One&Only Desaru Coast

We have been lucky enough to visit some really superb hotels - this though, really was the very best. The staff were friendly and attentive without being too OTT and we could not have felt more welcome. What wonderful people and what a spectacular place. Every single detail was perfect.

Perhaps due to it's soon to be rebranding, the building maintenance seem underwhelming, but it is no excuse as it is still a ONE&ONLY until the new brand takes over. The room layout were strange but that's ok to achieve the Kampong Malay house vibes, but the bedsheet are filthy under UV lights, we could see footprints on the bedsheet and pillowcases. Took housekeeping a solid 40 minutes to change the whole setup. And there were crocaches at the pool, pest control need to come and fix it. It is upsetting for the price they charge and this level of maintenance at the room does not justify it. Breakfast has plenty of food and a menu for hot dishes. But the staff were ignorant that there were a puddle of water in the middle of the dining area and i have to ask them to mop it before any accident occurred, apparently this seem to come from the roof/ceiling leaks. I went for morning walk, and dismay to see the Yoga Pavilion looking forlorn and rusted, disgusting. Behind the glitz, it seem to be falling apart, not a good sign for One&Only.

I believe the staff would benefit from better training, particularly in terms of professionalism and customer service. For instance, when my husband ordered a Piña Colada at Dusky Monkey, the server made an inappropriate and unnecessary remark, saying it was “not a gentleman’s drink.” This comment was not only uncalled for, but also quite insensitive. At Ambara, during breakfast on Day 2, the menu mentioned that juices could be ordered. However, when we requested one, the server rudely told us to help ourselves from the buffet. This was surprising, as we had made a similar request on Day 1 and it was fulfilled without any issue. Moreover, the family seated next to us on Day 2 had their juice request attended to immediately. It's hard not to feel that we were treated differently, possibly even discriminated against due to our ethnicity. To add to our frustration, we were unable to access our suite after breakfast. Assuming our key cards had simply been demagnetized, we approached the front desk to have them reactivated—a process that took about 10 minutes. However, the cards still didn’t work. We were later informed that the door sensor batteries had died, and it took an additional 20 minutes to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, this delay caused us to miss an important client meeting, as our laptops were locked inside the suite. Adding to our disappointment, the housekeeping team had not serviced the suite that entire morning. They only did so in the afternoon, and that too upon our request. It’s baffling—surely they would have attempted to access the room for cleaning earlier, and upon encountering the malfunctioning sensor, should have either reported it or ensured it was addressed. Instead, it appears the issue was overlooked entirely. While the property is undeniably stunning—offering exclusivity, privacy, and the best spa experience we've ever had—we found the overall quality of service to be underwhelming compared to other high-end luxury resorts. My husband and I are avid patrons of luxury getaways, and unfortunately, One&Only Desaru Coast did not meet the service standards we’ve come to expect. We wouldn’t feel confident recommending it to our peers, as there is significant room for improvement, especially in staff training and overall guest experience.

The service was good as was the food. The afternoon tee had amazing scones. All the dinners we had were good. The design is nice and common areas are well kept with attention to details. The rooms are not of the same high standard they are a bit of a let down. We also had to change room late one evening due to ac failure. No one apologize for that so it was not handled very well. The guy running the activity center was very good.

I spent 4 nights with my son, his fiancée and my six month old granddaughter at this beautiful hotel in the middle a two week visit to Singapore.