Mandarin Oriental Desaru Coast

We're loyal supporters of the MO brand, and Pearl Members, although usually staying in City Centre locations and this was our first visit to a MO Beach resort. We were not disappointed. A short two to three hour drive from Singapore depending on traffic, so a perfect location for a quick weekend break. It's a small hotel in terms of number of guests, only 44 suites if I recall correctly, but is set on a huge site, backed by dense trees and jungle, and facing onto a private beach. Buildings are all low rise and modern, but spread out to such an extent that wherever you are there's a feeling of space. Buggy transport is available to get to the rooms although we found the walk even to the farther end of the resort where our room was situated, to be comfortable and quite peaceful. The pool area is beautiful and the beach, whilst small, is nice and private. Both are attended by top quality staff and service of the usual MO standard. There is a beach club some way down the beach which is currently closed for renovation. I assume buggy transport will be provided when it opens as it looked quite a way away. Our room was stunning. We had the Ocean View Junior Suite. 105 sqm with individual bedroom, bathroom, verandah and plunge pool. Very comfortable. There's a substantial spa and gym which we didn't use, but the facilities looked first class. We used all of the dining options. Ambara for breakfast and dinner. Essential for lunch both days. And the Dusky Monkey for drinks and evening snacks. Food in every case was excellent. Staff were friendly although one observation is that in some cases, there were not enough staff. On both our lunch visits to Essential we had just one person doing everything - greeting, ordering, fetching from the kitchen, delivering, clearing away, payment - and as a result the poor guy was overwhelmed. A little of the same at the Dusky Monkey Bar in the evening. As soon as the barman got a cocktail order, which naturally takes more time, then the rest of the service slowed up. I think at this price point, and considering the expectation of the MO brand, a small investment in additional staff numbers would help. Overall, we had a great break. Highly recommended, although certainly not a cheap option!

We were a bit disappointed by our stay at the MO Desaru. Positives - Large rooms with comfy beds and little swimming pools in the suites - Nice breakfast buffet Negatives - Some of the staff (particularly around the pool) could improve their communication and attentiveness, especially the staff by the pool. Orders were wrong; we had to keep going up to ask for more water, for menus, to ask them to take our plates away (it took so long they were ants all over the food). They didn’t seem to fully to be able to communicate in English. At one point three staff came to clarify our order and it still arrived wrong - No nice place to eat lunch other than loungers - Kids club (outside) under construction - Beach bar under construction - Air con in the rooms was very noisy and the room felt/smelt a little damp. I think this hotel is undergoing a transformation - perhaps it will improve in time but wouldn’t recommend visiting at the moment.

It was truly relaxing stay. Even though I travel alone, I still can enjoy activities arranged by resort. Special thanks to Mr. Sutthichai and Mr. Steward for enriching my stay even more.

We encountered multiple service lapses throughout our stay, beginning with the arrival experience and continuing into the following day. Interestingly, whether the service recovery was successful is not the main takeaway for us. What stood out more was the tremendous potential this resort has to become something truly special. At this stage, however, we don’t believe the resort is yet operating at the standard one would typically associate with the brand. Three key impressions stayed with us throughout our visit: (i) A resort in transition It is evident that the property is still transitioning under new MO management, which only began a few months ago. There are many exciting developments underway, including a new beach club, branded residences, and other enhancements, which suggest an ambitious future. For now, however, ongoing renovations and concepts that are still taking shape create a perception of limited choice and incomplete experiences in certain parts of the resort. (iii) Outstanding people and commendable leadership! If there is one aspect that truly impressed us, it is the people. The guest-facing associates were warm, genuine, and consistently eager to help despite the operational challenges around them. Equally noteworthy was the management team’s openness to feedback. There were no performative apologies or defensive explanations, only genuine ownership, thoughtful dialogue, and a sincere commitment to improve. That, to us, reflects leadership with humility. (iii) An exceptional setting ❤️ The hard product is simply outstanding. The architecture is elegant, the design language is beautifully restrained, and the combination of rainforest and coastline creates a setting that feels truly unique. From a physical product standpoint, this is unquestionably among the finest resorts Malaysia has to offer. Taken together, the resort already possesses the essential ingredients to become something truly exceptional: a remarkable setting, genuinely caring people, and a management team willing to listen and learn. The operational execution is still catching up, but that is something that can be improved over time. We left believing that Mandarin Oriental Desaru Coast is going through an interesting, and hopefully temporary, teething phase. We look forward to returning in the future, once the property has fully found its rhythm. If the operational excellence eventually matches the quality of the people and the remarkable physical product, this could become one of the finest resort experiences in the region.

Friendly staff, very service oriented. Special mention for Fikri, Jayden, Dhanen and Nora. In fact the staff made the holiday. The resort itself needs maintenance & upgrading. Dining options are limited.