Briza Beach Resort , The Reviews by Z.K.

the Brezaaaaaah
by Z.K., Cyphrus - Aug 5, 2008

It was a tough decision to choose between the Briza, The Sala and Bo Phut Resort. The Briza was the most expensive but a sudden special offer by the Briza made it far too tempting to choose this one over the others, after all a USD700 or so villa at nearly half the price and the butler sounded like a deal not to be missed... The Briza is a densely build complex of different types of accommodation (a bit claustrophobic at times) built on a steep slope at the northern end of Chaweng beach. People with mobility problems and children below the age of six, forget it; even though there are buggies available to get you to the top of the resort where the pool and reception is, as far as I could see, there was no villa/room that did not have, at least 3 stairs or more to climb and gain access. The fair faced cement paths combined by the steep slopes can be dangerous in the wet. A cemented stream runs down the one site of the hotel and ends up on the beach with water of ..well, doubtful quality. The sandy beach in front of the complex looks clean enough but beware; entering the sea in front of the hotel can be an extremely unpleasant surprise. Black mud with the smell of stagnate water, dead fish on occasions and plenty of rubbish, is the scene. You have to walk towards the north end of the beach where there is some natural sand bank to walk to a kind of a second beach well away from the marshy-like unpleasant scene. There the water looks very clean, with good quality white sand and is shallow enough for families with children. There is even live coral and plenty of fish to snorkel around. The restaurant was a big plus; fairly priced (we did eat in more expensive restaurants that were miles behind in quality and service). Room service was excellent. The "villa" (I use inverted commas because it?€?s more like an apartment since there are two or more on each block, one on top of the other) was ok, we did not have the plasma TV?€?s but still well balanced with good amenities- another big plus. The sort of open air bathroom did not feel private enough, people from the next door hotel could see through if they chose to do so...The small pool, not exactly a pool but more like a big Jacuzzi bath tub was fine for kids. The butler, ok, more like a combination of a concierge and customer service in a good hotel did a few bookings for us, but in all honesty a bit over-rated, after all you are on a beach holiday and will probably never need to have your suit pressed or your shoes polished at a moments notice. Overall the price we paid during this special offer was fair (Thailand did get expensive in the last 2-3 years) but I would not be happy staying in this resort if I had paid the full published rate