- Benidorm Holidays
- Costa Blanca
- Asia Gardens Hotel and Thai Spa
Located on the slopes of the Sierra Cortina Mountain, its stands at 150 metres above sea level and enjoys fantastic views all the way to the Costa Blanca. Build in 2008 this modern golf and spa hotel features Asian style design and architecture with unique gardens and unbeatable views of the bay of Benidorm. The rooms are comfortable, well-equipped and decorated in modern Balinese style, with special design features in the bathrooms and opening to great views towards the 370,000 m² of grounds with many pine trees which surround the hotel. The complex offers excellent facilities for organizing any type of event. With a total of 4 restaurants, 3 bars and conference space of 3,500 m² it is big enough for even the largest convention. Sitting next to 2 outstanding golf courses makes it a true heaven on earth for all fairway fans.
We recently stayed at Asia Gardens for nine nights, having visited the hotel more than ten times previously. Unfortunately, this return visit fell well below the standard we had come to expect.
We initially booked a suite for approximately €5,500. The first suite allocated to us was dark and poorly presented, with a very small balcony despite being advertised as having a large terrace.
We were subsequently moved to a considerably better suite with a large terrace and hot tub. However, the upgrade cost an additional €3,000, bringing the total cost of our stay to approximately €8,500, or around €945 per night. At this price, five-star accommodation and service should be expected.
Unfortunately, the room and service did not justify the cost.
Throughout our stay, dust was visible on various units and surfaces. The bathroom had an unpleasant smell of urine, the lounge curtains were ripped, and the furniture and overall décor appeared tired and in need of refurbishment. The mattress was also extremely lumpy and uncomfortable.
The shower door allowed a significant amount of water to escape onto the bathroom floor, creating a potential hazard. We had to place a towel on the floor to absorb the water, which was particularly inconvenient given the shortage of towels.
We were generally provided with only two bath towels per day. As a result, after showering in the evening, there were no fresh, dry towels available the following morning. On our final night, we received only one towel and had to use an old towel that had previously been left in the bathroom.
The terrace towels provided for use with the hot tub were not replaced during our nine-night stay.
Basic room provisions were also inconsistent. The Nespresso coffee pods were not replenished until I specifically requested them on the fourth day.
The suite benefits were not properly organised either. One of the advertised benefits was in-room breakfast, as well as a complimentary meal in the buffet restaurant. For the first three days, however, there was no card in the room explaining how to request breakfast. I eventually had to enquire about the process and was told that a card should have been provided. Although I asked for one to be placed in the room, this did not happen, and I ultimately had to ask a member of the housekeeping team in the corridor to obtain one.
There was also no information in the room about the complimentary meal. I was only able to enquire about it because I was aware that it was included as an additional benefit. I was then told that I needed to obtain a voucher on the day we wished to use it.
I asked whether the complimentary meal could be taken in one of the à la carte restaurants and was initially told that this was not possible and that it applied only to the buffet restaurant. However, on the day we wanted to use the benefit, a member of staff explained that it could in fact be used in one of the à la carte restaurants. Unfortunately, this was our final night, and our favourite restaurant at the hotel, the Thai restaurant Koh Samui, was closed that evening. We therefore had to use the benefit in the Italian restaurant instead.
Room service was another area of concern. Some dishes were disappointing, particularly given their prices. On one occasion, we ordered a pot of tea but received a jug of hot water that was visibly dirty. I have attached a photograph, which clearly illustrates the issue. Despite reporting it, we received no apology or acknowledgement.
We were later given fruit plates on two occasions. These may have been intended as gestures following our complaints, but this was never explained, so their purpose was unclear.
Staff service was inconsistent. Some employees were friendly, warm and professional, while others appeared unwelcoming and dismissive. This inconsistency was not in keeping with the level of service expected at a five-star hotel.
I would, however, like to recognise Paula, who greeted us on arrival and was extremely friendly, and Rebecca from housekeeping, who was genuinely warm and helpful. Both were a credit to the hotel.
Asia Gardens remains a beautiful property. The gardens are impressive, the swimming pools are attractive, and the reception, restaurants and communal areas provide a wonderful setting. This made the shortcomings of our stay particularly disappointing.
Having stayed at the hotel more than ten times, we know how good Asia Gardens can be. On our previous two visits to the area, we stayed at The Level at Meliá Villaitana. Although Asia Gardens has superior surroundings, our stay here cost approximately twice as much, and the experience did not justify that premium.
We have also stayed this year at the Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui, Banyan Tree Samui and Mandarin Oriental Singapore. Those hotels demonstrated the level of accommodation and service we would expect from genuine five-star properties. Unfortunately, Asia Gardens did not meet that standard during this visit.
Asia Gardens is a beautiful hotel with considerable potential, but based on this experience, the overall standard felt closer to four-star than five-star. At almost €1,000 per night, dusty surfaces, tired furnishings, an unpleasant bathroom smell, inadequate towels, unreplenished coffee, poorly organised suite benefits and dirty water being delivered with room service are not acceptable.
We returned hoping Asia Gardens would impress us again, but it did not.
After more than ten previous stays, it is disappointing to conclude that we will not be returning. In future, we are likely to return to the Presidential Suite at Meliá Villaitana, where we have enjoyed a similarly comfortable experience at considerably lower cost.
Booked a weekend break to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Arrived and decided to have dinner at the Bonsai bar ordered a steak and Salmon. Salmon was dry and the steak was over well done and very dry after ordering it medium to medium rare. When I complained and thought they were replacing it, they didn’t and just left us waiting. Things didn’t improve much from there. Will not be returning
A deeply disappointing experience that requires an explanation from management
We chose Asia Gardens specifically to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, expecting the level of hospitality and discretion one would reasonably associate with a luxury resort charging approximately €500 per night.
Unfortunately, our experience has been profoundly disappointing and, frankly, upsetting.
We had made a reservation for dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants and arrived expecting to enjoy our anniversary evening. Instead, we were refused entry and turned away from our reserved table because I was wearing smart dress shorts and a shirt.
I would like to make it absolutely clear that these were not casual beach shorts. I was appropriately dressed for an evening at a luxury spa resort in Spain, in temperatures of approximately 33°C.
We were informed that men are required to wear long trousers and that formal dress is required in all of the restaurants.
There are several issues here that I believe hotel management needs to address.
Firstly, why was this requirement not made sufficiently clear when the restaurant reservation was made?
Had we been explicitly informed that a man wearing smart tailored shorts would be refused entry, we could obviously have made alternative arrangements. Instead, we discovered the policy only when standing at the restaurant entrance on our anniversary.
Secondly, the way the policy appears to be applied is extremely difficult to understand.
During the same period, women were being admitted wearing very short skirts, while I was refused entry wearing smart shorts and a shirt.
If Asia Gardens wishes to maintain a formal dress code, that is entirely its choice. However, it should be clearly communicated, consistently applied and based on a genuinely coherent standard, rather than leaving guests to discover the rules at the door.
Thirdly, the complete lack of flexibility was particularly disappointing.
This is a Spanish spa resort in temperatures of around 33°C. We were not attempting to enter the restaurant wearing swimwear, flip-flops or beach clothing. We were dressed smartly and appropriately for the climate and the type of resort we had booked.
Nevertheless, there was apparently no discretion whatsoever.
We are staying for another four days, so we are now faced with the choice of going shopping specifically to purchase long trousers or eating room service if we wish to dine in the hotel restaurants.
That is an extraordinary position to find ourselves in after spending approximately €500 per night and travelling specifically to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.
What makes this particularly frustrating is that the hotel itself is beautiful. The setting is exceptional and the resort has every opportunity to provide a genuinely outstanding experience. Unfortunately, hospitality is not simply about beautiful buildings and impressive surroundings. It is also about how guests are treated when something goes wrong or when expectations differ.
Being refused entry to a restaurant on our anniversary was embarrassing and genuinely upsetting. We were made to feel as though we had done something unreasonable when, in reality, we had not been adequately informed of a particularly restrictive dress requirement.
I would therefore ask the management of Asia Gardens to explain:
We came to Asia Gardens expecting luxury, relaxation and exceptional hospitality.
Instead, one of the first things we experienced was being turned away from a restaurant on our anniversary because of the length of my trousers.
For a property positioning itself as a luxury resort at this price level, I find this extremely difficult to justify.
We are still here for another four days, so I sincerely hope that management will take this complaint seriously and that our remaining stay can be salvaged.
At present, however, our experience has been sufficiently disappointing that we would not recommend Asia Gardens to others.
A beautiful resort is ultimately only as good as the experience it gives its guests. On this occasion, Asia Gardens has fallen a very long way short of the experience we expected.
Unfortunately, our experience has been disappointing so far. We had a 4.5-hour wait for our room and weren’t allowed in until 4:30pm, which is a terrible start to a holiday. There also seemed to be very few staff around to help, and the hotel feels noticeably overbooked.
There are a lot of rules and restrictions, which makes it difficult to properly relax. We booked half board expecting some choice, but it is actually limited to just one restaurant, which was very disappointing.
The adults-only pool is also tiny, with no nearby toilets and not enough sun loungers, so even that area doesn’t offer the relaxing experience you would expect.
Overall, the hotel feels overcrowded, restrictive and poorly organised. After such a long wait just to access the room, we expected the rest of the experience to make up for it, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case.
Beautiful hotel, but not currently a 5-star standard
We have stayed in a number of 5-star hotels, and unfortunately we don’t feel Asia Gardens currently lives up to a true 5-star standard.
The gardens and grounds are absolutely stunning and are definitely the highlight of the hotel. The food was also amazing and we really enjoyed it. However, when you are paying 5-star prices, you expect the rooms, restaurants, pool areas and overall surroundings to be maintained to the same high standard.
In the restaurant, the area around our table had visible water damage and wallpaper hanging off the wall, yet our meal cost around €180. The food itself was excellent, but at that price you expect the surroundings to match the quality of the meal.
The pool area was also disappointing. Some of the sun loungers were dirty and certainly not what we would expect at a 5-star resort. On one day, the main pool couldn’t be used until around 2pm because the chemical levels were not correct. When one of the main attractions of the hotel is its beautiful pools, losing a large part of the day because the main pool isn’t available is disappointing, particularly considering the price of staying here.
Our room was a lovely size, but there were several things that let it down. The doors slam shut very loudly, making it difficult to relax or have an afternoon nap. The bed was on wheels and moved as soon as we got into it. There was nowhere convenient to hang wet towels after showering, and even the hairdryer felt cheap and poor quality for a hotel of this standard.
It’s a shame because this could be an exceptional hotel. The setting and gardens are beautiful and the food is excellent, but some areas are clearly in need of maintenance, better cleanliness and greater attention to detail.
For the prices being charged, we expected a much higher overall standard from a 5-star hotel.
