kids do. You can try and sit at the other end of the pool but they have this spa bubble seat thing there which looks fine but all you can hear is the constant whine of the air compressor. Go further back, closer to the vegetation and guess what, the mozzies think "Hooray! Here comes food!". I got bit five times in the space of an hour. That was the first and last time we spent time by the pool. You do need to be aware that there is only one pool at The Andaman and the only place you can escape to is the beach. All I can say is that all of the idyllic photo's you see of The Andaman's beach must have been taken at 4:00 am when everyone is still asleep! Go there at any other time and it looks very different! In short, it's chock full of guests and it looks a mess! The thing is, the tide comes in quite close and it compresses all of the sunbeds into a narrow strip by the trees. You do of course NEED the trees because there are no parasols on the beach itself. Not one! We sat at the "quiet" end of the beach but that's a relative term as most of the time we had a group of Russians close to us. Now I like Russians. The women are always slim and blond and the blokes all have the physiques of olympic swimmers. If only they were fitted with a "mute" switch! We had a lovely hour listening to Nicolai explain to his friend Boris how to use a sail board.."VOT ARE YOU DOING BORIS! STAND UP! NO STAND UP I SAID! BORIS DONT FALL IN ZE VATER!" Funny, but if I wanted noise I could have gone to Ibiza. There are a couple of other things to be aware of. Breakfast is also a very noisy affair and getting a table outside can be a problem. After the third day we gave up and started ordering breakfast in the room. Food & drink at The Andaman (particularly the Gulai House) is good but they do stiff you when you get the bill. My Visa bill for four nights at The Rhu came to £260. Five nights at The Andaman came to about £560. Guys, a half of Carlberg will rush you about three quid. Fine if you want to go on the wagon but I like to drink MORE when I'm on holiday, not less! All prices come with 10% added on for service. I know when you stay at 5 star hotels, you should expect to pay 5 star prices but I really felt somewhat exploited here. Good points? Yes, there are some (honest!). The weather was perfect. You will see monitor lizards (2), little monkeys (10), eagles (3), a medium sized gecko (1) and the odd squirrel (sometimes in flight). You will all see small crabs of the beach (I counted 10,002!). Joking apart, we were extremely lucky to stumble on four dusky leaf monkeys behind the hotel one day and they were just amazing to watch! Bottom line is you WILL see some wildlife, but don't expect too much. This isn't the Masai Mara! Just in case you think I'm your classic,isolated, whinging Brit, we met a lady who was on her honeymoon. She too had been told the hotel was quiet and felt that she had been mislead. I suspect we were not alone in our opinions. I have read the other reviews of this hotel and it's clear a lot of people love it. I pleased for them but there's no way I would go back to The Andaman, not at Christmas time anyway.

My husband and I went to The Andaman for the first part of our honeymoon and it was everything we dreamed of! As we arrived in the lobby we were warmly welcomed and taken to a seat overlooking the excellent pool. Immediately we were handed cold towels and and fruit cocktail. Our check in was handled here, in complete luxury. The staff were so friendly, especially by the pool. I have just read a few poor reviews of The Andaman and feel it unjust. I hope to go back for a special anniversary as it was fantastic and the perfect honeymoon getaway.