One&Only Desaru Coast

We had a wonderful experience staying here. The staff were very attentive and accommodating, the room was so luxurious and the hotel itself is so beautiful. There aren’t many food options nearby so we ate our meals in the hotel. Breakfast options Included local, western, and healthy options. Everything we ate was delicious. We had our dinners at the Ambara restaurant. Please expect hotel prices.. but we definitely felt like we got value for the money spent. The chef and staff there are very accommodating and you can even put in a special request earlier in the day and they will try to accommodate. I was feeling cold in the restaurant, and one of the staff actually provided me with a scarf, which was really thoughtful of her. Anillan, from the Ambara restaurant, was particularly friendly and helpful, and overall made our dining experience so comfortable. We enjoyed the pool to ourselves on most days during our stay. It was well maintained and beautiful. The weather was also not too bad on the weekend that we stayed there. The little tea time snacks provided during turn down service was such a lovely touch and we really enjoyed the local delights. The room we stayed in was excellent. We did not order food to our room as we did not want to invite monkeys; however as the hotel is set in a very natural environment, do expect insects. In hindsight, the insect repellent provided in room would’ve been useful ! The service we received during our entire stay, from every staff we came into contact with, was truly commendable. Keep up the good work! We would definitely recommend staying here if you’re looking for a luxurious local holiday.

We stayed for 4d3n at the resort recently. It is beautifully designed and we've had great experience dealing with some of the team members there, in particular Intan, Wan, Mel and Sashi. However we felt that the stay did not meet our expectation due to hiccups. Room - we have issue with our front door that we reported to no less than 3 person on the first 12 hours of our stay. We were told it will take a day to fix it and was offered a room change. We declined as we've unpacked and did not want to deal with that again. On the 2nd day, we told the hotel at 930am that we have no hot water in our room since the previous night and was told that the engineering team will fix it. At 1130am both the door and the hot water wasnt fixed and as I intend to stay in room after lunch I request for these to be fixed by 2pm or for a room change to be arranged. Sashi from the butler team got back to me shortly thereafter for details of the door issue (which to me indicate that my previous request was not logged) and to confirm that the door will not be able to be fixed expeditiously and a room change will be arranged once the housekeeping confirm room availability. We came back to the the room after lunch with a slamming door and a cold shower and the room change was still not ready. We had Sashi follow up on our behalf and shortly thereafter we were given a new room. Housekeeping assisted us with the move during the afternoon but our kid's toothpaste and lego went missing during the move. The front desk in the evening assisted us to locate the lego in lost and found, but i am perplex why would that end up in lost and found if they were moving our item from room 45 to 37. At this stage the stay was underwhelming. Other issues include dirty wineglass in room. Smart devices in room largely not working - team was largely unfamiliar on how to assist and had to find out which took a few hours from initial query. F&B - Asian food @ Essential is bad. The hotel have a wonderful local team at Ember and I think they can give proper input on how a chicken rice and laksa should taste like. What was served was bad and should be taken off the menu as the rest of the food was good. We had great western food at Ember & Ambara. I question why a tray charge was charged for delivery of in room dining for kids meal when we also ordered from the adult menu for our dinner on 2nd night. We were made to understand during check in that tray charge is applicable for complimentary breakfast so perhaps this could be disclosed more transparently if it is applicable for all in room dining. We were served grapes with mold at Ember for our kid's food platter. I noted that the fruit platter was not as presentable as it was prepared by the waiter instead of the kitchen team. I was also concerned by the fact that they were frequently adjusting their mask and did not wash their hands after adjusting the mask before continue with the food preparation. With the open kitchen concept, we are also keenly aware that alot of the team wear their mask under their chin instead. Reservation/front desk - prior to booking, calls to the hotel's main line was unanswered but once connected to Deroti, things mostly went smoothly. The team erroneously followed up with us with a 2nd payment after it's been made. Receipts wasnt emailed out after check out as requested and follow up was required. Others - the front desk recommended archery as an activity suitable for my 3yo. Watersports was not available during our stay despite being an activity recommended a few days prior to check in by the reservation team. Kid's club playground need serious maintenance with rotting woods. I felt that during the first 48 hours of my stay, the team felt inexperienced without proper leadership. But with more senior members on duty (such as Anilai) from the 17th the service level did noticeably stabilise. Despite the shortcoming, we did enjoy ourself but it is unfortunate that it was far from a perfect stay.

Overall rating: 3* - property and service 5* - food 2* One&Only Desaru is a lovely property in Desaru. Brand new (operations started in fall 2020), everything is in great condition, with a commendable balance between some of the original nature and trees. amenities The beach itself is not as nice as the Westin-Anantara section where tons of white sand where brought in. Dark sand, rocky, it is likely you will spend zero time at the beach area and choose the gorgeous lap pool instead. Suites have an odd layout with a plunge pool and patio separating the bed room from the bathroom. It is a bit odd to have to step outside at night to go to the bathroom, but layout is spatious and the suite provides all the amenities expected in this area. Twin beds can be joined on request, no need to insist on a king suite. View is a bit hit and miss, i can understand some commentors saying all they could view was trees instead of the south china sea. Still, suites are really comfortable. Club One is a buggy ride away and provides tennis courts, table tennis, a pool table, basketball, archery, etc ... Friendly staff, opportunities for good fun Breakfast was good. Probably covid tuned, but quality ingredients and diverse offering as expected in this category. The same can't be said of lunch and dinner and this is O&O Desaru's big problem. Prices are high, that is to be expected in this property range, but quality should be commensurate. We had simple room service: spaghetti and salad really basic. We had lunch at essentials. Really ordinary too, 30 RMB poke bowls in JB are more refined and tastier. We had lunch at Ember club, underwhelming too. Loud club atmosphere may not be to everyone's liking. Finally we had dinner at Ambara. We were served smelly sea bass which should have never been cooked, let alone sent out of the kitchen or served. Unacceptable, sent back at the first bite. Free range chicken was chewy and borderline unpleasant too. Add to this that cocktails (tried many) are mocktails in disguise. Staff is trying to please when told "strong", but the orders kept disappointing us. The food situation is really problematic, and eating at a resort in this class should be an experience, not a daunting prospect. Prego and the beach bar at the Westin Desaru are way better in comparison, and that is a low bar. This HAS to be fixed by O&O so that this property it has the potential to be.

Was here for my dads 60th birthday and the experience was amazing. Team were lovely and rooms fantastic. Special thanks to Kai Goh for organising our private dinner & bonfire, tennis, golf, paddle. was an eventful trip!

The property is beautiful but the people make it the best experience. We had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Anillan who took care of our dietary requirements, ensuring we had only the best and each day only got better! Anillan, Chef David and the team went all out to create a bespoke dining experience, they made everything possible and took extra effort to curate dishes off menu to meet our requirements. Anillan went above and beyond to ensure that we were not let down. We shared feedback about the rooms and food and he took it in the most receptive manner and acted on those points immediately. It goes without saying that the rooms are beautiful, the outdoor areas are immaculate, restaurants and bar have a wonderful ambience. Especially the Duskey bar with a live singer who was very friendly and super talented. Rooms are well furnished, however the bathroom requires one to go out of the room which can be troublesome at night. WIFI coverage is good. Adequate number of TV channels and video on demand. Club One was one of our favourite spots to be, it is well equipped with quality sports equipment and people! Tennis coach Mul was so friendly and patient, introduced us to Padel tennis which we loved and kept going back to play more. The tennis courts are beautiful, they also have teqball, table tennis, pool, basketball, bicycles, a painting studio as well as a kids club. What we loved is that each person dedicated to an activity that was on offer came with a wealth of knowledge and experience such as the tennis coach, Jina the yoga instructor, the naturalist and the spa team. Every member of the team at One and Only never failed to greet us with their warmth and friendliness. They never say no and truly did their best to accommodate us. At One & Only, it only gets better! We are ever so grateful to Mr Rahman, Anillan, Chef David and team, the staff at Club One and all those behind the scenes. We can’t wait to come back!

Rooms were excellent although having the toilet and bathroom in a separate "outhouse" took some getting used to. Facilities are top notch all the best equipment at the club plenty of fun activities. We tried our hand at silat a traditional Malay martial arts, archery and a nature walk. Muis and Wan who guided us through these activities were informational, fun and considerate. Overall staff really tried to make us feel welcome and taken care of. A tip: make sure you ask for cocktails to be "strong" at the Dusky Monkey or you might end up with something more akin to mocktails.

Had a great time staying at One&Only Desaru Coast recently. The room is huge and beautiful, plenty of indoor and outdoor space. The staff made our stay even better! Very friendly, accommodating and helpful. The hotel facilities are top notch. Well equipped gym with latest Technogym equipments. And if you are into sports and outdoor activities, do check out their One Club. Highly recommended.

Had been admiring beautiful pictures and videos of this place a fair bit previously, finally manage to visit and we were delighted. Stayed in the Ocean View villa - spacious, beautiful and nicely done. We didn't get to dip in the room's pool because the kids simply love that there are 2 much bigger pools to chill in, one at the main building and the other at the Ember Beach Club where it adjoins to the beach. Staff are friendly, specially Sufi & Yoga, both of them are courteous and warm, made us feel right at home. We definitely had a very enjoyable and pleasant getaway at One & Only Desaru, keep up the good effort and thank you to everyone in the team who had made our stay a wonderful one.