Sumai Beach House

Close to the beach

This is the first negative review I have ever written on Booking, and I think it is important to share our experience honestly so future guests know the real conditions of the property — just like I appreciate honest reviews when I book accommodations myself. First of all, the house is difficult to access by car. Even though it is close to the beach, cars cannot directly access the house, so if you want to take a Grab or taxi, you need to walk out of the area/street where the house is located to reach a place accessible for cars. Finding the house itself was also not easy. During check-in, we were immediately informed that the pool was not usable because it was dirty. We accepted this because we mainly planned to enjoy the beach, but the pool was clearly in very poor condition, with visible mold all around it (as shown in the photos). The biggest issue was the downstairs bedroom. The smell of mold and humidity was extremely strong to the point that it became difficult to breathe and our eyes became watery after staying inside for a short time. Even if the mold was not fully visible inside the room itself, it was clearly noticeable from outside the room, around the walls, near the pool area, on the plant pots on the balcony, and even slightly on the bathroom floor. The downstairs room was simply not livable. We reported the issue to the property manager, who sent someone to inspect it. During the inspection, the person acknowledged the strong smell of mold and humidity. We asked to cancel the reservation without fees because it was impossible to stay in that room for several nights, but the manager completely refused and did not offer any real solution. The manager kept saying that the mold and humidity were “outside the room” and therefore did not affect the bedroom, which is simply not true. Everyone knows that severe mold and humidity outside walls can still strongly affect the air and smell inside. A fresh coat of paint does not solve the problem.

Everything was great, very clean and comfy. They clean and change the towels everyday even though we didn't ask them to. The soundproof is also good as the villa was well built and firm, not much audible footsteps around the villa.

The swimming pool is a bit on the smaller side in size but overall still okay.