Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort & Spa

My family and I stayed at Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort & Spa with high expectations, particularly because of the Marriott name and its location in beautiful Yalong Bay. Unfortunately, the resort itself did not meet our expectations, and we ultimately checked out the following day and booked another resort for the remainder of our holiday. Before mentioning the negatives, I would especially like to recognize the staff, who were by far the highlight of our short stay. Everyone we encountered was genuinely friendly, polite, welcoming, professional, and willing to help. Their warm hospitality was the strongest positive aspect of our experience and deserves to be acknowledged. In fact, our disappointment has nothing to do with the staff. They did their best and treated us very well. Our concerns are entirely related to the condition of the property, facilities, and overall resort experience. A big thank you to the team for their kindness and hospitality. Unfortunately, the physical property did not reflect the same standard as its people. One of the first things we noticed was an unpleasant smell in the corridors, and overall the resort felt dated and in need of significant renovation and refreshing. Our room also felt small for a luxury beach resort, particularly compared with other five-star resorts we have experienced in Sanya. The design, condition, and overall atmosphere of the room felt outdated and did not provide the level of comfort or refinement we expected. The spa was below average for a resort positioned at this level. We normally consider the spa an important part of a luxury resort experience, and unfortunately this one did not meet our expectations. We were also disappointed by the limited food choices on the menus. An international resort of this level would benefit greatly from a much wider selection of international cuisine, particularly Western, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and other options catering to overseas guests. The resort certainly benefits from its beautiful location in Yalong Bay, and again, its wonderful staff are a major asset. Unfortunately, those positives could not compensate for the condition of the property and the overall experience. We travel frequently and have stayed at many luxury hotels and resorts. Based purely on our personal experience, we did not feel this property currently delivers a true five-star resort experience. We were disappointed enough that after our first night, we decided to check out and move to another resort for the rest of our stay in Sanya. This is not something we normally do, and it reflects how different the experience was from what we had expected. I sincerely hope the property receives the renovation and investment it needs, because it already has something extremely valuable: a genuinely wonderful team of people. With upgraded rooms and facilities, improved maintenance, a more refined spa, and greater international dining variety, the resort could offer an experience that better matches the excellent hospitality provided by its staff. Our biggest compliment goes to the staff — they were exceptional. Unfortunately, the property itself did not match their five-star level of service.

We chose the hotel for a long time, watched video reviews from blogger-tour operators on YouTube, and settled on Marriott, and it turned out to be a big mistake... I don't know why and how they call themselves by that name and carry 5 stars. The hotel for 5 nights cost 90 thousand rubles. We had a long vacation; before the island we were in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Zhangjiajie... In general, there were 5 hotels, two times in one of them, the hotels were much simpler, but significantly nicer in service and staff. And we didn't expect that such budget hotels could leave such a good impression, and at the same time a hotel with such a name could be so disappointing. In the case of Marriott, expectations were too high because of the price, the name, the status... It was the last stop of the trip to really relax and enjoy the food, doing nothing, the beach, in short, the amenities of a luxurious hotel! I have stayed in hotels in this chain before, and this has nothing to do with what is happening here... Upon check-in, we were greeted well, offered cold tea, and given a necklace, brought to our room, had our suitcases picked up and delivered to the room, and were given a complimentary coconut (which was very tasteless and warm, by the way). The room is nice, cozy, and stylish, but there are some issues: the mirror is peeling off, water constantly leaks from the shower, so you walk out and stand in a puddle on the floor. And the beds are a separate masterpiece, prepare for your back to ache after waking up (we've only encountered this situation at this hotel in China). Breakfasts are a complete nightmare for me... I was so hoping and believing that in this hotel I would finally stop searching for something to eat. Since the hotel is Chinese and many local tourists are staying here, we have to choose from a limited European menu, but even here some items leave something to be desired. Mainly ate tomatoes, cucumbers, children's menu, the cheese was quite good, next to a incredibly tasty mango lay a completely white unripe pineapple, the shell also appeared in the omelet, the pancakes and cakes with jam had a taste of rancid oil, the coffee was not bad, but served in IKEA cups (I saw them in a canteen in Russia) or in shameful plastic cups, there was even a benedict that turned out to be sour (I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of this item). Birds have nests right under the ceiling above the tables on the veranda. I remind you that this is Marriott. Beach and pools: a huge issue with the pools, they are all 1.2 meters deep on our territory, we had to go to the neighbors at Hilton to swim somehow on vacation, because the sea was rough and didn't allow it, and the pools are very shallow for an adult! It's unclear why, with several pools available, they should all be for children! I understand that the beach is municipal, but the hotel provides a certain service on it in the form of sunbeds, umbrellas, and towels. Of all this, only the umbrellas and the presence of trash cans are good. The sun loungers are completely unmovable, yes, they are wooden, but to move them, you need to be a very athletically trained man. Yet no one helps them set up, there is no person on the beach who helps the guests or keeps order here. In the morning, when you come to the beach, the sun loungers are still scattered in different directions, just as they were yesterday; no one returns them to their original position under the umbrellas. The mattresses from the sun loungers are also all in the sand and wet! The trash is where it was. The towels they give out are torn, dirty, and very old! I would not have written this review if the hotel were more customer-oriented, specifically... Since we are flying at night and missing our paid breakfast, which we don't really like, we don't want to bring anything with us and asked to replace this breakfast with dinner on the last evening with an extra charge, of course. But we were refused at the reception, we spent a long time finding out why, but we didn't get a clear answer from the employee we approached. Then the second employee came over to help the colleague with our question (he didn't even look at us or say hello), but even he couldn't explain why it couldn't be done. Then they called the girl who spoke Russian, and she said the same thing for the third time, "you can't do that, they don't do it like that." What is the difficulty - we don't understand, since we are ready to pay the difference without any questions. We are not asking to change all our breakfasts, or replace them with something radically different, or even get a refund. Just go to meet us for our money. But the hotel strikes a pose and completely ruins the impression of it. This Marriott does not live up to its name at all. Yes, it's not bad, if it's not 5 stars and the price is 40-50 thousand rubles. I would never come back here and I wouldn't advise anyone to.

Overall, the vacation at Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort & Spa left us with a pleasant impression. The hotel is really beautiful: a large green and well-kept area, a wonderful location on the South China Sea coast, and comfortable rooms. Upon check-in, a welcome coconut awaited us in the room—a small but very pleasant detail that immediately creates a feeling of a resort vacation. Number The room is nice, spacious, and comfortable. However, for a Marriott of this level, I was surprised by the lack of a capsule coffee machine. In many Marriott hotels, it has become a standard part of the room amenities, and there is indeed a lack of options to make good coffee without leaving the room. The lack of a bidet in the bathroom also surprised me—another small detail you expect to see in a five-star hotel. A very nice plus - free wellness classes I would like to separately note the opportunity to attend free classes for hotel guests—meditations and practices with singing bowls. This is a wonderful addition to a resort vacation. You can unwind, relax, and truly feel the atmosphere of vacation. I really liked this opportunity. Breakfasts We were staying on a "bed and breakfast" basis. The choice for breakfast is quite large: many Asian and international dishes. Upon request, I can prepare, for example, Eggs Benedict with salmon. Indeed, the egg had a rather pronounced sour taste—perhaps due to the vinegar used when making the poached egg. I really liked the availability of freshly made smoothies - from cucumber, carrot, dragon fruit, citrus, and other ingredients. But popular options run out quite quickly. For a Marriott of this level, I lacked avocado, fish, nuts, soft cheeses, and blue cheese. I would like to see more high-quality products and sources of healthy vegetable fats. If you come for breakfast closer to its end, some dishes may already be empty, and they are not always replenished quickly. I would also like to clear the used dishes from the tables more quickly. There are quite long queues for coffee during rush hour. True, if you walk around the restaurant a bit and look, you can sometimes find another free coffee machine. Restaurant organization Sometimes you have to wait quite a long time for a table to be found - this applies to both breakfast and dinner. I also noticed that if you don't specifically ask for a good spot, they might offer you a table somewhere near the aisle. In a hotel with such a beautiful area, we would like the staff to try to suggest the most pleasant available spots to guests if possible. There was one moment that I didn't really like. When the chefs served a certain dish directly to the guests, they somehow approached the tables with Chinese guests, but no one came to our table. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but in an international five-star hotel, one would like to feel the same attention from everyone. Dinners Dinners were not initially included in the cost of accommodation. If desired, they can be purchased separately—through a guide or directly at the hotel. In my opinion, the "breakfast only" format is quite convenient for Sanya because many of the excursions offered to tourists already include lunch or dinner. Therefore, it is not always worthwhile to pay for dinners at the hotel in advance every day. We had dinner at Marriott separately. The dinners are delicious, the selection of dishes is good and varied. Also, here are some of my comments about breakfast: I would like to see avocado and a more interesting selection of cheeses—especially soft and blue cheeses. Special thanks to Tyson I especially want to mention the employee Tyson. On August 25th, he came to us during breakfast, and I told him about some of my wishes. Somehow magically, the empty plates and salad bowls started to refill very quickly. :) Tyson said that if any questions arise, we can contact him directly and he will try to resolve everything. It's a pity that we only met him the day before our departure. This is the kind of attentive service and desire to help the guest that I expect from Marriott. Special thanks to Tyson for the friendliness, attention, and a real approach to hospitality. Sea and weather Unfortunately, we were a little unlucky with the weather. We arrived on August 23, and during our stay, we were only able to swim in the South China Sea once. Of course, the weather has nothing to do with the hotel and in my opinion, Marriott doesn't affect it. Even on cloudy days, it is pleasant to walk around the beautiful green area here and just look at the sea. Why still 4 out of 5 ⭐️ Overall, I liked Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort & Spa. Here is a beautiful area, comfortable rooms, delicious food, beautiful location by the sea, and wonderful free wellness activities. But despite all the merits, I felt a little lack of care from the hotel. For me, a real five-star service is made up of small things: when a guest doesn't have to ask for finished dishes to be replenished, wait long for a table, search for a free coffee machine themselves, or specifically ask for a good seat. When staff notices a guest and tries to make their stay more comfortable even before the guest has to ask for it. That's why our conversation with Tyson was so memorable: as soon as I told him my wishes, many questions were resolved almost instantly. I would like this level of attention to be felt throughout the entire stay. Therefore, my rating is a good 4 out of 5 stars. It could have been better. This Marriott definitely has everything it takes to deserve five stars from a guest. This time I just lacked that certain care and attention to detail that turns a good five-star hotel into a place you really want to come back to. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️