Paya Beach Spa & Dive Resort

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the wonderful experience. The vibes were absolutely amazing — peaceful, welcoming, and perfect for a getaway. Our room was excellent. It was clean, comfortable, well-maintained. We will certainly recommend your resort to our friends and family, and we look forward to visiting again in the future. Love, Janet

I am deeply disappointed by the resort’s lack of compassion and flexibility in handling our situation. Due to a sudden medical emergency, our guest was hospitalized and admitted to the ICU in critical condition, making travel completely impossible. Despite providing information about the hospitalization and the seriousness of the condition, the resort refused to offer any refund, date change, or reasonable accommodation. While I understand that policies exist, exceptional circumstances involving life-threatening medical emergencies should be treated with empathy and humanity. The complete unwillingness to assist during such a difficult time reflects very poorly on the resort’s customer service and values. This experience has been extremely distressing for our family, and I hope the management will reconsider how they handle genuine emergencies in the future.

We visited Paya Beach Resort about 10 years ago and absolutely loved it back then. It was beautiful, well-maintained, and had a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. Because of those great memories, we decided to come back — this time with our family (two adults and three children). Unfortunately, this was a big mistake. The resort has gone downhill dramatically in every possible way. The place is now overrun by large groups of Chinese tourists who are extremely loud, often drunk, and behave in a very disrespectful way toward other guests. They were shouting, smoking everywhere, and even harassing other visitors. The staff didn’t seem to care at all — in fact, they seemed more focused on pleasing the drunk and wealthy guests in hopes of getting tips. The food was another huge disappointment. It was greasy and of very poor quality — the meat was full of bones, and even the wine was a joke. Different types of white wine were poured into the same glass! Definitely not what you expect from a supposed four-star resort. But the worst part by far was the maintenance and hygiene of the entire property. The photos online are completely misleading. Our room was dirty when we arrived — the bathroom was full of mold, the air conditioning was covered in dust, the faucet had mildew, and even the (plastic) plant in the corner was splattered with paint. The chair was broken, and the swimming pool was in terrible condition, with many tiles missing. The kitchen area looked unhygienic and unsafe, and the whole resort felt neglected and unsanitary. We told the management that this was nowhere near a four-star standard — more like a two-star resort at best. After complaining, we managed to get our money back and moved to another place on Tioman Island (Tunamaya Beach Resort), where we finally enjoyed a few lovely days. Please think twice before booking here. What used to be a charming and relaxing place has turned into a dirty, unsafe, and poorly managed resort. For the same price, you can find much better accommodations on Tioman Island — save yourself the disappointment.